What Is a Business Analytics Degree?

A business analytics degree can prepare you to work as a business analyst, a professional who applies the principles of data analytics to a business setting. Additionally, a business analytics degree can help you learn the skills you’ll need to work in other jobs, such as an operations research analyst and a marketing analyst. 

You can pursue a business analytics degree in many ways, including degree programs at levels ranging from associate to master’s. You can also pursue non-degree options like certifications and certificates in business analytics. 

Explore your business analytics degree options as well as the careers you may be able to start once you earn your degree. 

What is business analytics?

Business analytics is a discipline that uses data analytics to understand and analyze business data. It includes investigating the many different aspects of business, from forecasting future demand to analyzing marketing campaigns, identifying business patterns, and developing models. Business analytics can help companies make informed decisions, act flexibly in competitive markets, and improve efficiency. 

What are the four types of business analytics?

Business analytics is not a monolith. You have four main types to choose from. Each offers a different kind of insight.

- Descriptive analytics help you understand the facts of what happened in the past. 

- Diagnostic analytics help you understand why past events happened. 

- Predictive analytics help you understand what might happen in the future. 

- Prescriptive analytics help you understand the best actions going forward. 

What is a degree in business analytics?

Business analysts most commonly have a bachelor’s degree. In fact, 71 percent of business analysts hold a bachelor’s degree, while another 18 percent have a master’s degree [1]. 

While receiving your bachelor’s degree, you may decide to major in business, computer science, business administration, data science, or finance. A master’s degree or specialized certifications can further help you learn the skills you need to become a business analyst, particularly if you earned a bachelor’s degree in a less relevant field. 

Explore business analytics degree options at the associate, bachelor’s, and master’s levels, as well as options for business analytics certifications. 

Associate level business analytics degree

Entry-level business analyst positions often require a bachelor’s degree with a major in fields such as general business, finance, or business administration. However, you may be able to qualify for an entry-level role with an associate degree that focuses on the core concepts you’ll need in a business analytics role. Beginning to work in the industry after your associate degree could give you job experience while you work towards a bachelor’s degree. 

Examples of associate degree programs in business analytics include: 

• Associate in Data Analytics

• Associate of Arts in Business Analytics

• Business Analyst Associate Degree

Bachelor's level business analytics degree 

Typically, jobs as a business analyst require at least a bachelor’s degree. You can choose to earn your bachelor’s degree in a related subject like business or finance, however, many colleges and universities offer programs specializing in business analytics. 

A few examples of bachelor’s level programs in business analytics include: 

• Bachelor in Business Analytics

• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

• Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management

• Bachelor of Science in Finance

• Bachelor of Science in Data Analytics

Master’s level business analytics degree

To qualify for senior roles or roles with a higher level of responsibility, you may need to earn a master’s degree. A master’s degree can help you analyze complex data models and use machine learning to create bespoke analytics solutions. 

Examples of master’s level degree programs that could advance your career in business analytics include: 

• Master of Business Administration

• Master of Science in Data Analytics

• Master in Business Data Science and Analytics

Business analytics certifications

You can also pursue business analytics certifications to help you learn specialized skills or to enhance your resume. Some popular options for certifications in business analytics include: 

• Certified Business Analytics Professional (CBAP) offered by the International Institute of Business Analysts

• Certified Foundation Level Business Analyst (CFLBA) offered by the International Qualification Board for Business Analysts

You can also explore Professional Certificates for specialized learning. For example, you could earn: 

• Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Professional Certificate

• Meta Marketing Analytics Professional Certificate

• IBM Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst Professional Certificate

Business analytics jobs

You can pursue work in a number of roles when you have a business analytics degree, with job titles that include business analyst, operations research analyst, or marketing analyst. Explore each of these roles, including your daily responsibilities, the average salary across the United States, and the job outlook. 

Business analyst

Average salary in the US (Glassdoor): $83,339 [2]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 11 percent [3] 

As a business analyst, you will analyze a company’s data to help leadership make actionable decisions. You will build models to help stakeholders visualize data and predict future outcomes. Using this data, you will also recommend actions your company can take to avoid risk and achieve its business goals. Business analysts may work with many different department heads and other representatives to provide an understanding of data across siloed parts of the organization. 

Operations research analyst

Average salary in the US (Glassdoor): $107,569 [4]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 23 percent [5]

As an operations analyst, you’ll work as a business analyst specializing in the analysis of complex systems and problems. For example, you may help a company streamline its supply chain, improve resource allocation, or diagnose the roadblocks holding a company back from its goals. In this role, you will collect and analyze data across departments, working closely with many different stakeholders to get the most accurate data possible. Then, you will analyze the data and create visualizations to help communicate your findings and recommendations to company stakeholders. 

Marketing analyst

Average salary in the US (Glassdoor): $72,469 [6]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 8 percent [7] 

As a marketing analyst, you will help companies better understand their marketing data to make strategic choices that increase their marketing returns. In this role, you will gather, analyze, and monitor data about marketing trends, marketing performance, digital marketing, competitors, and more. Your analysis will help direct marketing strategy by determining what products customers want, what markets make sense for your brand, and how the company can improve marketing. 

Is business analytics a good degree?

A business analytics degree can open opportunities for you to work in various positions, making it an excellent option if your goals and interests match up with those roles. Notably, business and data science–the two fields that combine to create business analytics–will experience a higher-than-average growth rate from 2023 to 2033 [8, 9] (the average growth rate across all occupations in the US is 4 percent [8]). These estimates make it clear that business analysts will be in demand for at least the coming decade. 

Earn your business analytics degree on Coursera.

You can earn a business analytics degree at the associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s levels, or you can choose a certification program. Explore options for learning the skills you need to become a business analyst on Coursera. 

You could choose a Professional Certificate, such as the IBM Business Intelligence Analyst Professional Certificate, which can help you build skills in SQL queries, relational databases, data gathering and cleaning, data warehousing, data analysis, and reporting techniques. Or, you could explore degree programs such as the Master of Business Administration (iMBA) offered by the University of Illinois.