MBA in Business Analytics Online Master of Business Administration Program

Because MBAs are so well-rounded, you'll have plenty of career directions to choose from – especially with the added concentration.

"Learners would become qualified to produce business forecasts to predict the outcomes of binary purchase decisions, create inventory and demand forecasts, and apply their knowledge of predictive models to analyze strategic decision-making," said Thomas A. Woolman, an adjunct faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University.

Since business relies on decision-making, you have the opportunity to find a role at many organizations – one that makes a major impact within a business.

"Potential roles that would utilize this type of qualification include demand planning analyst, financial analysis, strategic planning analyst, digital supply chain planning, management roles in forecasting and planning, as well as management roles for business intelligence departments," Woolman said.

Any accredited degree program should be taken seriously by employers, and many online MBA programs are accredited.

At Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), all of our programs are regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), which covers the 6 states in this region.

NECHE is one of 7 regional accrediting organizations recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Regional accreditation is important: These commissions are among the oldest in the country, setting a high standard for degree-granting institutions.²

In addition, SNHU's business programs are all accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). The organization has about 1,200 members, and it acknowledges institutions that offer a rigorous and quality experience.³

The MBA program at SNHU is its most popular graduate degree. Plus, SNHU has offered online programs to students for over 25 years, which is one of the reasons why we've regularly been named one of the "Most Innovative" colleges by U.S. News & World Report.

And with an MBA at SNHU, you have the option to gain even more focused skills when you add a concentration, like business analytics, finance or leadership, to name a few.

It's not necessarily better to earn a general-track MBA over an MBA in Business Analytics – or vice versa. It truly depends on your career goals and what skills you need to learn to be competitive in the industry.

At Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), all online MBA programs have the same 7-course core, meaning they all have 7 courses in common. These courses take on topics like leading people, measuring success and creating strategies.

Where the courses differ is in the remaining 3 classes of the 10-course program.

In the general-track MBA, you can choose from a wide range of elective courses – like accounting, organizational leadership or marketing.

However, when you choose one of the MBA concentrations (such as business analytics) you'll have courses that are required to complete the concentration.

At SNHU, those courses are Business Analytics, Descriptive Business Analytics and Predictive Business Analytics.

By adding "MBA in Business Analytics" to your resume, you give yourself the extra boost you may need to get the career you want.

Hiring projections for MBA graduates show an increase after the 2020 pandemic. In 2021, 91% of recruiters surveyed by the Graduate Management Admission Council said they planned to hire MBAs.⁴

And because so many graduates who've earned an MBA in Business Analytics choose to go into consulting, GMAC also reports that 95% of consulting sector recruiters are projecting to hire MBA graduates in the same time period.⁴

While earning an MBA is an incredible accomplishment, it's the MBA field that moves you toward your career goals that's best for you. It's a personal choice.

If building your skills in analytics is important to you, then earning an MBA in Business Analytics could help you move up the ladder.

“Business analytics has applicability to many roles within the industry, such as business process analysis, data management of business data, and the various forms of analytics such as descriptive/historical data reporting, advanced visualizations and even predictive modeling,” said Dr. D. Brian Letort, an adjunct faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University.

Because business analytics experts are widely sought after, you may have the opportunity to work at a type of organization you're passionate about – whether that's in healthcare, marketing or sports.

For an entry-level analyst job, a bachelor's degree should do, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).¹

But the BLS also notes that some organizations prefer to hire someone for these roles who has earned an MBA.¹

That's why an MBA in Business Analytics is the right choice for many. An MBA is widely accepted throughout the workforce, and the business analytics concentration can give you an advantage over those with a more general-track MBA.

If you've earned your bachelor's degree in another area of study, the focused MBA at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) could be the ideal solution. SNHU doesn't require students to have a specific bachelor's degree to enter its program. You may, however, be required to take a foundational course or 2 if you haven't worked in business before.