Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) to Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA)

5 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Boston University

Program Overview

Boston University’s BSBA-to-MSBA program gives high-performing Questrom students a streamlined five-year pathway to earn both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Business Analytics, combining broad business knowledge with advanced analytics, machine learning and data-driven decision-making. It is ideal for students who want to build a strong business foundation and then develop deeper technical and analytical expertise for careers where business strategy, data and AI intersect.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students begin the BSBA with a broad foundation in business, markets and society through courses such as QST SM 131 Business, Markets, and Society, QST EC 101 Microeconomics and QST BA 221 Introduction to Data and Business Analytics. They also develop quantitative and professional foundations through courses such as Calculus, Financial Accounting and the first stages of Questrom’s career-development sequence.

Year 2: Students build their understanding of how organizations make decisions through subjects including QST BA 222 Modeling Business Decisions and Market Outcomes, QST MO 221 Leading People & Teams and QST IS 223 Information Systems and Emerging Technologies in Business. Students also begin applying classroom knowledge through Questrom’s Core Innovation Project, where teams work on a real business challenge connected with corporate partners or executives.

Year 3: Students deepen their business specialization through a concentration while beginning to prepare for the BSBA-to-MSBA transition. Eligible students can take advanced 500-level analytics courses such as QST IS 565 Managing Data Resources, QST BA 576 Machine Learning for Business Analytics and QST BA 572 Business Experiments and Causal Methods, which can be applied toward corresponding MSBA requirements.

Year 4: Students complete the BSBA curriculum, including advanced concentration work and the QST SI 422 Strategy, Innovation, and Global Competition capstone, where teams conduct strategic analysis of a company and develop recommendations. Students also apply to the BSBA-to-MSBA program before receiving their bachelor's degree and can continue approved 500-level analytics coursework that reduces the number of MSBA units required.

Year 5: The graduate year focuses intensively on business analytics through courses such as QST BA 777 Business Analytics Toolbox, QST BA 810 Supervised Machine Learning, QST BA 820 Unsupervised and Unstructured Machine Learning, QST BA 830 Business Experimentation and Causal Methods and QST BA 840 Data Ethics: Analytics in Social Context. Students can also complete analytics electives or concentrations and gain applied experience through the MSBA's practicum, capstone, internship or independent research opportunities.

Focus areas

Business administration, business analytics, data analysis, information systems, machine learning, artificial intelligence, business experimentation, data ethics, strategic management, marketing analytics, healthcare analytics, data and methods, financial analytics and operations and supply chain analytics.

Learning outcomes

Students develop business knowledge, analytical and quantitative skills, data-driven decision-making abilities, teamwork and leadership skills, strategic thinking, ethical reasoning and the ability to communicate complex analytical insights to technical and non-technical audiences.

Professional alignment (accreditation)

Boston University’s Questrom School of Business states that all undergraduate and graduate degree programs are accredited by AACSB International, providing an internationally recognized business-education quality framework. The BSBA-to-MSBA pathway adds advanced analytics and AI capabilities to the AACSB-accredited business education.

Reputation (employability rankings)

Questrom reports that its undergraduate business program was ranked #16 among Best Undergraduate Business Schools by Poets&Quants in 2025, marking four consecutive years in the Top 20. Boston University also reports that 99% of Questrom undergraduates secured full-time jobs within six months of graduation for the Class of 2025, with $87K+ average total compensation in the United States.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The program is strongly connected to practical business and analytics experience, beginning with the BSBA’s team-based and client-focused learning and continuing into the MSBA’s advanced analytics projects. Students can work with corporate partners, use data and AI tools, participate in consulting-style projects and pursue internships, co-ops or independent research while developing the communication and teamwork skills needed to turn analytical findings into business decisions:

Core Innovation Project (QST XP 298): Students work in teams on a semester-long project involving a real-world company, applying strategic, financial, operational and marketing knowledge before presenting recommendations to company representatives.
MSBA Capstone Project: Students on the 12-month MSBA pathway work collaboratively on a consulting-style project for an industry client, using advanced technical and communication skills to address a real business challenge.
Analytics Practicum: QST BA 889 Analytics Practicum and QST BA 891 Analytics Practicum II provide applied analytics experience within the MSBA curriculum.
Internships: Students following the 16-month MSBA pathway can use the additional time to complete a 3–6 month internship, gaining hands-on experience with an employer.
Co-op opportunities: The MSBA provides an opportunity for eligible students on the longer pathway to pursue a six-month co-op and gain extended full-time professional experience.
Independent research: Students can undertake an independent analytics research project with a faculty advisor, allowing them to investigate a specialized topic and apply analytical methods to their own research.
Data and AI tools: The MSBA curriculum includes Introduction to Programming with Python, Business Analytics Toolbox, Supervised Machine Learning, Unsupervised and Unstructured Machine Learning, GenAI for Business Analytics and Deploying Analytics Pipelines.
Analytics concentrations: Students can specialize through areas including Marketing Analytics, Healthcare Analytics, and Data & Methods, depending on the pathway and available curriculum.
Career and employer activities: Students participate in career workshops, recruiter events, networking opportunities and the MSBA Career Expo, connecting their academic analytics experience with potential employers.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The BSBA-to-MSBA pathway prepares graduates to combine broad business knowledge with advanced analytics, machine learning and data-driven problem solving. The MSBA component specifically prepares students for analytics careers across functions such as consulting, business intelligence, customer and marketing analytics, finance and accounting analytics, operations and supply chain analytics, and people analytics.

Typical job roles include: Business Analyst, Data Analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst, Analytics Consultant

Career development and progression opportunities include:

Career support: Questrom’s Feld Center provides personalized career advising, career fairs, company events, networking opportunities, interview preparation and professional-development support.
Career journey: BSBA students complete the structured Explore Your Career, Build Your Career Toolkit, and Implement Your Career Plan sequence, helping them develop career-search and professional skills throughout the undergraduate program.
Employment outcomes: Questrom reports a 99% employment rate for its undergraduate Class of 2025 and $87K+ average total compensation for U.S.-based graduates.
Industry connections: Official Questrom employer information lists organizations including PwC, KPMG, Deloitte, Fidelity Investments, EY, Accenture, Amazon, Procter & Gamble, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and IBM among employers hiring Questrom students.
Analytics employers: The MSBA career page identifies career pathways across healthcare, customer insights, telecommunications and other industries, with analytics career areas including business intelligence, applied data science, analytics consulting and marketing analytics.
Practical industry experience: The MSBA's client-based projects, internships, co-ops and independent research allow students to graduate with applied examples of analytics work rather than relying solely on classroom coursework.
AACSB accreditation: Questrom states that all its undergraduate and graduate degree programs are AACSB accredited, providing continuing professional value for the business education component of the pathway.
STEM designation: Boston University identifies the MS in Business Analytics as a STEM-eligible program; international students in F-1 status may be eligible for an extension of OPT employment authorization subject to applicable regulations.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the BSBA-to-MSBA pathway, graduates hold both a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in business analytics. Students can subsequently pursue further graduate education such as doctoral study or specialized graduate programs in areas related to business, analytics, management, finance, information systems or data science, depending on their academic and professional goals.