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Business Analytics – Master of Science (M.S.)

The Master’s of Science in Business Analytics program is designed to meet the growing need for professionals who understand the business environment and who can efficiently extract business insights and value from the large amounts of data that modern organizations collect, both structured as well as unstructured data.  It is a cohort-based, one-year degree. The MSBA degree consists of 10 courses (30 credit hours).  The program culminates with a practicum where students work on real-world projects that require the analysis of large and complex data sets to solve actual business problems.

For more information about the program, please visit the FAQ.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the program will be able to:

  • Understand how analytics can improve managerial decision-making at all levels of an organization.
  • Understand the three areas of data analytics: descriptive (data mining and data visualization), prescriptive (optimization and simulation), and predictive (forecasting and regression analysis).
  • Gain practical experience using the popular analytics software tools and languages used in industry such as SAS Enterprise Miner, SAP, Tableau, R, Python, SQL and other technologies.
  • Design creative data analytics solutions to complex business problems and effectively communicate the analysis and findings to leadership.

Additionally, coursework will prepare students to attain professional certifications. Students may opt to earn certifications in SAS, SAP, Tableau or other cutting-edge software.

Admission Requirements

  • A Bachelor’s degree or higher in Business, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics or a related field with foundation courses in Business, Mathematics, and Statistics, or, a Bachelor’s degree or higher in an unrelated field with foundational courses in business and statistics.
  • A GPA of 3.00 or higher in the latest degree earned is preferred. Students with a lower GPA may be considered under exceptional circumstances.
  • Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Exam (GRE) with acceptable quantitative and verbal percentile scores.
  • The GMAT or GRE requirement is waived for the following applicants:
  • Graduates from any AACSB-accredited institutions with a GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Master’s degree (or higher) graduates with two or more years of work experience in analytics or a related field

Application Materials and Documents:

  • Upstate Graduate Application form and application fee
  • Residency form, where applicable, with supporting documents
  • Official transcripts showing all post-secondary coursework attempted. Copies of transcripts will be considered while the application is under review. A final admission decision to the program will be made only upon receipt of official transcripts.
  • Current CV or resume.
  • Two recommendation letters from professionals who are knowledgeable about the student’s academic and professional potential. Only recommendation letters in the template provided below will be considered. Recommendation letters must be submitted directly to the Admissions Committee. Reference letters submitted directly by the student are invalid.
  • Written essay.
  • An interview with the Admissions Committee.

Applicants who do not meet the above requirements may be considered for conditional admission.

Written Essay:

Answer the following questions. The total word count for all the questions should be approximately 500 words.

  1. Share a challenging situation that you experienced in college and how you overcame this challenge.
  2. Tell us about a teacher (in school or college) who had a positive influence on you and why.
  3. What kind of teaching methods help you to learn best?
  4. This graduate program is time-consuming. Each student has their own approach to how they manage their time and their personal and professional obligations. There is no perfect solution! Tell us about your time management skills and challenges.

Recommendation letters:

  • Your reference must be from a faculty member and/or supervisor.
  • Please request that your reference mail the letters directly to the Admissions Committee at the following address.
  • Reference letters can also be emailed to ugupta@uscupstate.edu.
  • Please request that your references state the following in the SUBJECT line of the email:
    • "Reference Letter for (Last Name of Student), (First Name of Student)
  • Letters submitted directly by the applicant will be considered invalid.
  • Instructions for references:
    • Please request them to address the following questions.
      • What key personality characteristics of this individual are ideally suited for graduate education?
      • What advice would you give this individual as they embark on this program?
      • What recommendations would you give the Admissions Committee to ensure the success of this individual?

Mailing Address:
Dr. Uma G. Gupta
George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics
160 E. St. John Street
Spartanburg, SC 29306
Email: ugupta@uscupstate.edu