Is a Master's in Business Analytics Worth it for Career-Changers?

There comes a point in many careers when it's time to move up or move on to new opportunities. When you’re at a career crossroads and in a competitive job market, a master's degree is often exactly what you need to help you reposition yourself.

A recent survey by Resume Genius found that 72% of hiring managers would offer a higher salary to a candidate with a master's degree than to one without.¹ A master's program also provides a skills update, which is increasingly important in an evolving world of work. A recent World Economic Forum report advised that nearly 40% of today's workforce skills will be outdated or significantly changed by 2030.²

Whether it's for increased earning potential, updated skills, or both, a master's degree can help propel a successful career transition—but it's important to pick the right program.

The online recruitment site Indeed ranks business administration, communication, and computer science among the top 10 master's subjects for career-changers.³ To maximize your opportunities, consider a degree program that combines all three of those high-value skill sets: the Master of Science in Business Analytics.

Is a master's in business analytics worth it? This article explains what you can gain from the degree. It covers the skills and knowledge you will acquire and the career opportunities available to you.

What is a Master's in Business Analytics?

Business analytics is the application of data analytics and modeling to the world of business, with the goal of driving decision-making across a range of functions. A strong business analytics master’s program helps you understand how to collect and organize data, use modeling and analytical tools, and communicate insights clearly and effectively.

A degree such as the Online Master of Science in Business Analytics from Santa Clara University teaches you the latest techniques and tools for data gathering and analysis, such as Python and SQL. You'll learn to apply these tools to solve business problems, build analytical models, and present your insights effectively to stakeholders.

An MSBA program gives you a more applied focus than a strategy-heavy MBA, but it's more business-oriented than a pure data science curriculum.

Is a Master's in Business Analytics in Demand?

Business analytics skills are in high demand across data-focused roles. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts data science occupations will grow 34% between 2024 and 2034, and business analysts—who apply analytics to organizational decision-making—are experiencing similar demand.⁴

Who is doing all this hiring? Every sector, from finance to healthcare, retail, and construction, needs business analytics. It drives programming decisions for Netflix, inventory management for Amazon, and core strategies for smaller enterprises in every conceivable industry.

This is fertile ground for career-changers. By combining business analytics skills with your existing industry expertise, you become a more valuable candidate than someone with analytics knowledge alone. An analyst who already understands healthcare operations, financial services workflows, or technology product development, for example, can apply data insights more effectively than someone learning a given industry from scratch.

Skills Learned in a Business Analytics Master's Program

The primary feature that makes a master's in business analytics worth it is the thorough grounding it provides in data analytics, which organizations use to drive better business decisions.

A well-rounded curriculum, such as in Santa Clara University's Online MSBA program, delivers in three main areas: technical expertise, practical experience, and strategic insight. Core courses on subjects such as database management systems give you the tools to gather, organize, analyze, and present information. Practica and capstone courses let you apply these skills in the real world. Further, electives in subjects such as managerial economics and data visualization teach you how to think about business strategy and build persuasive cases for action from data.

Career Opportunities and Job Market Demand

The skills you learn in a business analytics master's program translate readily into an appealing package for employers. This appeal applies across many industries, but recent analysis from the International Institute of Business Analysis indicates that the finance and IT sectors are leading the way in employing business analytics professionals.⁵

An MSBA opens doors to diverse, high-impact roles in many organizations. According to Indeed, top jobs for business analytics graduates include these:⁶

Business Analyst
Extract strategic and tactical insights from company data to inform decision-making across departments. Business analysts serve as the bridge between technical teams and business leadership, translating data findings into actionable recommendations that shape company direction.

Data Architect
Design and implement the systems that determine how organizations collect, store, and access their data. In this role, you'll shape the data infrastructure that makes advanced analytics possible, working at the intersection of technology and business strategy.

Analytics Consultant
Guide organizations through data-driven transformation by applying your expertise across multiple clients and industries. Consultants combine technical analytics skills with business acumen to solve complex strategic challenges, often advancing quickly into senior advisory roles.

For career-changers, these roles offer clear advancement paths. Many professionals move from analyst positions into management roles—such as analytics manager, director of business intelligence, or chief data officer—as they combine their technical expertise with leadership experience. Your prior industry knowledge accelerates this progression, positioning you to lead analytics initiatives in sectors where you already understand the business landscape.

Tips for Success as You Balance Education with Your Career

Naturally, mid-career professionals want to protect the gains they've made in the workplace while simultaneously advancing their qualifications and creating new career opportunities. Balancing education and a career is a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. Strategies for success include:

• Find a flexible degree program: Asynchronous, online programs allow you to work on your degree when your schedule permits
• Get support: A good master's program offers committed mentoring from faculty, peer support programs, regular networking opportunities, and an active alumni network—all ensuring that you're studying with a nurturing community around you
• Stay organized and communicate effectively: Balancing education and a career requires exceptional organizational skills, but the best-laid plans don't always work out—so communicate clearly and regularly with faculty and peers to get help with problems as soon as they arise

Make Your Career Change Count

Why choose the Online Master of Science in Business Analytics at Santa Clara University? It equips you with mastery of cutting-edge data analytics concepts for insight-driven decision-making, taught by expert faculty based in the heart of Silicon Valley.

The program combines academic rigor with practical experience. Ranked #15 in the United States among online MSBA programs by Fortune magazine,⁷ SCU’s online program has a career-focused curriculum that you can complete in as few as 15 months. Additionally, it includes experiential learning with top-tier practicum partners such as Cisco, Credit Suisse, and Intuit. You’ll kick off your Online MSBA experience with an immersive three-day residency at our Santa Clara campus, during which you'll meet faculty, leading industry professionals, and your peers to get a sense of the community of analytics innovators you'll join when you graduate.

Explore program details, such as our tuition and financial aid packages or admission requirements—or contact us directly for more information. When you're ready to plan your next steps, schedule a call with an admissions outreach advisor to talk about crafting a successful leadership career in business analytics.