Business Analytics MS

Learn more about the Master of Science in Business Analytics.

About the Program

The MS in Business Analytics degree, a STEM-certified program, enables graduates to effectively use data and models to support identification and evaluation of opportunities and improve decision-making.

The Business Analytics MS leverages the ever-increasing volume and importance of data as a strategic asset for organizations. Graduates enhance their managerial skillset and improve decision-making through analytics. The curriculum supports student development of advanced skills and techniques that can be applied to discipline-specific and general business problems. The MS program ensures graduates are prepared to meet the growing demand for talent in the areas of managing, analyzing, predicting and discovering insights from complex data available to modern corporations.

Time Limit for Degree Completion: 6 years

Campus Location: Main, Center City, Online

Full-Time/Part-Time Status: The degree program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis.

Affiliation(s): Research interests of Fox faculty are supported by numerous centers and institutes throughout the Fox School and Temple University.

Job Prospects: The Fox Center for Student Professional Development (CSPD) provides students with career coaching and professional development resources that support the job search. Graduates are hired into such positions as:

Big Data Analytics Specialist
Data Analyst
Data Scientist/Information Scientist
Management Analyst/Consultant
Manager of Services or Manufacturing Operations
Market Research Analyst
Project Manager
Research Analyst
Supply Chain Manager

Non-Matriculated Student Policy: This program requires the student to be matriculated in the degree program or graduate certificate program.

Financing Opportunities: Citizens and permanent residents of the United States are considered domestic students and are typically eligible for federal student loans and alternative loans through private lenders. The Fox School grants 5% tuition scholarships to alumni who are admitted to the program. Scholarship funds are limited and available based on merit.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

Fall:

December 15 – Early Admissions Deadline
March 1 – Scholarship Deadline and International Deadline
June 30 – Final Deadline

Applications are reviewed as they are received and can sometimes be considered after the deadline.

APPLY ONLINE to this Fox graduate program.

Letters of Reference:
Number Required: 1

From Whom: Professional references from an immediate supervisor, current or past, are preferred. Academic references are acceptable.

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: The equivalent of a four-year U.S. baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or college is required. For three-year degrees, an evaluation of mark sheets may be required by WES or another NACES organization.

Statement of Goals: Essay prompts can be found in the online application portal.

Standardized Test Scores:
GRE/GMAT: Required. Scores for the GRE typically fall within the following percentile ranges: 50 to 99 Verbal; 65 to 99 Quantitative.

Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution outside of the United States must report scores for standardized test of English that meet the minimums below. Exceptions are made for applicants who have subsequently earned a baccalaureate or masters degree from the approved list of countries provided by the Graduate School.

TOEFL iBT: 90
IELTS Academic: 7.0
Duolingo: 110
PTE Academic: 68

Resume: Current resume or CV is required.

Interview: Candidates are invited to interview virtually. Interviews are required on a case-by-case basis.

Optional Essay: Prompts for this optional essay can be found in the online application portal.

Transfer Credit: Upper-level graduate credits from an AACSB-accredited graduate business program, but not previously applied to a conferred degree, may be transferred into the MS program. The credits must be part of the required degree program at Temple University. To be transferred, the grade must be a "B" or better. The Admissions Committee makes recommendations for transferring credits to the department chair. The maximum number of credits a student may transfer is 6.

Program Requirements

General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 30

Required Courses:

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Core Courses
BA 5687	Advanced Professional Development Strategies ¹	0
STAT 5001	Quantitative Methods for Business	3
STAT 5602	Visualization: The Art of Numbers and the Psychology of Persuasion	3
STAT 5603	Statistical Learning and Data Mining	3
STAT 5604	Experiments: Knowledge by Design	3
STAT 5605	Decision Models: From Data to Decisions	3
STAT 5606	Data: Care, Feeding, and Cleaning in Python	3
STAT 5607	Advanced Business Analytics	3
Capstone Course
STAT 5651	Capstone in Analytics	3
Electives ^{2, 3}
Select two (2) from the following:		6
ACCT 5001	Accounting for Managerial and Investment Analysis and Planning
BA 5002	Socioeconomic Context of Business
BA 5119	Real World Problems and Cases for Managers: An Interdisciplinary Approach
BA 5685	Internship or Externship in Business ⁴
FIN 5001	Financial Analysis and Strategy
MIS 5001	Information Technology Management
MKTG 5108	Data and Financial Driven Marketing
MKTG 5111	Customer Data Analytics
MSOM 5001	Operations Management
MSOM 5107	Lean, Six Sigma, and the Science of Improvement
MSOM 5108	Project Management
RMI 5051	Managing Risk
SCM 5101	Supply Chain Analytics
SGM 5051	Business Strategy in a Global Environment
STAT 5170	Special Topics
STAT 5182	Independent Study
STAT 5190	Special Topics - Stat
STAT 8109	Applied Statistics and Data Science
STAT 8123	Time Series Analysis and Forecasting
Total Credit Hours		30

¹: BA 5687 may be waived based on prior academic or professional preparation. Students should consult with the Academic Director.
²: Two courses/6 credits are required. Note that in all cases, students are responsible for completing prerequisites.
³: Alternate courses may be taken with permission from the Academic Director. Students should pursue a combination of electives that supports their educational and career goals. Students are encouraged to speak with their Academic Director or Advisor when selecting courses.
⁴: Permission from the Academic Director is required to enroll in BA 5685 Internship or Externship in Business as an elective course. But permission to enroll in BA 5685 as an elective does not guarantee that the course will fulfill the capstone requirement. A second permission is required by the Academic Director for BA 5685 Internship or Externship in Business to fulfill the capstone requirement.

Culminating Event:
Capstone Course:
All students in the Business Analytics MS program participate in a capstone experience that is designed to integrate real-world problems into the curriculum. Students may choose between BA 5685 Internship or Externship in Business and STAT 5651 Capstone in Analytics. For STAT 5651, a sponsoring corporation provides a problem and real data, and students divide into teams to work on the problem. At the end of the term, the top several groups as judged by professors present to the program's advisory board and other corporate judges.

Accelerated Programs

Undergraduate students may opt to pursue an accelerated +1 program, enabling them to complete both a bachelor's degree and master's degree in less time than the traditional route.

The accelerated pathway for the Business Analytics MS is open to all undergraduate students who meet the admissions criteria.

Cohort Code: XMSBUSAN

Minimum Cumulative GPA: 3.25

Graduate Courses Approved to Count for Both Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
STAT 5001	Quantitative Methods for Business	3
STAT 5602	Visualization: The Art of Numbers and the Psychology of Persuasion	3
STAT 5605	Decision Models: From Data to Decisions	3
STAT 5607	Advanced Business Analytics	3

Note: The following courses may be taken with permission of advisor if the student is unable to register for the approved courses in the above list: STAT 5603, STAT 5604, or STAT 5606.

Suggested Academic Plan

Plan of Study Grid
Year 3
Fall		Credit Hours
STAT 5001	Quantitative Methods for Business	3
	Credit Hours	3
Spring
STAT 5607	Advanced Business Analytics	3
	Credit Hours	3
Year 4
Fall
STAT 5602	Visualization: The Art of Numbers and the Psychology of Persuasion	3
	Credit Hours	3
Spring
STAT 5605	Decision Models: From Data to Decisions	3
	Credit Hours	3
	Total Credit Hours	12

Admissions Criteria

Candidates for the +1 program must:

meet the general +1 program admissions criteria:
- possess a minimum GPA of 3.25 in at least 45 credits of coursework.
- apply in spring semester of sophomore year. Junior year applicants will be considered for all programs assuming they meet other eligibility criteria.
- be able to complete junior and senior years within four full-time semesters.
- possess 12 credits of elective space to be used for graduate coursework. Candidates with less elective space will be considered with the understanding that they will therefore have more than 18 credits remaining to complete the master's degree.
- be able to complete a graduate degree in the year directly following undergraduate graduation.
have achieved a grade of B or higher in at least three college-level quantitative courses. These include all non-remedial courses taught in the departments of mathematics, statistical science, management science, or actuarial science; ECON 3501, ECON 3502, ECON 3503, ECON 3504, PHYS 1021, and ENGR 2300-level courses, and statistic courses throughout the university.
provide two letters of recommendation from Temple faculty.