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Forecasting analyst education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a forecasting analyst. Forecasting analysts usually study business, finance, or economics. 75% of forecasting analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,533 real forecasting analyst resumes to see exactly what forecasting analyst education sections show.
The most common colleges for forecasting analysts are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online forecasting analyst courses to help get the education required to be a forecasting analyst.
What education do you need to become a forecasting analyst?
What degree do you need to be a forecasting analyst?
- Bachelor's, 75%
- Master's, 16%
- Associate, 6%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a forecasting analyst?
- Business, 32%
- Finance, 11%
- Economics, 10%
- Accounting, 8%
- Other Majors, 39%
Most common colleges for forecasting analysts
| Forecasting analyst common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 9.79% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 6.70% |
| University of Wisconsin Colleges | 6.70% |
| Ohio State University | 6.19% |
| University of California - Davis | 6.19% |
Best majors for forecasting analysts
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 32.3% |
| 2 | Finance | 11.1% |
| 3 | Economics | 10.1% |
| 4 | Accounting | 8.4% |
| 5 | Marketing | 7.4% |
Best colleges for forecasting analysts
The best colleges for forecasting analysts are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.
A forecasting 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 forecasting 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 forecasting analysts.
1. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
6. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
7. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
8. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
9. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
10. Texas State University
San Marcos, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,280
Enrollment
34,187
20 best online courses for forecasting analysts
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Use Python, SQL and Statistics to advance your programming skills and refine your ability to work with messy, complex datasets...
4. Marketing Analytics
Gain an in-depth understanding of Google Analytics and marketing analytics. Analyze data and build models with Excel, Data Studio, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...
5. Demand Planning in RStudio: Create Demand Forecast
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6. Supply Chain: Demand Planning (Sales Forecasting and S & OP)
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7. Sales Forecasting
Learn practical sales forecasting methods with Excel in 1 hour...
8. Digital Marketing (Part Time)
Build confidence and capability to apply modern marketing strategies on the job. Drive growth with multichannel campaigns powered by data and customer insight. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
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12. RA: Data Science and Supply chain analytics.(A-Z with R)
Learn R,Supply-chain Data Science, Inventory Optimization,Big Data forecasting, Machine learning and Revenue Management...
13. Sales Forecasting in Excel for Management Consultants
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14. Digital Marketing
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15. Intro to Data Analysis
Start your data science journey right with this hands-on introduction to the discipline of data analysis. In this course you'll learn the 5 key stages of the data analysis process and apply them to real data sets using Python libraries NumPy, pandas, and Matplotlib...
16. Marketing Analytics: Forecasting Models with Excel
Master Marketing Analytics Forecasting and Time Series analysis Sales Forecasting Build Forecasting models in Excel...
17. Supply Chain for Management Consultants & Business Analysts
A practical guide how to improve supply chain in a firm and analyze potential savings in Excel during consulting project...
18. Data Visualization
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...
19. Experimental Design & Recommendations
Learn two of the most in-demand skills in the entire field of data science! By the end of this course, you’ll know how to generate personalized recommendations based on user data, as well as run statistically valid tests that produce clean, interpretable results...
20. RA: Data Science and Supply Chain analytics. A-Z with Python
Learn Python, Supply Chain Data Science ,Linear Programming, Forecasting, Pricing and Inventory Management...
Top 10 most affordable universities for forecasting analysts
The most affordable schools for forecasting analysts are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and florida state university.
If the best universities for forecasting 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 forecasting 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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
4. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
10. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for forecasting analysts
The hardest universities for forecasting analysts to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for forecasting 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 forecasting 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. 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
8. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for forecasting analysts
The easiest schools for forecasting analysts to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, university of the incarnate word, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a forecasting 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 forecasting analysts.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
8. Iona College
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,089
9. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
10. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
Average forecasting analyst salary by education level
| Forecasting analyst education level | Forecasting analyst salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $77,715 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $70,765 |
| Doctorate Degree | $78,233 |
Forecasting analyst education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025