BBA / Master of Science in Business Analytics

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Emory University

Program Overview

The BBA / Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School allows current BBA students to earn both degrees in a compressed 4.5-year pathway, combining a broad business education with advanced training in data, technology, and analytics. Designed for students with strong quantitative and technical interests, the program develops the ability to connect business knowledge with programming, statistics, databases, machine learning, and data-driven decision-making.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students begin building their business foundation while developing the quantitative and technology skills needed for the BBA. Key coursework includes BUS 350 Data and Decision Analytics and BUS 290 Tech Tools A: Excel, alongside economics and statistical preparation.

Year 2: Students progress into Goizueta's functional business core, learning how different areas of an organization operate and interact. Courses such as ACT 200 Accounting: The Language of Business, FIN 320 Corporate Finance, and MKT 340 Marketing Management develop knowledge across accounting, finance, and marketing.

Year 3: Students deepen their business expertise while adding more advanced analytical and technological skills. Courses such as MKT 345 Market Growth & Analytics, ISOM 352 Applied Data Analytics with Coding, and BUS 383 Experiential Team Dynamics & Leadership allow students to connect analytics with business growth, coding, teamwork, and leadership.

Year 4: The senior year is devoted to the MSBA curriculum, moving students into graduate-level business analytics. Core subjects include ISOM 670 Business Statistics, ISOM 671 Managing Big Data, and ISOM 672 Intro to Business Analytics, followed by advanced study in areas such as ISOM 674 AI & Machine Learning, ISOM 675 Data Visualization, and ISOM 676 Machine Learning & AI at Scale.

Final semester (Year 4.5): After the MSBA-focused senior year, students return to the BBA program for their final semester and complete the remaining undergraduate requirements. The joint degree is specifically structured so that both the BBA and MSBA can be completed in typically 4.5 years, requiring only one additional semester compared with completing the degrees separately.

Focus areas

Business analytics, business statistics, big data, data management, machine learning, artificial intelligence, data visualization, decision analytics, optimization, programming, databases and SQL, business intelligence

Learning outcomes

Students develop technical and quantitative fluency and learn to transform business problems into data-based problems, manage and analyze large datasets, build predictive models, apply machine-learning techniques, create data visualizations, and communicate data-driven insights for business decision-making.

Professional alignment (accreditation)

The MSBA component is STEM-credentialed and is designed to prepare students as business data scientists who can work across business, data, and technology. The curriculum combines management, information systems/computer science, applied statistics, programming, and advanced analytics, providing a strong technical foundation for data-focused business careers.

Reputation (employability rankings)

Goizueta's official MSBA career information reports employment outcomes for the MSBA, including roles such as Business Analyst, Business Intelligence Engineer, Data Analytics Business Consultant, Product Manager, Senior Data Analyst, and Senior Data Science Analyst. The school also reports that 86.5% of 2025 MSBA graduates with less than three years of professional experience who were accepting full-time employment reported a mean base salary of $77,834, while those with 3+ years reported $101,880; salary information was self-reported by graduates.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Students gain practical experience by working with real datasets, applying programming and analytical methods, and solving business problems rather than studying analytics only from a theoretical perspective. The MSBA uses tools including Python, R, SQL, Tableau, AWS/Azure and cloud-based analytics technologies, while its Analytics Practicum places students in teams working on sponsor-company problems using proprietary and potentially public datasets.

The BBA side also emphasizes applied business learning, while Goizueta provides dedicated resources and research facilities that support data-driven work:

Analytics Practicum: Student teams define a business problem, clean and combine datasets, select analytical techniques, build models, and present their findings to client sponsors.
Industry-sponsored projects: MSBA students work on real business challenges with industry partners; project deliverables can include analytical models, code, cleaned data, business presentations, and executive dashboards.
Programming and data tools: Students work with Python, R/RStudio and SQL, with the technology curriculum also using Unix tools, file-transfer methods and cloud services such as AWS and Azure.
Data visualization: ISOM 675 Data Visualization develops skills in exploratory analysis, professional business visualizations and interactive dashboards.
Big-data environment: ISOM 671 Managing Big Data covers databases, data warehousing, data modeling, ETL and elements of the big-data ecosystem.
Goizueta Behavioral Research Lab: The lab provides research infrastructure including space, hardware, software, subject pools and research assistance for data-collection projects.
Goizueta Business Library: Students have access to the Goizueta Business Library and Emory library resources for business research and study.
Goizueta Data Analytics Club: BBA students can participate in guest-speaker sessions, roundtable discussions and technical workshops focused on analytical technologies used in industry.
Industry engagement: Goizueta describes real-world partnerships with Fortune 500 companies and startups as a central part of its data-driven academic experience.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates of the combined BBA/MSBA pathway can pursue roles that connect business strategy with data and technology, including Business Analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst, Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Business Intelligence Engineer, Data Analytics Consultant, Product Analyst, Senior Data Analyst, Machine Learning Engineer, and Operations & Analytics Manager. Goizueta's MSBA employment information shows graduates entering technology, consulting, financial services, healthcare, retail and other sectors, with reported hiring companies including Amazon, Capital One, EY Consulting, The Home Depot, JPMorgan Chase, Visa and Zillow.

The program also provides structured career support and opportunities to connect classroom analytics with employers:

Career coaching: Students receive one-on-one career coaching, professional-development workshops, mentoring, networking events, career panels and mock interviews.
Corporate engagement: Goizueta facilitates relationships between students, faculty and corporate partners, including opportunities for companies to sponsor student projects.
Industry projects: The MSBA Analytics Practicum gives students experience addressing actual company problems with real data and presenting results to executive-level client sponsors.
Employment outcomes: Goizueta's published MSBA employment report lists a $95,258 mean base salary and $13,018 mean signing bonus in its reported 2024 employment data; the school notes that compensation data is self-reported.
Recent MSBA career outcomes: Goizueta's career page identifies roles such as Associate Data Engineer, Business Intelligence Engineer, Data Analytics Business Consultant, Product Manager, Senior Data Analyst and Senior Data Science Analyst among graduates.
STEM designation: The MSBA is STEM-designated, and Goizueta states that eligible F-1 students may have potential access to up to 36 months of OPT, subject to applicable U.S. immigration and employment requirements.
Industry connections: Published MSBA employment data identifies employers including Amazon, Capital One Financial Corporation, CBOE Global Markets, Expedia Group, EY Consulting, The Home Depot, JPMorgan Chase, TikTok, Visa and Zillow.
Long-term professional network: Graduates retain access to career coaching through Goizueta's Alumni Career Services office and the broader Goizueta alumni network.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the BBA/MSBA, graduates can continue into advanced graduate study in areas such as business analytics, data science, information systems, artificial intelligence, statistics, computer science, management or related doctoral programs, depending on the admission requirements of the institution and program. The strong combination of business, quantitative and technical preparation also provides a foundation for further specialization in AI, analytics, technology management or related fields.