What are some of the best schools in order to receive a business analytics degree?

Business analytics is so broad - first, you need to narrow down what type of analyst you might want to be, and what skills you are most interested in developing/using. Some analysts are heavy on the computer science or data science side, others are more math-based (I got into healthcare business analytics with a Fortune 7 company and I went to school for math), some have specialized knowledge, such as in retail/merchandising.

Business analysis is a "two-sided" (at least) skill. By that I mean the business analyst is a bridge builder - for example, between IT professionals and business leaders looking to implement a new system. The analyst in this case would need to have good technical understanding as well as business understanding and the communication skills to be a bridge between the two. (In my case, I bridge data science and operations research with clinically-minded leaders who need to build and assess new healthcare services in a financially sustainable way.)

Think about what "worlds" (besides the business world) you are skilled at navigating, or interested in. At that point, you can choose a school that will teach you both sides of the skill.

From my personal experience as a Business Analyst, I would recommend pursuing the ASQ Six Sigma certifications, https://asq.org/cert.  The certification process can be taken online or in a classroom setting.  I would recommend starting out with the Green Belt certification and then work your way up to the Black Belt and Master Black Belt.

What's nice about the Six Sigma certifications is they are recognized around the world and gives you unlimited access to different work environments (finance, manufacturing, technology, non-profits, small businesses...).

Another area I would focus on is statistics and data mining. Both of these skill sets play a major role in the Business Analyst profession. Data mining allows you to pull raw data and statistics allows you to take the raw data and convert it into useful information to aid in decision making. Both of these classes can be taken at any local community college or tech school.

Since business analytics is so broad, I figured I will list out a few qualities that will help you succeed in this field.

First and foremost, the ability to position yourself as a lifetime learner and stay curious is crucial. As a business analyst, both technical and non technical, you will encounter questions you/your organization haven't faced before. Staying curious helps you discover process improvement opportunities; learning new skills gets you solutions.

In addition, learn to see the bigger picture. Being detail-oriented is important, but you must not lose sight of the big picture. Learn to analyze problems from different perspectives. The ability to see the bigger picture will help tremendously during cross functional collaborations. This will take time to develop, and it is definitely worth your effort.

Last but definitely not least, get into the habit of backing your discoveries/suggestions with data. Being able to manipulate data is crucial in this day and age. You can look into sql, python, and R. However, as important as data is, you need to be extra careful when it comes to making decisions using data. I personally prefer being data-informed as opposed to being data-driven. Data helps you tell a story, it's not the full story.

You will be successful as a business analyst if you possess all these qualities.

In terms of schools: If you want to be more technical, go to schools near silicon valley, near seattle, UIUC, CMU and of course, all the ivy league schools. If you want to be more business facing, finding schools with good business programs will set you up good. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck!

I don't believe the school matters as much as successful application of skill. There are also some certifications that will help.

There are many best schools but what matters is what we gain from those business analytics courses in these respective schools. Every course structure is different and every instructor is different. One question we need to answer before applying to these schools is that, are we actually getting the value which we want form the course or not.

USC is a great business school overall. Harvard has an online business analytics certificate for professionals. Here are some other options: https://www.mastersindatascience.org/schools/top-masters-in-analytics/

It depends on what are you looking for in university or college.Nothing is best unless you put your hard work ,analysis to achieve it. schools just help us to reach 1 step closer to reality.My experience in UMass was similar I won’t say it wasn’t tough to master the art of getting assignments, communication right but it’s always so much to learn.

Dont just see good school see how can it make you good in your career.

It is not about which school is the best to receive a business analytics degree, because a student can either be very motivated or not completely convinced about studying any specific degree.

Best recommendation I can give to any person looking to either receive an undergraduate degree and/also a master degree, is to look abroad, like for example Germany, Norway, Denmark, or Sweden.

Learning how other developed countries learn/teach could bring new ideas to any individual.

1. University of Washington.
2. University of California, Berkeley
3. University of Denver
4. Cyracuse University