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Business intelligence analyst education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a business intelligence analyst. Business intelligence analysts usually study business, computer science, or finance. 68% of business intelligence analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,294 real business intelligence analyst resumes to see exactly what business intelligence analyst education sections show.
The most common colleges for business intelligence analysts are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online business intelligence analyst courses to help get the education required to be a business intelligence analyst.
There are certain business intelligence analyst certifications that you should consider. These business intelligence analyst certifications include Associate - Data Science Version 2.0 and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
What education do you need to become a business intelligence analyst?
What degree do you need to be a business intelligence analyst?
- Bachelor's, 68%
- Master's, 24%
- Associate, 5%
- Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a business intelligence analyst?
- Business, 20%
- Computer Science, 13%
- Finance, 8%
- Economics, 6%
- Other Majors, 53%
Most common colleges for business intelligence analysts
| Business intelligence analyst common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 7.74% |
| University of Washington | 7.07% |
| Florida International University | 6.40% |
| Texas A&M University | 5.72% |
| University of Texas at Austin | 5.72% |
Best majors for business intelligence analysts
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 20.0% |
| 2 | Computer Science | 13.2% |
| 3 | Finance | 8.1% |
| 4 | Economics | 6.3% |
| 5 | Management Information Systems | 5.8% |
Best colleges for business intelligence analysts
The best colleges for business intelligence analysts are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.
A business intelligence analyst with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for business intelligence analysts. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become business intelligence analysts.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
4. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
9. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$52,930
Enrollment
5,030
10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
20 best online courses for business intelligence analysts
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Whether you are just starting out or looking for a career change, the Tableau Business Intelligence Analytics Professional Certificate will prepare you for entry-level roles that require fundamental Tableau skills, such as business intelligence analyst roles. If you are detail-oriented and have an interest in looking for trends in data, this program is for you. Through hands-on, real-world scenarios, you learn how to use the Tableau platform to evaluate data to generate and present actionable...
4. Business intelligence and data warehousing
Welcome to the specialization course Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing. This course will be completed on six weeks, it will be supported with videos and various documents that will allow you to learn in a very simple way how to identify, design and develop analytical information systems, such as Business Intelligence with a descriptive analysis on data warehouses. You will be able to understand the problem of integration and predictive analysis of high volume of unstructured data (big...
5. Advanced Tableau for Business Intelligence & Data Analysis
Build expert-level Tableau skills with real-world business intelligence & data visualization projects (Tableau 2020.2+)...
6. SQL - MySQL for Data Analytics and Business Intelligence
SQL that will get you hired – SQL for Business Analysis, Marketing, and Data Management...
7. Introduction to Data Analytics for Business
Learn to apply data & statistics specifically for business! In this course, you’ll go from data novice to spreadsheet wizard, calculating and forecasting key financial metrics, even making detailed projections off real-life financial data from the New York Stock Exchange...
8. Complete Business Intelligence with SSIS, SSAS and SSRS
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9. The Business Intelligence Analyst Course 2023
The skills you need to become a BI Analyst - Statistics, Database theory, SQL, Tableau – Everything is included...
10. Tableau Prep for Business Intelligence
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11. Business Data Analytics & Intelligence with Python 2023
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12. SQL for Data Analysis: Beginner MySQL Business Intelligence
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13. MicroStrategy for Business Intelligence
Comprehensive course on Micro Strategy Desktop and Web Dashboards...
14. SQL Server 2019 Data Analytics & Tableau Data Visualisation
Learn SQL for Business & Statistical Analysis, Marketing, Data Management and BI...
15. Learn SSRS SQL Reporting & Business Intelligence Essentials
SQL Reporting using SSRS gives you hands-on knowledge to make great SQL reports with Business Intelligence essentials...
16. Python Foundations for Data Analysis & Business Intelligence
Master the building blocks of base Python for data analysis & BI, with hands-on demos & unique, real-world projects!...
17. Intro to Tableau Server & Tableau Online for Data Analysts
Learn how to create, manage, publish & share reports and dashboards with Tableau Server & Tableau Online (Tableau Cloud)...
18. Power BI - Business Intelligence for Beginners to Advance
The Complete and Comprehensive Course on Power BI : step by step with hands on demos with Power BI...
19. Data Analyst - ETL/SSIS/SQL/PowerBI
Learn to extract ,transform, and analyse data...
20. Advanced SQL: MySQL for Ecommerce & Web Analytics
Learn data analytics & business intelligence with SQL + My SQL Workbench, and apply your skills to real-world projects!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for business intelligence analysts
The most affordable schools for business intelligence analysts are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for business intelligence analysts are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for business intelligence analysts.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
10. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for business intelligence analysts
The hardest universities for business intelligence analysts to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for business intelligence analysts are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for business intelligence analysts based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
9. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,443
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for business intelligence analysts
The easiest schools for business intelligence analysts to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and notre dame college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a business intelligence analyst without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for business intelligence analysts.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
4. Iona College
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,089
5. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
6. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
7. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
8. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
9. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
10. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
Average business intelligence analyst salary by education level
| Business intelligence analyst education level | Business intelligence analyst salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $92,166 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $83,982 |
| Doctorate Degree | $92,601 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $72,155 |
Business intelligence analyst education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025