Business Intelligence Master’s Degrees

Broadly speaking, business intelligence (BI) is the extraction of insights from raw data to aid in business decision making. BI has traditionally involved cataloging and examining data from past actions, and developing a consistent set of metrics to both measure past performance and guide business planning.

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Syracuse University

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Master of Science in Business Analytics

Looking to become a data-savvy leader? Earn your online Master of Science in Business Analytics from Syracuse University.

  • As few as 18 months to complete 
  • No GRE required to apply

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Today, business intelligence analysts leverage a variety of technologies, processes, and software to identify, extract, combine, and analyze the abundance of data that is produced by—and can inform—day-to-day business. Functions of BI technologies may include development of dashboards, online analytical processing, data mining, querying, complex event processing, business performance management, benchmarking, predictive analytics, prescriptive analytics, and reporting.

A degree in business intelligence will help you with the technological and decision-science knowhow to improve business decision making.

Business Intelligence versus Business Analytics

The distinction between business intelligence (BI) and business analytics (BA) is neither clear cut nor agreed upon. The fields of study are related enough that some programs combine the two, offering degrees or concentrations in “Business Intelligence and Analytics.”

Still, it’s helpful to have some idea of the difference. BI looks to the past, basing business strategies on insights gleaned from historical data. BI answers questions such as “what happened,” “how many,” and “how often.”

BA, in contrast, uses modeling techniques to predict future events, tackling questions such as “why is this happening,” “what if these trends continue,” “what will happen next,” and “what is the best that can happen.”

Courses

BI (and BI/BA) programs typically require students to complete a handful of core courses and then fill out their schedule with electives. Common courses include:

  • Data Mining
  • Data Warehouse Design and Implementation
  • Decision Support Systems
  • Database Tools
  • Balanced Scorecards and Performance Dashboards
  • Predictive Analytics
  • Data Pre-Processing and Exploration

Many BI programs require applicants to have a bachelor’s degree in science, mathematics, computer science, engineering, or a related field.

New Developments

The increasing demand for self-service data visualization and business discovery tools reflects the influx of data-savvy knowledge workers equipped to dig into the data themselves rather than enlisting an IT intermediary. Bypassing the IT department may save time, but it also means that analysis becomes less centralized. As the popularity of self-service BI tools grows, industry leaders are likely asking: Does the analytics empowerment and reduced time-to-answer afforded by these tools come at the expense of cost control and data quality management? Is the trade-off worth it?

For more on Business Intelligence trends, see Tableau Software’s list.

School Listings

We found 16 universities in our directory offering Business Intelligence programs.

If you represent a university and would like to contact us about editing any of our listings, or adding new programs, please send an email to info@mastersindatascience.org.

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New York

Florida

International

Aarhus University

Master in Economics and Business Intelligence

Aarhus, Denmark

Name of Degree: Master in Economics and Business Intelligence

Enrollment Type: Full-Time

Length of Program: 2 years

Credits: 120

Concentrations: N/A

Admission Requirements:

  • Application requirements vary depending on previously earned degree is from and legal right to admission for Denmark
Learn more about the Master in Economics and Business Intelligence from Aarhus University

Brunel University London

Brunel Business School

Master in Business Intelligence & Digital Marketing

London, England

Name of Degree: Master in Business Intelligence & Digital Marketing

Enrollment Type: Full-Time

Length of Program: 1 year

Credits: N/A

Concentrations: N/A

Admission Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • 2.8 GPA
  • Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language 
  • English language requirements
  • IELTS/TOEFL scores”
Learn more about the Master in Business Intelligence & Digital Marketing from Brunel University London

De Montfort University

Master in Business Intelligence SysteMaster of Science & Data Mining

Leicester, England

Name of Degree: Master in Business Intelligence SysteMaster of Science & Data Mining

Enrollment Type: Full-Time and Part-Time

Length of Program: 1+ years

Credits: N/A

Concentrations: N/A

Admission Requirements:

  • A copy of your qualifications
  • English language certificate
  • Personal statement 
  • Passport
  • One letter of recommendation for undergraduate study or two recommendations for postgraduate study
Learn more about the Master in Business Intelligence SysteMaster of Science & Data Mining from De Montfort University

Maastricht university

Masters in Information Management & Business Intelligence

Maastricht, Netherlands

Name of Degree: Masters in Information Management & Business Intelligence

Enrollment Type: Full-Time

Length of Program: 1 year

Credits: N/A

Concentrations: N/A

Admission Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Formal transcript
  • Resume
  • List your education, relevant extracurricular activities, internships and (professional) experience.
  • Letter of motivation
  • Upload proof of all relevant statistics courses that you followed during your bachelor’s programme.
  • GMAT or GRE scores score
  • Passport or EU/EEA identity card
Learn more about the Masters in Information Management & Business Intelligence from Maastricht university

Minnesota

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Masters in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics

Winona, Minnesota

Name of Degree: Masters in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics

Enrollment Type: Full-Time

Length of Program: 1 year

Credits: 36

Concentrations: N/A

Admission Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s degree
  • 2.7 GPA or higher
  • Official transcripts
  • Personal statement
  • Resume
  • TOEFL / IELTS (For international, non-native English speaking applicants)
  • Two recommendations
Learn more about the Masters in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Missouri

Nebraska

Creighton University

Heider College of Business

Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics

Omaha, Nebraska

Name of Degree: Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics

Enrollment Type: Full-Time and Part-Time

Length of Program: 1+ years

Credits: 33

Concentrations: N/A

Admission Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s degree
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0
  • Official transcripts
  • GRE or GMAT scores
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • English Language Proficiency
Learn more about the Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics from Creighton University

New Jersey

Stevens Institute of Technology

Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics

Hoboken, New Jersey

Name of Degree: Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics

Enrollment Type: Full-Time

Length of Program: 1.3 years

Credits: 36

Concentrations: N/A

Admission Requirements:

  • Professional resume
  • Interviews
  • GMAT/GRE scores
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • One year of work experience
Learn more about the Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics from Stevens Institute of Technology

Pennsylvania

St. Joseph's University

Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Name of Degree: Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics

Enrollment Type: Accelerated

Length of Program: Less than 1 year

Credits: 30

Concentrations: N/A

Admission Requirements:

  • Official transcripts for all credits earned, undergraduate and graduate
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Professional resume 
  • Personal statement
  • GMAT or GRE scores 
  • 5-10 years of work experience
Learn more about the Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics from St. Joseph's University