Graduate programs

Master of Science in Business Analytics

Harness the power of data with an SMU Cox MSBA

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Program format

In person

Commitment

Full time or part time

Duration

Nine to 21 months

Overview

Data alone doesn't drive business success—knowing what to do with it does. The Master of Science in Business Analytics at SMU Cox prepares students to translate data into decisions that improve performance, fuel growth and help organizations stay ahead in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Students develop advanced analytical and technical skills through a STEM-designated curriculum that blends business strategy, statistics and information technology. Along the way, they gain experience with industry-standard tools such as Python, R, SQL, Tableau and Excel and learn how to communicate insights that influence decisions at every level of an organization.

Graduates leave prepared to tackle complex business challenges, from improving operational efficiency and customer engagement to identifying new market opportunities and supporting strategic growth initiatives in consulting, technology, finance, healthcare and beyond.

A Culture that sets us apart

At SMU Cox, you’ll join a community of driven peers, alumni who open doors, expert faculty and dedicated staff who support your goals as their own. Here, when you win, we all win.

Student success

Success at SMU Cox is built on more than academics. Through personalized career coaching, meaningful industry connections and access to a 42,000-plus-member alumni network, students receive the support and opportunities needed to achieve their goals.

This program prepares you to excel in the following areas and professions:

  • Business analytics and intelligence
  • Management and strategy consulting
  • Product analytics and management
  • Financial analytics
  • Operations and supply chain analytics
  • Marketing and customer analytics
  • Technology and digital transformation
  • Risk management and compliance

Top 20%

Best National Universities

U.S. News & World Report (2026)

82%

of graduates achieved their desired career or educational outcome within six months of graduation

2025 MSBA Employment Report

$79.8K

average base salary

2025 MSBA Employment Report

Student stories

Rikita Chaudury, ’24

"SMU Cox fosters an intimate learning environment with small class sizes that allow faculty to provide personalized attention to each student. This approach was particularly beneficial for me as an international student with a business background who needed additional support to master technical skills such as Python and data analytics. The close-knit environment also helped me build strong relationships with my classmates and feel at home in the SMU Cox community."

Brian Caviness, ’23

“I came to SMU Cox to make a career change. Consulting offered me the opportunity to work in a variety of industries with high-impact stakeholders, while utilizing my technical skills. By the time I earned my degree I could act as a data translator comfortable communicating with both business stakeholders and technology leaders and prepared to take on a role on either side of the spectrum. Ultimately, I secured multiple job offers in consulting and landed a job I love.”

Admissions

Deadlines and details

Key dates and admissions information to help plan your application with confidence.

International students

All the essential admission requirements international students need to know.

Application questions

Connect with a Graduate Admission team member for answers to application questions.

Additional links

Requirements

  1. Current resume
  2. Written essays
  3. Unofficial transcripts or degree progress reports that show cumulative GPA and grades for each course taken
  4. Official transcripts from bachelor’s degree institution, institutions where 12 or more credit hours were taken and graduate degrees are required for candidates offered admission
  5. Two references (Name and contact information only. Recommendation letters are not required nor are they requested from references)

View all requirements

Ready to apply?

Get started here. No application fee required.

Tuition and financial aid

Tuition and costs

Explore the cost breakdown of tuition for graduate programs.

Financial aid

Find information on scholarships and financial support available at SMU.

Curriculum and learning

Featured courses

MAST 6201

Managerial Statistics

This course provides an overview of statistical methodologies and applications. It includes probability applications, hypothesis testing, simple and multiple regression analysis, sampling, quality control and forecasting. The course is taught using lectures, cases and Excel programs and spreadsheets.

ITOM 6268

Business Analytics Consulting

Focuses on identifying concepts, methods and conceptual tools that will increase the likelihood of an analytics solution’s success with respect to improving organizational performance.

ITOM 6253

Programming for Analytics

This course is an introduction to practical analysis with emphasis on the use of programs and computer packages. The student will learn the essentials of and demonstrate proficiency in data management including acquisition, storage and access to real world data; Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA); analytic programming: structured programming in R and Python and introduction to data mining.

View course catalog

Outside the classroom

Research

SMU Cox offers robust business analytics research and education. Key areas of academic research include predictive analytics and machine learning, optimization and supply chain, marketing analytics, and business intelligence and data visualization. This research is addressed through capstone projects, faculty research and cross-disciplinary studies.

Faculty

At SMU Cox School of Business, our professors are graduates of the world’s leading business schools. They’re consultants to global corporations, top practitioners in their fields and widely published researchers investigating leading-edge topics. Cox faculty is made up of passionate teachers who bring new ideas and techniques into the classroom, challenge you to question conventional thinking and inspire you to share their excitement about the issues that drive their work.

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Justin Gressel

Professor of Practice
Program Director, Master of Science in Business Analytics
Sreekumar Bhaskaran

Sreekumar Bhaskaran

Professor
Dean's Distinguished Research Professor

Rowena J. Gan

Assistant Professor
Timothy McDonough

Timothy McDonough

Clinical Professor
Millica Mormann

Mili Mormann

Associate Professor
Fisher Research Professor
Karthik Babu Nattamai Kannan

Karthik Babu Nattamai Kannan

Visiting Assistant Professor

Ranjith Raghunath

Adjunct Professor
R. Canan Savaskan-Ebert

R. Canan Savaskan-Ebert

Associate Professor
Jane Tan

Jane Tan

Assistant Professor

Gary Orosy

Adjunct Professor

Facilities

Students in the MS in business analytics program at Cox can collaborate with the Career Management Center.

Career Management Center

The Cox CMC partners with MSBA candidates, alumni and employers to build collaborative relationships that culminate in successful careers.  

The Business Leadership Center at SMU Cox helps masters in business analytics students learn to lead.

Edwin L. Cox Business Leadership Center

The BLC enhances classroom experiences by developing students’ leadership skills through seminars, executive speaker series, experiential learning programs and coaching.

Frequently asked questions

The M.S. in Business Analytics at SMU Cox School of Business is a 33-credit, STEM-designated specialized master’s program, offered in full-time and part-time formats, that trains students to convert complex data into actionable business strategy. The program – jointly offered by the Information Technology & Operations Management and Marketing departments – blends business, statistics and IT.  

The SMU Cox Master of Science in Business Analytics delivers strong return on investment, with 82% of the Class of 2025 achieving a career or educational outcome within six months of graduation. 

Graduates pursue roles in consulting, technology, finance and healthcare. The program’s STEM designation and industry-focused curriculum prepare students for data-driven decision-making roles in today’s business environment.

For the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program at SMU Cox School of Business, the reported average base salary for all 2025 graduates was $79,800 Additionally, 27% of 2025 graduates reported a signing bonus, at an average of $12,300.

Graduates of the SMU Cox MSBA program pursue roles such as business intelligence analyst, data analyst, data scientist, marketing analyst, operations analyst and consultant across industries including technology, finance, healthcare, energy and manufacturing. Program career data show strong placement in analytics-driven fields, with employers ranging from consulting firms to Fortune 500 organizations.

Yes – the SMU Cox MSBA includes coursework that requires coding, particularly in analytics tools and programming languages used for data management, predictive modeling and business intelligence. The curriculum is designed to build technical proficiency alongside business application, preparing students for data-driven roles.


In the SMU Cox MSBA program, you’ll learn how to manage and analyze complex data, apply predictive analytics and translate quantitative insights into strategic business decisions. The curriculum covers data mining, statistics, data management and business analytics applications and features specialized tracks in business process analytics or customer analytics.

In 2025-2026, the full-time M.S. in Business Analytics at SMU Cox School of Business cost $45,936 for tuition, plus additional university and program fees of around $9,700, bringing total tuition and fees to approximately $56,286 per year. Tuition rates and fees are subject to change. Check with your Admissions Advisor for the most up-to-date numbers.

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