Master’s in Business Intelligence Degrees

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The Masters in Business Intelligence (BI) is a degree program that can provide students with the skills needed to use information from sources of data to make important decisions about a business's operation.

The Master of Business Intelligence degree program can be beneficial for students that are seeking careers that include valid component of both business and data science, since it includes important considerations from both degree fields.

Master of Business Intelligence Programs (BI)

The purpose of this guide is to provide you with more helpful information about the Masters in Business Intelligence degree program from an insider's perspective, as well as introduce you to some of the innovating methods for learning that have been introduced in the field.

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One of the most interesting aspects about Business Intelligence as a degree program is that it draws its information from several different data resources. Students in this degree program can learn more about the computer technologies, languages, and software responsible for providing helpful data for business discovery.

Most Masters in Business Intelligence degree programs may take around 2 years to complete at full-time enrollment. The traditional version of this program can be a great way for you to engage with your instructors and other learners through an in-person setting, but may not be the most economical decision for current full-time workers in the field.

The development of an effectively-operating organization can include an examination of the company's past performance in comparison to its current operation. Professionals that are seeking this degree can learn more about what is included in the study of an organization's historical progress, including the identification of trends and anomalies that could have promoted or even hindered performance.

Online Master of Business Intelligence Programs

Before you choose the traditional route for your education, you should spend some time reviewing some alternative options that can save you money and time during your years of graduate learning. In today's society, students have demanded more innovative and convenient methods for learning that are now being offered by universities within every state.

The online Masters in Business Intelligence program provides you with the option of learning via the internet. Most programs are located through a university web page and are taught by professors that teach multiple classes via the online classroom and on the university's campus.

While you are participating in online degree programs, you can complete all of your assignments online, submit your papers through your courses online drop box tool, and even engage in professional debates with your fellow students on the course's discussion board. At the onset of your course, you should have access to your course syllabus, assignment due dates, and future deadlines for projects or examinations.

The online Masters in Business Intelligence can be a great way to promote expansion within your career without losing out on opportunities within your personal and professional life. Most employers are more willing to accept applicants from online degree programs due to the increase in quality across the board for these versatile programs.

The increasing quality of online degree programs is due in part to the accreditation standards of programs in Statistics and Computer Programming. Regardless of which university you choose for your online education, you should ensure that your program has received current accreditation prior to completing the application process.

What is Business Intelligence?

Computer systems and technology have made it easier for organizations to store and retrieve data during their operation. It has also made it possible for companies to have access to large sums of data that can provide priceless information regarding their own efficiency, consumer preference, or growth throughout the years of their operation.

Data on its own cannot provide any real value to the organizations that collect it. In order to interpret this information in a usable way, Business Intelligence professionals can analyze this data to identify trends, gather information, and translate it into meaningful information about a company’s operation.

There are a wide variety of tools and applications that are used to complete this goal, including some responsible for retrieving sums of data, preparing the data for the analysis stage, running tests on the data, and creating readable reports to submit to executives. During an educational program within this field, you should take courses that can help you successfully navigate each of these specialized topics prior to graduation.

Business Intelligence is an incredibly important field in today’s world due to the fast-paced nature of business decision-making, and the accessibility of information on computer information systems. Professionals that take part in this training programs can learn the importance of fast access to large quantities of information, as well as the many different methods available for deducing meaning within each data set.

If you would like to see more specific information about what professionals in Business Intelligence careers actually do, check out the list below. Our team of educational experts has pulled actual information from careers in this field in order to further enlighten you on what to expect as a Business Intelligence professional.

  • Identifying Marketing Trends: Data can sometimes provide businesses with more information into what their customers prefer, what they search for, and how they spend their money. This helpful data can provide analysts with the information needed to suggest better marketing practices, campaigns, and target audiences for their products and services. Professionals responsible for these actions within an organization can be valuable members of an effective marketing team.
  • Identifying Business Needs Based on Past Performance: Diving into a business’s own data can also provide analysts with valuable information about what works and what does not work for the organization being researched. Businesses in today’s day and age require constant change and innovation to stay on top of their performance, making this type of career responsibility extremely important for the development of intra-business improvement plans.
  • Streamline End-User Processes and Technologies: Companies can operate efficiently at many different levels, which can result in progress for the organization as a whole. Researching new technologies, organizing new data warehouses, and interviewing professionals responsible for inputting data into these systems may be the role of Business Intelligence analysts in diverse companies across the U.S. These processes can help to provide ease-of-use with technologies and the utilization of the latest technologies for the business at hand.

Typical Master’s in Business Intelligence Prerequisites

Transitioning into a Masters in Business Intelligence degree program may require a wealth of knowledge and education gained from undergraduate degree programs. Depending on what type of experience you come from, your involvement in a masters program in this degree area could possibly be a smoother transition than others without the right prerequisite training.

The institution that you choose for you learning experience may have specific expectations of learners enrolling in their school. If, by some chance, you have not completed the required courses for the program, most schools will allow you a probationary period of enrollment for you to complete these courses prior to engaging specifically in courses of the degree program.

If you want to alleviate the possibility of this trial period, you can consider enrolling in online Bachelors in Business Intelligence programs prior to moving to this degree, or even programs specifically related to data science within the business realm. Practice at this degree level can adequately prepare you for what is to come at higher degree levels.

The specific courses that are often required for enrollment at the masters level include Database Concepts, Internet Analytics, and Applied Business Analytics. These courses are introductory in nature and can provide you with a solid foundation of knowledge for growth in your future.

In addition to these job-specific courses, you might also be required to be well-versed in a multitude of computer programming languages, computer networks, and network logistics. Each of these topics can prove useful when working in businesses that utilize a wide range of computer programs for their data storage and operation.

Typical Graduate Courses for a Master of Business Intelligence

Enrolling into a degree program often takes more than just choosing a major that seems interesting to you. Before you take the next step and enroll in a Masters in Business Intelligence degree program, you should take a look at the curriculum in order to understand each aspect that you may be required to learn prior to graduation.

The courses listed in the list beneath this section are actual classes included in open online degree programs in this field. Each topic contributes its own value to the field, and can assist you in learning more about each independent factor affecting businesses from an analytical standpoint.

  • Introduction to Data Mining: Students enrolled in this course can begin their experience with learning the basic concepts of data mining and its use in Business Intelligence. Methods for extracting data within the business environment, software, and common mining programs may be discussed in this course. Students can also engage in practices and projects that can allow them to conduct their own analysis of a data set and provide their findings in a report for grading.
  • Predictive Analysis: As a general follow-up course to data mining, Predictive Analysis seeks to educate learners on several different facets involved with making determinations due to a review of relevant data. A review of multi-sized data sets may be included in this course, as well as deeper learning into model assessments, scoring, and predictive modeling. Students completing this course should have a better understanding of predictive studies of data for future performance.
  • Business Analytics: In order to effectively prepare learners for a career in the business environment, they may need some introduction into how different businesses operate, the hierarchy of supervision, and the general schematics of a positively-operating facility. This course can also provide students with skills relevant to conducting a business analysis for their clients, which may include skills such as forecasting, simulation, and linear planning.

Scholarships for the Business Intelligence Program Area

At the masters level, you might be looking for ways to help fund your program and reduce the out-of-pocket costs associated with this type of transition. A large number of students currently utilize federal student loans to pay for their program, which can lead to high monthly payments after graduation.

Scholarship opportunities in Business Intelligence can be a great way for students to cover some of the costs of their program without the need for repayment in the future. These opportunities can be found from many different resources, making it worth your while to conduct a search prior to enrollment.

Some of the most popular scholarships are found via an online search. Different professional organizations and scholarship funds seek applicants for scholarships that can be anywhere from $500 to $10,000 in most cases. Some scholarships may also be a one-time payout while others can contribute money during each semester of your enrollment.

As with any financial aid, great student performance and progress may be required to initially receive a scholarship for your program, as well as to maintain it throughout its duration. Students that had higher achievements in their undergraduate program may be more likely to receive more scholarship opportunities prior to their masters.

Alternative methods for locating scholarship opportunities can include exploring what your employer offers to graduate learners, which can often come in the form of tuition reimbursement. Local organizations within your community can also provide scholarships to students within the field of Business Intelligence.

Business Intelligence Careers

Once you have completed all of the components of your Masters in Business Intelligence program, you can look for careers that best showcase your skills within data analytics and business analysis. Professionals in this field can often work as professional Business Intelligence analysts, data analysts, or even business analysts.

Organizations that rely on computer information technology for their operation, or even those that learn from information gathered from technological devices can benefit from having a Business Intelligence analyst on staff. Microsoft, American Eagle, and even many different finance-based organizations hire Business Intelligence analysts to help determine innovating methods for growth within their industries, which can be completed through an investigation into their own practices and the activities of their consumers.

Education within the field of Business Intelligence can also prepare graduates for careers in many diverse areas of data science. Higher tier careers as management analysts can also be open to graduates holding this degree, which could be a great way to make a comfortable living within this career field.

Popular job titles for upcoming Business Intelligence graduates include market research specialists, project managers, and even BI consultants. The career path that you choose after your education can be versatile and include a wide range of businesses seeking your expertise for their overall success.

Masters of Data Science Degrees

Online Masters in Business Intelligence Programs

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University Program Online/State

Aspen University

Master of Science in Technology and Innovation - Business Intelligence and Data Management Online (Colorado)

Grantham University

Master of Science in Business Intelligence Online (Kansas)

Southern New Hampshire University

MBA in Business Intelligence Online (New Hampshire)

University of Colorado Denver

MS in Information Systems - Business Intelligence Online (Colorado)

University of Southern California

Master of Science in Healthcare Decision Analysis Concentration in Business Intelligence Online (California)

Villanova University

Online Master of Business Administration Online (Pennsylvania)

West Virginia University

M.S. in Business Data Analytics Online (West Virginia)