Top 10 ASU business analytics master's degree coming to Los Angeles

Arizona State University’s plans for its new ASU California Center in downtown Los Angeles took another step forward with the announcement that the W. P. Carey School of Business will be launching its highly ranked Master of Science in business analytics in California for the fall 2021 semester.

The program is currently accepting applications for the first cohort, part of ASU’s inaugural class of students based in California. 

The ASU California Center is located in the historic Los Angeles Herald Examiner building, constructed by William Randolph Hearst and completed in 1914. Opening in August, ASU’s new home in California will include classrooms, conference spaces, venues for community events and more. In addition to the W. P. Carey School, more than 15 academic colleges and administrative units will call the ASU California Center home, including the recently christened Sidney Poitier New American Film School. 

The W. P. Carey School created the MS-BA in 2013, in response to demand for an intensive data analytics master’s degree from industry partners. In the years since, the program has attracted thousands of students from across the country and around the world due to its market-driven curriculum, the reputation of the W. P. Carey School’s departments of information systems and supply chain management, and ASU’s ranking as the most innovative university in the country six years in a row, according to U.S. News & World Report. 

As a result of the program’s longstanding quality, the W. P. Carey School has been ranked No. 10 in the country for business analytics graduate programs in the 2022 Best Graduate School rankings, also released by U.S. News & World Report — ahead of UCLA, USC and Loyola Marymount University. In the latest rankings, 30 W. P. Carey programs and disciplines are ranked top 25 by U.S. News, the most for any business school in the nation.

“We are always so honored to be included among our peers as one of the best business schools in America. That’s especially true with a field as important and competitive as business analytics,” said Amy Ostrom, interim dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business and the PetSmart Chair in Services Leadership. “As we expand the program to offer a solution for students in Southern California that is not only closer to home but also designed to accommodate the busy schedules of working professionals, we’re extremely proud of what the MS-BA has achieved so far and excited about its future in downtown LA.”

The 12-month curriculum will be delivered on a flexible weekly schedule. Students will take classes on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 10 p.m. via ASU Sync, an asynchronous, technology-enhanced and fully interactive remote learning modality that includes live lectures via Zoom technology.

Also, every quarter (in August, October, January, March and June), classes will meet in person at the ASU California Center on two consecutive Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The combination of virtual and in-person learning will provide students the necessary freedom to complete coursework independently and builds the collaboration and communication skills needed to succeed in the global economy.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for data scientists is expected to grow 15% by the end of the decade, much faster than the average for all occupations. MS-BA students in Los Angeles will also gain the support of W. P. Carey Career Management and Employer Engagement. Upon graduation in 2020, MS-BA students were employed by Amazon.com, Avnet, Dell, Deloitte and Goldman Sachs, among others.

Applications for the MS-BA in LA are now being accepted. Visit wpcarey.asu.edu/msba-la to learn more.