Empowering Your Career: The Rising Demand for Business Analytics Expertise

The business analytics degree offered by Stonehill’s Meehan School of Business equips graduates to leverage the rapidly increasing demand for a workforce proficient in data analysis and business insight.

Reflecting a trend  seen in recent years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms the ongoing and significant expansion in the need for business analysts, underscoring that those with advanced analytical capabilities will distinguish themselves in the job market.

The critical importance of business analytics education is widely recognized by leading organizations, including the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Business-Higher Education Forum, Harvard Business Review and Fortune magazine.

Business analytics courses include:

  • Business Visualization
  • Data Mining Concepts
  • Data Privacy and Equity
  • Python for Data Analytics

Fall Open House

November 16

Visiting Stonehill is a great way to show your interest in the College. Come meet the Stonehill community and explore our 52 majors and 56 minors with our supportive professors, while also getting advice on admission and financial aid. Learn how our internship, research and study abroad programs position our students to take the lead in a 21st century economy.

Learn Cutting-Edge Business Analytics Technologies

Students in the program learn industry standard technologies and software such as Microsoft Power BI, SAS, Python, R and AI tools. Students will also have the opportunity to earn a professional certification and badges in various technologies.

Business Analysts with Industry Focused Expertise

Adding a unique dimension to our program, all students pursuing a business analytics major will select a focus industry, allowing them to tailor their education through elective courses directly related to sectors such as healthcare, marketing, finance, sport management, biology and economics. 

This specialized approach ensures that graduates not only have a strong foundation in business analytics but are also adept at applying their skills to specific industries, significantly enhancing their employability and ability to drive innovation across a diverse range of fields.

Recent Accolades

Organizations involved in assessing U.S. colleges and universities continually cite Stonehill as being among the best in the nation when it comes to value, outcomes and a commitment to making the world a better place. See full list of accolades.

AACSB Accredited

Stonehill’s business program is accredited by AACSB International, placing us within an elite group of higher education institutions that make up less than 6% of the world’s business schools.

Combining Business Intelligence and Strong Character

As they move along the career path to becoming a business analyst, students in this Meehan School program gain not only the technical acumen required to excel in business analytics but also the ability to make ethical contributions to organizations and communities. The program fosters a global and diverse mindset, enhances communication skills (both technical and interpersonal), and promotes interdisciplinary collaboration. This comprehensive approach prepares our graduates not just for success in their careers, but to be leaders who drive positive change, bridging the gap between data-driven decision-making and the ethical considerations essential in today’s global business environment.

Applying an Ethical Lens to Business Analytics

The business analytics program’s curriculum teaches students how to handle data ethically, including respecting privacy, ensuring data security, and avoiding bias in their analyses.

This foundation ensures that data-driven decisions are made with integrity and do not harm individuals or communities. With the rampant misuse of data to disenfranchise underrepresented populations, we are called to act as a Catholic institution to teach our students how to use data for good.

Courses such as Data Privacy and Equity will provide students with an ethical data-driven mindset. Furthermore, our elite partnership with the SAS Institute will align us with its Data for Good campaign.

Embracing a Global and Diverse Perspective in Business Analytics

In the realm of business analytics, data is a universal language. Stonehill’s business analytics major immerses students in a curriculum enriched with diverse data sources from various industries and corners of the globe. Our faculty integrates data from an array of regions and demographics, underscoring the crucial skill of understanding the target population behind the data. This approach not only sharpens students' ability to assess the validity of their analytical outputs but also cultivates the critical thinking necessary to navigate and address complex, global and multicultural business challenges. Graduates emerge well-prepared to make informed, culturally sensitive decisions, leveraging analytics to impact global business practices positively.

Developing Strong Communication Skills as a Business Analyst

Being a good businessperson requires having strong written and verbal communication skills. Being a good analyst adds another dimension to this skill.

Our business analytics students learn to communicate complex insights to stakeholders, including executives, clients and other populations that often have no background in analytics. This is accomplished in three ways:

Students become proficient in data visualization techniques using industry standard software such as Microsoft Power BI and Tableau. Learning these skills helps make it easier for them to convey complex data insights to diverse audiences.

Students learn how to communicate interdisciplinarity, as almost all analytics projects involve teams with members from various disciplines, and not just business disciplines.

Our Business Visualization course will further help students develop the skills to engage their stakeholders no matter their background. The way insights are delivered to customers is different from the way they are reported to employees, regulators or the public. Students must learn how to frame their findings for their specific stakeholders.

Real Data, Real Impact: Experiential Learning in Business Analytics

Our program incorporates business analytics courses and electives from various disciplines and departments on campus including other business disciplines, sciences, social sciences and humanities.

Beyond traditional classroom education, Stonehill’s business analytics major offers students unparalleled opportunities to engage with real-world data through experiential learning projects. These initiatives are designed to forge a direct path between academic learning and tangible change in various industries. Integral to our application-based curriculum is the hands-on experience students will get with cutting-edge software tools that they will use in their careers. Most recently, the importance of AI tools and large-language models such as OpenAI and Microsoft Copilot has grown in modern business decision-making and analytics. Students will have the opportunity to harness the power of these technologies through real-world projects.

Students will also have the opportunity to sharpen their skills outside the classroom. Among these opportunities, students participate in events such as the American Statistical Association’s DataFest competition. Here, they not only compete against peers from diverse backgrounds and institutions but also tackle genuine data analytics challenges presented by real companies. This hands-on experience not only hones their technical and analytical skills but also empowers them to create meaningful impact through data-driven solutions. By working on projects with actual stakes, students understand the weight of their analyses and the real-world implications of their decisions, preparing them for a future of making informed, impactful contributions in the field of business analytics.

Stonehill students take first place at the 2022 American Statistical Association (ASA) DataFest, an annual data analytics hack-a-thon.

How Business Analysts Can Impact Societal Change

Offering an undergraduate degree in business analytics has major implications for the world students will enter. There are complex problems and thousands of opportunities to find solutions to international economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian dilemmas.

The aim of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to transform the world we live in. Data alone cannot solve all the world’s problems, but Stonehill Business Analytics degree can align with several of the SDGs, particularly those related to economic growth, industry innovation, reduced inequalities, and responsible consumption and production.

Sample Courses

Introduction to Data Analytics

MGT 201
This introductory course provides students with essential knowledge and skills to leverage data effectively. By the end of this course, students will be well-equipped to explore and prepare large data sets, create and evaluate predictive models, and design meaningful data visualizations – particularly within a business setting.

Data Management Using SQL

MGT 309
This course equips students with foundational knowledge and practical skills in SQL (Structured Query Language) and database structures. Through engaging assignments and comprehensive projects, students will master the use of industry-standard database tools, enabling them to proficiently manage and manipulate data in real-world scenarios.

Business Visualization

MGT 318
This course focuses on the design of visual representations of data to discover patterns, answer questions, convey findings, and drive decision making. The goal of the course is to give students the practical knowledge needed to create effective tools for both exploring and explaining data. Exercises throughout the course provide a hands-on experience using various visualization platforms such as Microsoft Power BI and Tableau.

Growing Demand for Business Analysts

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of management analysts, which includes business analysts, is projected to grow by 11% from 2021 to 2031, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.

$116,399
Average Salary

According to Salary.com, the median total pay for a business analysts in Massachusetts is $116,399.

11%
JOB GROWTH

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, business analyst jobs are projected to grow by 11% through 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations.

8,492
Business Analyst Job Postings

On ZipRecruiter.com there were 8,492 strategic business analyst job postings in Massachusetts.

The Meehan School of Business

The Meehan School of Business empowers students to be adaptive, compassionate leaders in a rapidly evolving global economy. Inside this modern, state-of-the-art business building, marketing students take courses, collaborate and build strong relationships with other working professionals.

Contact Information

Michael J. Sale

Michael J. Sale

Associate Professor of Business Administration, Management & Business Analytics Chair, Management Information Systems Program Director, Data Analytics Minor Program Director
Business