Making a decision about your further education and career should not be done lightly. Often, it is a large investment, and you will need to dedicate a lot of time and energy to learning new skills or developing existing ones. When completing a business analytics masters online, you will be taking a flexible course that works for you, letting you customize the degree to suit the industry you work in and allowing you to continue working alongside your studies. If you are looking to move your career into a more analytical or decision-making direction, or are continuing in your academic journey into becoming a business analyst, then this course can help you achieve this and much more. Here are just a few things to consider when thinking about a business analytics masters online.
Business Analytics Basics
The role of a business analyst is varied and depends on the job position they hold and the industry in which they work. Business analysts are an important part of any organization, as they essentially act as a liaison between the advanced technologies and solutions and the businesses and clients who need them. You will be listening to the requirements of the clients, combining this with the data, and matching them up with the most appropriate solutions. Business analysts are concerned with looking at data and events, making sure negative events do not occur again and choosing and implementing solutions to ensure that this is the case.
This is a field in which demand is increasing as many companies turn to using big data analysis, and they require experts who know how to do this. If you are interested in working with data and data-driven decision-making, then a business analytics masters online can give you the personal and technical skills required to work in this field. Business analytics requires a combination of personal skills and technical knowledge, and a business analytics masters online will help you develop both areas in order to make you a valuable member of any team.
What is the course?
The business analytics masters online is a masters of science that can be completed in around two years. There are very little entry requirements for the course, with no GRE/GMAT needed. The only prerequisite is a BA or BS, and this can be in any subject. The course can also be customized so that you can focus on areas in which you have an interest or industries in which you already work, such as cybersecurity or marketing. The modules that you can complete include data visualization and analysis, data warehousing, prescriptive analysis, predictive analysis and analytics capstone, and you will also have the chance to use software and technology that you will be using in the workplace, such as Tableau, SQL, Python, and SPSS. It is important to be confident when using these kinds of technologies, as you will need to efficiently choose and implement them as solutions when working as a business analyst and will need a wide range of knowledge of the most up-to-date solutions and ideas.
Career outcomes
When it comes to working as a business analyst, there are plenty of different roles and positions that you could find yourself in. These will vary depending on the industry in which you work and the organization or business that you are working for. Some popular business analyst jobs include:
- Reporting- as a data reporter, you will be looking at data that relates to the performance of the business. You will be interested in events that happen, more so than the reasons for why they happened, and will be collating, analyzing, processing, and submitting data with the aim of using the data to improve different aspects of the business.
- Strategy- this role involves looking at the reported data and finding solutions for the client. You will be working with the data as well as the specific criteria or requirements of the client and matching these up with different solutions in order to come to the most appropriate conclusions.
- Data science- data scientists specialize in specific areas, such as video processing or speech analytics, and analyze complex data in order to find solutions for the business or client. You will be communicating complex information and ideas, so good communication skills are essential in order to avoid misunderstandings and miscommunications and to ensure that you are accurately conveying information to your audience.
These are only a few of the different roles that a business analytics masters online can help prepare you to work in. You will be a confident team player and have a large amount of technical knowledge, as well as the desire and ability to absorb new information and ideas. This will ensure that you are always offering the most up-to-date solutions to your clients and are delivering a high level of services to those you are working with.
Online study benefits
The business analytics masters online is an accessible and affordable study option for those who cannot commit to full-time, in-person education. Attending classes in person may be impractical for a number of reasons, such as availability or cost. Online courses make postgraduate education more achievable for a larger number of people. You also enjoy a much wider selection of business analytics courses online than would be possible by studying locally.
Many benefits come from studying at a master’s level and expanding your education as much as you can. The education investment shows that you have a genuine passion and interest in the subject and that you are willing to devote extra time and energy to learning more about it. You also gain access to education, resources, and people within the industry that you may not get to meet or collaborate with otherwise. Furthermore, the higher your level of education, the greater your job opportunities and salary prospects. A master’s degree can be a worthy investment that can help you develop personally and professionally and make a big difference in your career.
Cost
The financial side of studying is one of the main reasons that you may not choose to pursue further education, especially if you already have a degree and a job. However, with the workplace becoming more competitive, a masters could give you an edge. Furthermore, the business analytics masters online is competitively priced, and you can also save money in various other ways. For example, when learning from home, you won’t have to commute to classes daily, travel to a university, or rent accommodation on or near a campus. You may also be eligible for financial support from the institution, as well as other benefits such as student discounts. There is also the ability to work alongside your studies, which means that you can continue to earn money while you are learning.
Location
Another of the benefits of online learning is the ability to complete the course from any location, at any time. Your physical location can affect the types of courses you can apply for if you are looking for in-person options, and your local university might not offer the courses that you need. This can put a delay in your career plans and cause you to have to study something that you are not interested in. With a business analytics masters online, the teaching is 100% remote, allowing you to access the course wherever you are. You will also be able to create a learning environment at home that works for you. Some people do not learn as well in a classroom or lecture theatre environment, as it can feel overwhelming or intimidating, and this can impact their learning experience or completely put them off. Online courses offer an alternative to this in which you have more control over what your learning environment looks like and consists of. This can help you to absorb information more efficiently, be more productive, and generally enjoy learning.
Skills
Studying for a business analytics masters online will not only give you the technical skills that you need to succeed in this role, but it can also help you develop the personal skills that will help you excel in the workplace and make you a valuable team member. Soft skills are a set of personal, non-transferrable skills such as communication, teamwork, and conflict resolution, and employers look upon them favorably. Some are incredibly useful for business analysts, such as communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and leadership. When you study online, there are plenty of unique challenges you will need to overcome, and your soft skills can help you to do this. You will then also have practical examples of times when you have utilized them that you can provide potential employers with during job interviews.
Pace and Flexibility
Another benefit of learning online is the control it gives you over different elements of your learning experience. For example, you can schedule your time and make the course work around the rest of your life, rather than having to put everything else on hold in order to learn. Self-paced and flexible learning has plenty of benefits as it can make the experience more enjoyable and productive, and you can begin to understand the ways in which you learn best. Knowing these things about yourself is very useful in general, but especially in business analytics, where you will continually need to be absorbing and understanding new and often complex information and ideas.
Is it right for you?
When it comes to being a business analyst, there are many personal traits and characteristics that can help you succeed. You will need to have a BA or BS in any subject in order to apply for this course, but that is the only requirement. A business analytics masters online will help you develop these skills alongside the technical aspects of the course to ensure that you graduate as a confident and capable individual who can work flexibly with a range of people. Some of these useful traits include:
- Problem-solving- a large part of business analytics is solving problems and finding solutions. You will need excellent problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making skills in order to succeed as a business analyst. Your job will often involve looking objectively at a situation or situations and working to find the most appropriate solution. You will need to be efficient in this process and work with the data and the requirements of the client in order to come to a conclusion that both supports the data, promotes the future of the business and works with the aims of the clients.
- Communication- as a business analyst, you will be working with large numbers of people, and they may not all have the same level of understanding on the topic as you do. Therefore, you need to know how and when to adapt your communication techniques in order to suit the situation and audience. Conflict resolution and negotiation skills will also be helpful, as you may be working with people who have different aims and goals or whose desired outcomes are not possible or achievable. Being able to listen to requirements, analyze data, and confidently supply solutions is essential for working as a business analyst and for keeping the best interests of the client and the business at the forefront of your mind.
These are only a few of the skills that you will need to work as a business analyst, and you may find you already have many of them. The business analytics masters online will help you to identity these within yourself and teach you how to apply them in the real-world workplace. The course will give you the opportunity to become confident using the many different solutions and technologies that are used, which means you can go into a workplace and work towards helping them make a difference. If you are passionate about decision-making, shaping the future of an organization or industry, and have a keen eye for detail, then working as a business analyst could be the perfect career option for you.