MS in Business Analytics (MSBA)
Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA)
The Science Behind Smarter Business
The George Washington University School of Business offers an industry-leading, STEM-designated Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) that trains students to translate complex data into decisions that move organizations forward. Students master machine learning and AI, work on real projects from D.C.-based institutions and companies, and learn from faculty actively shaping how companies and governments deploy AI responsibly. All in downtown Washington, D.C., just steps away from the institutions defining the future of data-driven decision-making.
First Things First: What Is a Master of Science in Business Analytics?
The MSBA is a specialized graduate degree at the intersection of data science, AI and business strategy. Unlike a Master's in Data Science (primarily technical modeling) or an MBA (broad business management), the MSBA is unique in that it gives students the knowledge and skills to do both: build rigorous analytical solutions and communicate their business impact.
GW's curriculum covers descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics with a strong emphasis on data visualization, big data management, machine learning and AI, preparing graduates for roles such as Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer, Business Intelligence Analyst, Analytics Manager and AI Strategist.
Program at a Glance
Total Credits: 30
Commitment: Part-Time or Full-Time
Location: In-Person
Length of Program: 1.5 years (full-time) or 2 years (part-time)
Cohort Size: 60-80 students
STEM-Designated: Up to 36 months OPT after graduation
Curriculum Pillars
Analytics Methods
- Machine Learning
- Deep Learning
- AI Deployment Strategies
Analytical Applications
- Marketing
- Finance
- Operations
- Healthcare
- Sports
Professional Communication
- Translate complex data into digestible insights
- Defend and justify your findings
- Drive executive decision-making with your analysis
Technology & Tools
- Programming Languages
- Big Data Management
- Cloud Platforms
- Data Visualization
- Analytics Software
- AI Tools
- Review Required Courses & Electives
Core required courses include:
- Programming for Analytics
- Data Management for Analytics
- Machine Learning I & II
- Responsible Machine Learning & AI
- Statistics for Analytics I & II
- Decision and Risk Analytics
- Optimization I & II
- Stochastic Foundation: Probability Models
- Business Analytics Practicum (includes AI Case Competition)
Elective courses, taught by faculty practitioners active in each field, include:
- Supply Chain Analytics
- Social Network Analytics
- Visualization for Analytics
- Business Process Simulation
- Customer Analytics
- Sports Analytics
View Curriculum + Degree Requirements
By graduation, students have built portfolios featuring GitHub projects, capstone work, product prototypes, and dashboards as tangible assets for their job search and career advancement.
- A Note on Responsible AI: Responsible Machine Learning Course
The organizations leading with AI aren't just building better models; they're building safer ones. GW's dedicated seven-week Responsible Machine Learning course prepares students for both. Drawing on real-world failure cases from the AI Incident Database, NIST and NeurIPS, students learn to recognize where AI goes wrong, why it happens, and how to build safeguards before those failures reach the boardroom. Graduates leave with the ethical grounding that employers in every industry are actively looking for.
Maximize Your ROI: Customize Your Degree Path
- The 4+1 Program: Earn Your Bachelor’s and Master’s in Five Years
Students pursuing a bachelor's degree in an eligible GW school have the opportunity to accelerate the path to earning a Master's in Business Analytics.
- Dual Degree Opportunity: MBA + MSBA
Double your impact with GW’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) dual degree. This forward-thinking program combines business strategy and project leadership through a dynamic mix of coursework and hands-on experiences, preparing you to lead with purpose in today’s complex, project-driven world.
By allowing select credits to count toward both degrees, students complete 18 fewer credit hours—saving time and cost compared to pursuing each degree separately.
- Related Graduate Certificates
Tailor your MSBA to your professional goals by adding a graduate certificate that builds specialized expertise alongside your core business education.
Choose from the following 12-credit graduate certificates or explore all certificate options:
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Prepares business leaders for utilizing advancements in AI. Students will acquire foundational knowledge and hands-on skills in machine learning, deep learning, and embedded systems, and apply them to AI’s business applications.
Business Analytics
Foundational courses train students to harness “Big Data." Learn descriptive, predictive and prescriptive methodologies and become fluent in the language of data-driven decision making.
Project Management
Gain practical tools and techniques for leading complex projects across industries, based on frameworks established by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
Quantitative Business Foundations
Build the analytical expertise needed to drive strategy in any industry. Gain a strong foundation in core business disciplines—ideal for students without a background in business.
What Makes GW's
MSBA Different?
Designed for both career changers and technical professionals, GW’s MSBA connects students with hands-on industry work in Washington, D.C.’s data-driven ecosystem with career-focused learning and faculty shaping the field. Every element works together to help you move from insight to impact.
The D.C. Advantage: Where You Learn Matters
Imagine attending a late afternoon class on machine learning, then heading to a networking session with World Bank data leaders. Or finishing a data visualization assignment before an evening meetup with AI practitioners from Deloitte or researchers at NIST.
In downtown Washington, D.C., GW’s MSBA students are steps away from federal agencies shaping AI regulation, global institutions deploying analytics at scale, 1,000+ international companies and an active data science community.
The energy in D.C. is real. On the train, you're sitting next to executives. At networking events, you're meeting scholars from Google or CEOs from Silicon Valley. You have access to people you never imagined meeting.
Maryam Shahbaz Ali (MSBA '25)
Networking Events & Corporate Partnerships That Lead to Jobs
Monthly alumni-student mixers connect students with alumni—from entry-level to C-suite—at a 5:1 ratio. Build connections across the region's tech ecosystem at coffee chats and D.C. data science meetups.
GW Business' F. David Fowler Career Center organizes site visits to employers like Marriott, Hilton, Ogilvy, and Nestlé, while partnerships with corporations such as Gallup, Oracle, and CohnReznick create direct pathways to full-time roles after graduation.
Students describe the networking events as one of the most memorable parts of their MSBA experience. At a recent mixer, a Senior Director at Oracle sourced four Oracle internships and joined the program's Corporate Council, while that same evening, a partner at the Society for International Development Partners (SID Partners) recruited for summer Private Equity (PE) internships.
Cassin Dyson, Executive Director, F. David Fowler Career Center
I've had countless networking sessions with leaders from the World Bank, IMF, IFC, Deloitte and KPMG, offering a blend of all these diverse industries. If I were in a faraway university town, I wouldn't have these opportunities.
Rafay Raza (MSBA '26)
The AI Case Competition: Students Pitch to Industry
Unique to GW’s MSBA practicum is an AI Case Competition where student teams pitch AI-driven solutions to industry judges from companies like Capital One, EY, FI Consulting, MITRE, and Mizuho. With the goal of bridging the gap between academia and career readiness, teams prepare throughout the semester through business presentation training and check-ins with employer partners—ensuring their work addresses real business problems. On competition day, they present to executives who rely on data to drive decisions.
In addition to building industry connections and career opportunities, some winning teams go on to collaborate with faculty on publishable research.
Motivated students can move from knowing little about AI to presenting a business case to executives in the AI world within the course of a semester.
Prof. Patrick Hall, Chief AI Officer, GW School of Business
Faculty That are Actively Shaping the Field
GW's MSBA is taught by permanent Decision Sciences faculty—experts in operations research, probability, statistics, and machine learning—alongside industry practitioners who bring real-world experience directly into the classroom.
Core faculty are actively contributing to the field, with research presented at leading conferences and work informing NIST's AI Risk Management Framework. Electives are often taught by professionals actively working in their fields: sports analytics by industry practitioners, customer analytics by professionals from companies like Realtor.com, and quantum computing for analytics by domain specialists.
I personally feel the Master of Science in Business Analytics at GW is even more amazing than it is marketed. I came from a non-technical background. When I started, I was aiming for basic data analyst roles. Now I'm targeting ML engineering and AI engineering positions. At networking events, when people hear you're from GW, their reaction is positive. The GW name carries weight.
Maryam Shahbaz Ali (MSBA '25)
Student Leadership Opportunities
Beyond the classroom, students take on leadership roles in organizations like the Graduate Finance Society and the Consulting Club (see full list of graduate clubs and organizations). Current MSBA students serve as elected officers who manage budgets, organize events, and build professional skills outside the classroom.
The GW Experience
MSBA students comprise a globally diverse cohort with varied educational and professional backgrounds in technology, finance, engineering, public policy, and healthcare. Approximately 75-80% of students come from outside the United States, creating a learning environment where every case discussion and group project reflects multiple cultural and industry perspectives.
When analyzing a supply chain problem, a teammate might bring international logistics experience. When building a customer segmentation model, student groups bring global insights and perspectives to validate clusters. These cross-cultural, cross-industry collaborations mirror the global teams students will join after graduation. Your classmates today become your professional network tomorrow, spanning continents and industries.
Hear directly from two GW MSBA students as they share what sparked their interest in the program—and how their experience has shaped their journey so far.
I enjoyed being part of a group project in a class where each member came from a different part of the world, with varied cultural and academic backgrounds. This not only enhances the learning process but also mirrors the global work environment many students will enter after graduation.
Dimple Modi (MSBA '23)
Career Outcomes
GW MSBA graduates have historically secured positions across consulting, technology, finance, government, and international institutions, with strong starting salaries in the rapidly expanding data, analytics, and AI space.
The return on investment is equally compelling. Graduates of MSBA programs report average earnings of $115,000 after just one year and $165,000 after ten years, with an estimated lifetime ROI of $920,000 (Source: FREOPP, a trusted non-profit think tank).
Our MSBA graduates are driving business success and innovation across the globe, from implementing advanced data analysis techniques to managing analytics projects in complex environments.
Where Our Alumni Are Leading
Consulting
-Deloitte
-PwC
-Booz Allen
Hamilton
-Accenture
-EY
-MITRE
-FI Consulting
Technology
-Amazon
-IBM
-Oracle
-SAS
-Disney Streaming
Services
-Samsung
Finance
-Capital One
-Barclays
-Freddie Mac
-SID Partners
-Mizuho
Government
-Federal Reserve
System
-FBI: Federal Bureau
of Investigation
International
-World Bank Group
-IMF: International
Monetary Fund
-World Wildlife
Fund (WWF)
Career Support
Personalized Career Coaching
Experienced career coaches with a proven track record in student placement and career advancement help you build an effective job search strategy while providing resume reviews and mock interviews.
Dedicated Career Center
The GW Business F. David Fowler Career Center provides exclusive access to employer connections, recruiting opportunities and career resources, including professional development workshops on technical skills, presentations and salary negotiation.
Mentorship Opportunities
Participate in the Careers360 program to connect with industry mentors in consulting, finance or marketing.
Global Alumni Network
With more than 60,000 alumni spanning 260+ organizations, Fortune 500 companies, startups, and nonprofits around the world, you’ll gain access to mentorship, connections, and career opportunities that open doors and accelerate your impact.
Admissions
The GW MSBA welcomes students from all backgrounds, from career changers exploring analytics for the first time to working professionals advancing with new technical skills and recent graduates ready to specialize. Many successful graduates arrive with no technical experience and leave targeting ML engineering and AI roles, while others come with quantitative backgrounds and use the program to deepen their expertise and pivot into new industries.
Admission to GW's MS in Business Analytics program is competitive, with limited enrollment to support a collaborative, cohort-based learning experience.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and early submission is encouraged. Candidates seeking financial assistance and international students requiring visas are especially encouraged to apply early.
Our admissions team is here to guide you through the process and answer any questions along the way. Learn more about application requirements and next steps on our How to Apply page.
All applicants must have completed:
- Statistics (Introduction to Statistics, Statistical Methods, Probability and Statistics, or Business Statistics)
- Calculus I or AB Calculus
- Calculus II or BC Calculus
- Linear/Matrix/Finite Algebra
- Acceptable Substitutes: Differential Equations, Mathematical Physics, Econometrics
Programming: Basic programming knowledge in Python or a comparable language is preferred but not required. Students are expected to complete an online course on R as a prerequisite.
Please business
gwu [dot] edu (subject: MS%20in%20Business%20Analytics%20Prerequisites) (contact your admissions team) with any questions or concerns.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and early submission is encouraged. The admissions committee takes a holistic approach, considering academic performance, professional experience and achievements, and letters of recommendation.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
- Transcripts from all previously attended colleges or universities
- Current résumé
- Statement of Purpose: In no more than 500 words, describe how this program fits into your professional life and your career objectives.
- One letter of recommendation from a professional and/or academic reference
- Application fee (non-refundable)
- Completed online application form
No GRE or GMAT is required. However, applicants who feel their test scores strengthen their candidacy are welcome to submit them.
Applicants who require a visa to study in the United States must also fulfill additional requirements in order to be considered for admission to a graduate program at the School of Business.
Application Deadlines
Candidates seeking financial assistance and international students requiring visas are encouraged to apply early. Only completed applications, with all required materials, will be considered for admission.
- Spring 2026 - Closed
- Summer 2026 - May 1, 2026
- Fall 2026 - May 1, 2026
Please note: Admission to the Global MBA, Accelerated MBA, Master of Accountancy in Accounting Analytics, M.S. in Applied Finance, and M.S. in Business Analytics programs is only offered for the fall semester. Summer admissions deadlines apply only to our online MBA and Specialized Master's degree programs. Admission to all other programs is only offered for the fall and spring semesters. Additionally, our doctoral and executive education programs may have different admissions deadlines.
Tuition, Fees & Funding
Tuition: Tuition is determined on a per-credit basis, which may very each semester depending on the number of courses you take. The base tuition for this 30-credit business analytics master's degree is ~$62,000. Students should also plan for university fees, books, and living expenses. Since rates are reviewed and updated annually, prospective students are encouraged to check the official GW tuition and fees page for the most current cost information.
Financial Aid: Many of GW’s MSBA students receive merit-based awards to offset tuition costs and expenses. Additional options include graduate assistantships, employer sponsorship, and federal financial aid.
CONTACT US
Meet Your GW School of Business Team
Behind every step of your MSBA journey is a team ready to help. Connect with faculty, admissions and advising to get the answers and guidance you need.
Admissions Team
businessgwu [dot] edu (subject: MS%20in%20Business%20Analytics%20admissions) (Email Admissions Team)
Faculty Director
Academic Advisor
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA)?
An MSBA combines technical training in statistics and machine learning with business communication and consulting skills needed to solve real problems and inform strategic decisions.
- How is an MSBA different from a Data Science degree or an MBA?
Data Science focuses on building models. MBAs cover broad business management. The MSBA bridges both: you develop rigorous analytical solutions and translate them into business outcomes.
- What makes GW one of the best MS in business analytics programs?
GW's MSBA combines a STEM-designated curriculum taught by faculty shaping real-world AI policy with unmatched access to DC's ecosystem of federal agencies, global institutions, and top employers. Students compete in a hands-on AI case competition judged by industry executives, and the majority receive merit-based financial aid, making it one of the strongest investments in the field.
- Is an MSBA worth the investment?
GW MSBA graduates enter one of the fastest-growing fields. Add GW's significant merit aid, DC's professional network, STEM OPT benefits, monthly networking, site visits, corporate partnerships and portfolio-ready practicum experience, and the ROI becomes tangible well before graduation.
- What are the prerequisites?
Statistics and higher-level mathematics are required. Programming is preferred but not required—a preparatory boot camp is available and highly recommended.
- Do I need a technical background?
No. Many successful graduates came from non-technical backgrounds and now work in advanced ML and AI roles.
- How does the AI Case Competition work?
In your final semester, teams solve real business problems using AI. You receive business presentation training from the F. David Fowler Career Center and have check-ins with employer partners throughout. On competition day, you pitch to judges from companies like Capital One and EY. In Fall 2025, 60 students across 14 teams competed.
- What financial aid is available?
The majority of students receive merit-based awards to offset tuition and expenses. Explore resources from GW’s Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships (OGSAF).
Learn More
Attend an Info Session
Info Sessions and Open Houses, offered in-person and online, are your chance to explore what makes our programs stand out. Connect directly with our faculty and staff to learn about the MSBA program, career outcomes, study abroad options, the admissions process and more.
READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP?
Join a program where you'll build career-ready skills, compete in an AI case competition judged by industry leaders, network directly with D.C.-area employers, and graduate with a portfolio that opens doors across consulting, technology, finance and beyond.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Join a program where you'll build career-ready skills, compete in an AI case competition judged by industry leaders, network directly with D.C.-area employers, and graduate with a portfolio that opens doors across consulting, technology, finance and beyond.
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