Residential MSBA Admissions

Start Your Journey

The MS in Business Analytics program is designed for individuals who want to delve into the art and science of deriving insights from data, within the context of business. We are looking for candidates who have strong quantitative skills, are intellectually curious, and can effectively communicate and work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.

Our Admissions Team wants to see you be a part of the Big Data Revolution. We are eager to help you through the admissions process so you can begin your journey at William & Mary in pursuit of your MSBA. If you have any questions regarding our MS in Business Analytics requirements or your application, connect with our team.

The William & Mary Advantage

The William & Mary MSBA curriculum is managed by our Analytics Board, a group of industry professionals who incorporate their perspective on the industry into the academic experience so our students are as prepared as possible to pursue a career in analytics.

Our program is classified as CIP code: 52.1301 under "Managerial Science." The competitive advantage you come to market with through our technical master's program allows you to pursue employment opportunities categorized as either a data scientist or business analyst.

Help leverage your new skill set to land the optimal job by connecting with our extensive network of employers and recruitment partners, alumni, and a variety of senior business executives from over 30 different industries across every functional area through our exclusive Executive Partners program.

Typical Residential MSBA Class Profile

85

Total Students
3.5

Average GPA
42 _%

Female Students
2 _years

Average Work Experience
33 _%

International
68 _%

Out-of-State Students
72 _%

Business & Economics Majors
26 _%

Students of Color

Application Deadlines

msba application deadlines
Application Deadline	Admission Decision
October 1	October 20
November 15	December 20
January 15	February 20
March 1	March 20
May 1	May 20

Application Requirements

Admission to the MSBA program requires completion of the following steps:

Application requirements steps
Online Application Form and Fee Each candidate is required to submit an online application form. In addition, a non-refundable application fee of $100 is required of all applicants. The fee is payable by credit card, personal check, cashier's check drawn from a U.S. bank or subsidiary, or wire transfer. William & Mary undergraduates and alumni, active-duty, veterans and those who have served in humanitarian organizations such as the U.S. Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, etc. are eligible for an application fee waiver. Please contact [[m\|MSBA]] to receive a waiver prior to submitting your online application.
GRE/GMAT Score & Waiver Process GRE/GMAT Score Reports are required for all international candidates and recommended for domestic candidates with an undergraduate GPA below 3.0. While only recommended for some domestic candidates, if your academic background lacks a strong quantitative foundation, candidates may also benefit from submitting a score that can indicate a strong quantitative affinity. For a more individualized recommendation, please consult with MSBA Associate Director of Admissions, Michael Bracelin at [[m\|michael.bracelin]]. For those submitting scores, please request that official test scores be forwarded directly to Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William & Mary. You may submit an unofficial GRE or GMAT score report to the Office of MSBA Admissions at [[m\|MSBA]] or via your application to expedite the processing of your application. However, if required, official test scores must be received prior to admission approval. Test scores are only valid for five years. GRE Institution Code: 1996 GMAT Institution Code: 9DD-X7-77
Academic Transcripts The Admissions Committee requires official transcripts from each of the colleges and universities you have attended as a registered student (regardless of the number of courses taken), including summer school, study abroad, evening classes, etc. To expedite the application review process, applicants have the option of submitting unofficial university transcript(s) as part of the online application. If you are accepted and you chose to enroll, you will be required to submit official transcripts. We prefer electronic official transcripts, but also accept hard-copy official transcripts. Electronic transcripts must be sent directly from the institution to [[m\|MSBA]]. Hard-copy official transcripts should arrive in a sealed envelope with the signature of the Registrar across the seal. Do not open official transcripts. The sealed envelope must be sent to the Office of MSBA Admissions unopened.
Recommendations Two recommendations are required. It is strongly recommended that applicants request at least one recommendation from an academic reference as it is important to know that you can handle the quantitative coursework required in the program. Please select individuals who are able to provide specific and relevant information about your intellectual and quantitative abilities, performance, and motivation. During the online application process, you will be given the opportunity to provide email contact information for your recommenders so that they can complete your recommendation online using our template (preferred method). If one of your recommenders is unable or chooses not to complete the online recommendation form, you may print out a recommendation form to be mailed to our offices or returned to you in a sealed envelope with a signature across the seal. Letters should be written on letterhead stationery and must include a signature and full contact information for the recommender.
Personal Statement Please provide a personal statement (required) and additional statement (optional) for the following questions, each on a separate page, following the guidelines regarding the length of each personal statement. At the top of each page, please include your full name and restate the question being answered. Use at least 11-point font and 1.5 spacing. What are your professional goals and how does a Master of Science in Business Analytics degree support those goals? (Required - 500 words maximum) Is there any additional information that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee which would be helpful in reviewing your application? Complete this question only if you feel your candidacy is not fully represented in your coursework or resume, for example an academic statement supporting analytics educational experiences not listed on transcripts. (Optional - 250 words)
Resume & Employment History Work experience is not required for admission into the MSBA program. However, previous work or internship experience in data analytics are all considered when evaluating your application. Candidates with limited professional experience must be strong in other aspects of the MSBA application, such as excellent quantitative academic performance and clearly articulated professional goals. The application will require a resume to be uploaded.
Interview An interview is a required element of the admissions process, and is offered by invitation only to candidates whose applications have already passed through an initial evaluation. Candidates who are contacted for an interview are encouraged to conduct the interview in person in conjunction with a campus visit, but we understand that this is not possible for all candidates. For candidates unable to conduct an interview in person, interviews are also offered via Skype, telephone, or Google Hangout.
TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE (International Applicants Only) Applicants must have a fluent command of rapid, idiomatic English; they must be able to express thoughts clearly in speech and in writing. Applicants who have not completed a degree within the United States or who have not earned a university degree in an English-speaking country (not simply an English-speaking institution), or who have not lived and worked full-time in an English-speaking country for the past four years must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). We expect international applicants to obtain a score of 100 or higher (internet-based), 250 (computer-based), or 600 (paper-based) on the TOEFL and a 7 on the IELTS. The TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid for two years. We consider the TOEFL or IELTS score along with the GRE/GMAT scores in the verbal and AWA sections, essays and the interview to determine a candidate's language readiness to compete in and contribute to the William & Mary MSBA community. Our Institution Code for TOEFL is B308. Please have the scores sent to the office of MSBA Admissions. Please submit official test score reports. We do not accept copies. If you have pursued an undergraduate degree in the U.S. or another English-speaking country, then you may be eligible for a waiver fo the language-proficiency test. We will waive the test requirement in the following circumstances: You have studied for at least four years in an English-speaking country. You completed your undergraduate degree during that time. International applicants must have successfully completed the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree to be eligible for admission to a graduate program at William & Mary's Raymond A. Mason School of Business. Under current regulations, our program is STEM certified (CIP Code 52.1301) and qualifies for the OPT-STEM extension of 24 months for a total of 36 months. Please see the Reves Center for International Studies for more information.
Military Applicants Please note that the application fee of $100 is waived for active and retired U.S. military. Contact the MSBA Admissions Office at 757-221-1763 to request your application fee waiver prior to submitting your application. Provisions in the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 allows William & Mary to offer in-state tuition to veterans making use of their GI Bill®.

All students admitted to graduate programs at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business must have a conferred bachelor's degree from an accredited institution prior to matriculation.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites are not a barrier to entry into the MSBA program. By design, we accept a variety of formats to demonstrate that you satisfy the requirements through prior undergraduate or graduate coursework, remote competency exams, or Coursera courses. All prerequisite waivers for Linear Algebra, R Programming, and Python Programming are required to be submitted no later than July 1^st, at which point every student without a waiver will be automatically registered for our intensive on-campus boot camp ($300/course) beginning Monday, July 31^st. Business prerequisite waivers are required by August 15^th.

Please note that all prerequisites do not need to be completed prior to applying.

The William & Mary advantage is that 1/3 of our program teaches advanced skills in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. We've structured the MSBA curriculum so that students begin coursework at the intermediate level. This requires students to have a solid foundation by completing the following prerequisites prior to matriculating:

prerequisite courses
Probability and Statistics This prerequisite can be met by the following: University coursework (including community college) in Probability & Statistics. If a student has taken AP Statistics and/or Probability, an additional higher-level college-level course must be completed. There are online classes offered through the University of Maryland's University College (UMUC - Intro to Statistics) and Virginia's Community College System (VCCS - MTH 240) that have been pre-approved by the faculty. If you plan to take an alternative course in Probability and Statistics, please submit the class for curriculum approval before enrolling.
Linear Algebra The MSBA program requires competency in the following theories: Matrix operations Linear Systems of Equations Determinants Matrix inverse Dot and cross product Norms Vector spaces Linear dependence and independence Linear transformations Rank Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors SVD/Singular value decomposition Linear transformations Gaussian elimination LU decomposition All admitted students are automatically registered for the boot camp sequence. Linear Algebra is the first course of the three courses in the boot camp. You may be waived from this requirement in the following ways: University coursework (including community college) in Linear Algebra. Please submit a transcript and a syllabus for the course. Complete a self-study of the Linear Algebra concepts that are required for the program and successfully complete a competency test that will be provided by the MSBA program no later than July 1^st. Complete the following free online MIT linear algebra course and then successfully complete a competency test no later than July 1^st that will be provided by the MSBA program by emailing [[m\|MSBA]]. Practice Test Practice Test Solutions Complete the following online course offered through Coursera and forward the certificate to the MSBA Admissions Office.
R Programming All admitted students are automatically registered for the boot camp sequence. R Programming is the second course of the three courses in the boot camp. You may be waived from this requirement by requesting a competency exam to be completed and returned to the admissions office no later than July 1^st. DataCamp is a great way to prepare for the boot camp and your course of study. The following are a few short, self-paced courses you can take to get solid programming practice before beginning your Machine Learning course sequence. Introduction to R (course) Intermediate R (course) Data Visualization in R (course) Introduction to the Tidyverse (course) Introduction to Data Visualization with ggplot2 (course) Data Manipulation with Dplyr (course) Introduction to Data in R (course) Exploratory Data Analysis in R (course) Reporting with Rmarkdown (course)
Python Programming All admitted students are automatically registered for the boot camp sequence. Python Programming is the final course of the three courses in the boot camp. You may be waived from this requirement by requesting a competency exam to be completed and returned to the admissions office no later than July 1^st. DataCamp is a great way to prepare for the boot camp and your course of study. The following are a few short, self-paced courses you can take to get solid programming practice in Python, which is the language used in many of the MSBA courses. Python Fundamentals (Skill Track) Data Manipulation with Pandas (Course)
Required Business Courses for Non-Business Majors Non-business majors will be required to submit proof of completion of the courses. Introduction to Corporate Finance Introduction to Financial Accounting Introduction to Marketing Introduction to Operations Management "The Ten Day MBA" by Steven Silbiger (optional reading)
SQL (Optional) DataCamp is a great way to prepare for your course of study. The following are a few short, self-paced courses you can take to get solid practice before entering your Database Management course. Introduction to SQL Joining Data in SQL Intermediate SQL Introduction to SQL Server Introduction to Relational Databases in SQL Applying SQL to Real-World Problems

Min Zhao '22

"The MSBA at William & Mary was more in-depth in terms of the curriculum design, but what I think really distinguishes this program from others is that fellow students are from diverse backgrounds. I'm studying alongside music majors, economics majors, computer scientists, marketing professionals and logisticians."

Residential MSBA FAQs

MSBA Frequently Asked Questions
Why pursue an MSBA at William & Mary? William & Mary has a reputation of cultivating principled, ethical, innovative leaders since 1693. This institutional foundation and history, along with our passion for developing data scientists with technical caliber and strategic insight, is what attracts applicants to our program.
What are some unique attributes of your program? Our curriculum is focused. Our faculty is world class. In 10 months you will cover the hallmark subjects of analytics, including courses in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Our faculty is ranked #3 in the country because they are dedicated researchers, successful business professionals, and care deeply about our students' successes.
What sort of career placement help does William & Mary provide? The Graduate Career Management Center offers personalized, dedicated career guidance to our job-seeking students. Seasoned career counselors work with our students to refine their resumes, hone interview skills in mock interviews, and develop their networks. The school hosts and partakes in networking events and job fairs throughout the year including Meet the Firms, Tech Day, and Grace Hopper, which provide our students vital connections to Fortune 500 companies and esteemed alumni looking to hire William & Mary graduates.
Do all prerequisites need to be completed prior to applying? Prerequisites are not required to be completed at the time of application to our program. However, they must be completed prior to the fall program start date. You can also connect with our team to find out more about transferring undergraduate or graduate credits to fulfill a prerequisite.
What are some ways prerequisites can be completed? Many of our students complete their prerequisites the summer before matriculation using a variety fo flexible and affordable ways like our intensive on-campus boot camp ($300/course), DataCamp online courses, or remote competency exams.
Why are there so many prerequisites? We believe a certain level of business acumen, mathematics, and programming is necessary for students to succeed in our intensive, 10-month program. By fulfilling the prerequisites, you will have the necessary tools and skills to immediately jump into our more advanced curriculum.
How does the application process work? First, applying by the deadline(s). Then we holistically evaluate each applicant taking into account your undergraduate degree, GPA, quantitative background experience, personal attributes expressed in your resume, and your interview.
Are there scholarship opportunities? Yes. Every applicant is considered for merit-based scholarships. On your application you may also opt to be considered for a Graduate Assistantship, which pays an hourly wage and can offset your educational costs. Graduate Assistantships are limited and available in areas of research or administration.
What is the classroom like? 90 students is divided into two cohorts. Within each cohort, students are further divided into diverse learning teams. Your learning team is, in a sense, a mini-classroom, that works together to dive deeper into the academic material.
What is student life like? When you come here you become part of our family, our Tribe. We are ranked #4 on Princeton Review's like of family-friendly schools. Our students seamlessly integrate into the greater William & Mary community through a variety of athletic, academic, and personal enrichment opportunities. Each cohort naturally becomes a tight-knit group because they live and learn closely together. Many of our students live on campus in graduate housing. This coupled with our collaborative, team-based cohort model of learning cultivates close, supportive relationships among our students.
Where do your graduates go after graduation? Our graduate are all over the world, working in analytics and consulting as well as a variety of other dynamic industries. Some of our most recent graduates secured employment at Deloitte, IBM, Accenture and KPMG.
What kind of salary could I expect? Employers know the value of a William & Mary education and our extensive alumni network enthusiastically support our new graduates on their journey to land a job. On average, our graduate earn $80,000 annually but can earn as high as six-figures in major markets.