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Business intelligence manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a business intelligence manager. Business intelligence managers usually study business, computer science, or accounting. 71% of business intelligence managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,252 real business intelligence manager resumes to see exactly what business intelligence manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for business intelligence managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online business intelligence manager courses to help get the education required to be a business intelligence manager.

There are certain business intelligence manager certifications that you should consider. These business intelligence manager certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Scrum Master (CSM).

What education do you need to become a business intelligence manager?

What degree do you need to be a business intelligence manager?

The most common degree for business intelligence managers is bachelor's degree, with 71% of business intelligence managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 23% and master's degree degree at 3%.
  • Bachelor's, 71%
  • Master's, 23%
  • Associate, 3%
  • Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a business intelligence manager?

You should major in business to become a business intelligence manager. 27% of business intelligence managers major in business. Other common majors for a business intelligence manager include computer science and accounting.

Most common colleges for business intelligence managers

Business intelligence managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Texas A&M; University, and University of California - Davis. Here are the most common colleges for business intelligence managers in the US based on their resumes.
Business intelligence manager common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix7.69%
Texas A&M University7.10%
University of California - Davis7.10%
University of Texas at Austin6.51%
University of Florida5.33%

Best majors for business intelligence managers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business27.5%
2Computer Science13.4%
3Accounting6.4%
4Marketing5.3%
5Finance5.3%

Best colleges for business intelligence managers

The best colleges for business intelligence managers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A business intelligence manager 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 managers. 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 managers.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

6. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,530

Enrollment

4,571

20 best online courses for business intelligence managers

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1. Business Intelligence Analytics

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Build confidence combining different data types and sources to create sophisticated data models for enterprises across all industries...

2. Data Visualization

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Discover how data visualization can communicate insights far more effectively than text or tables. In this course, you’ll learn how to build data visualizations programmatically using Python, and how you can use visualization to both discover and convey trends in your data...

3. Getting Started with Data Warehousing and BI Analytics

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Kickstart your Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence (BI) Analytics journey with this self-paced course. You will learn how to design, deploy, load, manage, and query data warehouses and data marts. You will also work with BI tools to analyze data in these repositories. You will begin this course by understanding different kinds of analytics repositories including data marts, data warehouses, data lakes, data lakehouses, and data reservoirs, and their functions and uses. They are designed...

4. Business intelligence and data warehousing

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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. SQL - MySQL for Data Analytics and Business Intelligence

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4.6
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SQL that will get you hired – SQL for Business Analysis, Marketing, and Data Management...

6. Data Warehouse ETL Testing & Data Quality Management A-Z

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4.4
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ETL Testing and Data Quality Management for beginners with practical exercises and certificate of completion...

7. Introduction to Data Analytics for Business

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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. Advanced Tableau for Business Intelligence & Data Analysis

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4.6
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Build expert-level Tableau skills with real-world business intelligence & data visualization projects (Tableau 2020.2+)...

9. Business Data Analytics & Intelligence with Python 2023

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Become a Business Data Analyst. Learn Python, Statistics, and Data Analytics using the latest industry tools...

10. Python Foundations for Data Analysis & Business Intelligence

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Master the building blocks of base Python for data analysis & BI, with hands-on demos & unique, real-world projects!...

11. Complete Business Intelligence with SSIS, SSAS and SSRS

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4.2
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Master Microsoft BI by solving Real-Life Problems. Learn ETL, Integration, Analytics, Reporting and Visualization!...

12. Data Warehousing & Visualization in Microsoft BI & Power BI

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4.3
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Learn ETL, Data Analysis and Visualization using Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Business Intelligence tools and Power BI...

13. MicroStrategy for Business Intelligence

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4.2
(343)

Comprehensive course on Micro Strategy Desktop and Web Dashboards...

14. New Manager's Guide: Business Skills & ChatGPT Data Analysis

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4.5
(547)

A Day in Modern Business: Exploring Essential Skills and Data Science Using Chat GPT Advanced Data Analysis...

15. Complete Introduction to Business Data Analysis

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4.6
(15,678)

Move beyond BASIC reports and learn data ANALYSIS. Learn to easily turn data into information, insight and intelligence...

16. SQL for Data Analysis: Beginner MySQL Business Intelligence

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4.7
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Learn SQL database querying w/ My SQL Workbench. Perfect for SQL beginners and first-time coders...

17. The Data Strategy Course: Building a Data-driven Business

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4.5
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A Practical Guide to Intelligent Business Performance: Learn How to Position Your Business for Success Leveraging Data...

18. Data Literacy and Business Analytics for Business Leaders

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4.5
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Improve your Data Literacy and Business Analytics. Apply Business Statistics for Data Driven Decision Making...

19. Data Analysis And Business Intelligence With Microsoft Excel

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4.6
(338)

Use Power Query, Power Pivot, DAX, & Excel's data visualization tools to build powerful Business Intelligence solutions...

20. Data Engineering - ETL, Web Scraping ,Big Data,SQL,Power BI

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4.2
(300)

Hands on Data Interaction using - ETL, Web Scraping ,Big Data,SQL,Power BI...

Top 10 most affordable universities for business intelligence managers

The most affordable schools for business intelligence managers are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for business intelligence managers 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 managers.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for business intelligence managers

The hardest universities for business intelligence managers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for business intelligence managers 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 managers 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,415

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for business intelligence managers

The easiest schools for business intelligence managers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and nyack college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a business intelligence manager 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 managers.

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. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

4. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

10. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

Average business intelligence manager salary by education level

Business intelligence managers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $127,538 annually. With a Master's degree, business intelligence managers earn a median annual income of $127,009 compared to $116,977 for business intelligence managers with an Bachelor's degree.
Business intelligence manager education levelBusiness intelligence manager salary
Master's Degree$127,009
Bachelor's Degree$116,977
Doctorate Degree$127,538
Some College/ Associate Degree$102,275

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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