Master of Science in Business Analytics | Admissions

Admissions Apply by our next round deadline, March 1, 2025! Meet with an Advisor

Intelligent and motivated applicants who are passionate about analytics are the best fit for the Master of Science in Business Analytics program. Recent graduates, early career professionals, or career transitioners who have a quantitative background are encouraged to apply. As organizations embrace analytics, they rely on analysts to extract value from data to inform strategic business, marketing and operational decisions.


We have designed a well-rounded curriculum that is STEM-Certified (36 Months of Optional Practical Training), that prepares you to become technically fluent, experienced and prepared to lead in a digitally-driven career in data analytics, marketing analytics or operations analytics.

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MSBA Brochure

 

 

  • 3 Flexible Curricular Tracks
  • 1 Year Program
  • STEM Certified

Admissions Information

 

 

Applications are submitted online. The MSBA program has six rounds of application deadlines and it is your responsibility to ensure all parts of your application are completed by the stated deadline date. If you have any missing items by the deadline, your application will be considered in the next round. We encourage applicants to submit as early as possible.

Round 1: October 15
Round 2: December 1
Round 3: February 1 
Round 4: March 1* (recommended deadline for international students studying outside of the US)
Round 5: April 1* (Final deadline for international students)
Round 6: May 1
Round 7: June 1

 

After submitting a completed application, you will receive a decision upon the careful review of your application within three months from the stated application deadline.

Scholarships are available to qualified candidates, and are granted according to merit. All applicants are automatically considered for scholarships, and applying early generally maximizes the chances of receiving a scholarship.

Applicants for admission must have completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Candidates are evaluated on their academic record and potential for success as demonstrated in the submitted application materials listed below. We recommend you verify all application information before submitting. Once you submit your application, you can no longer update it for the remainder of the application cycle.

Transcripts

Please upload unofficial copies of transcripts for each college and university attended with your online application. Please provide English translation if needed. Transcripts scanned and uploaded to your application will be used to conduct the initial review. If you are admitted and have decided to attend UCI, you will be asked to submit official transcripts.

Send official transcripts to:

Graduate Division
120 Aldrich Hall
Irvine, CA 92697-3180
gradtranscripts@uci.edu

Candidates may apply to the program if they hold the equivalent of a four-year US Bachelor's degree. Transcripts from non-US universities should include evidence of degree conferral (proof of graduation). International applicants should refer to the International Applicant page for more specific requirements.

Résumé Submit a copy of your résumé that includes your educational background, work experience, internships and volunteer activities.
Letters of Recommendation Two letters of recommendation are required for your application. References can be either academic and/or professional. Letters of recommendation are submitted through the online application system.
Essays A video essay and a written essay are required. The specific essay prompts can be found on the application.
Official TOEFL or IELTS - (International applicants – Scores valid for two years)

All graduate applicants, except those who have earned an undergraduate or master's degree from an institution at which English was the sole language of instruction according to the World Higher Education Database (WHED), are required to demonstrate English proficiency for admissions consideration. Please see WHED's instructions on how to search for your institution. If English is not the sole language of instruction listed or if no language is listed at all, the waiver does not apply and the applicant is required to take and pass an approved English proficiency test. We accept both the TOEFL and IELTS exams. The scores from either exam are valid for up to two years from your test date. The minimum score for TOEFL (Internet-based) is 80. For the IELTS, the minimum required score for admission is 7, with a score of no less than 6 on any individual module. Exam results should be sent to UC Irvine institution code: 4859. Review the English Proficiency requirement.

GMAT or GRE

The GMAT or GRE are not required but strongly recommended for applicants with a GPA under 3.3. While these tests are not required, the admissions team is looking for evidence of strong verbal and quantitative skills.

There is no advantage to taking the GMAT over the GRE and no advantage between the current GMAT version of the test and GMAT Focus. If you take an exam multiple times, we will take the highest total score earned. The Admissions Committee does not average exam scores. There is no minimum GMAT or GRE score to apply and scores are evaluated holistically in the context of the overall application.

GRE scores are valid for up to five years from your test date. Exam results should be sent to UC Irvine institution code: 4859. For more information on the GRE, visit: ets.org/gre.

GMAT scores are valid for up to five years from your test date. Exam results should be sent to UC Irvine institution code: 0DP-7R-40. For more information on the GMAT, visit: mba.com.

Application Fee Application Fee: $150. The non-refundable application fee is payable by credit card when you apply online. We offer fee waivers for Military and Veterans.
Personal interview Interviews are conducted by a member of the Admissions Committee. The interview is a way for us to evaluate your interpersonal and communication skills, as well as an opportunity for you to ask questions and determine whether the Merage School is right for you.

How it works:

  1. Online Video Assessment: Select candidates will receive an email invitation from Kira Talent asking them to participate in a brief online video assessment. Candidates will have one week from receiving the email to complete and submit the video.
  2. Receive Decision: If all application materials were completed by the Apply By date, candidates will receive admissions decision according to the corresponding decision date listed above.

 

Additional recommended but not required qualifications include:

  • Post-university work experience or research experience in a quantitative discipline
  • Prior exposure in computation programming, such as C++ or familiarity with computation or risk management tools
  • Experience with statistical and economic applications, such as SAS, STATA, MATLAB, R, S-Plus
  • Experience with mathematical tools, such as MATLAB or Mathematica

We encourage applicants from all backgrounds, especially those who demonstrate strong communication and conceptual thinking skills.

My capstone experience helped me understand what it was like to work in the sports industry. Data is never clean and perfect and you have to find ways to work around it. My team used our diverse strengths to come together and deliver results to our company.