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Operations analyst education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an operations analyst. Operations analysts usually study business, finance, or accounting. 72% of operations analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 21,340 real operations analyst resumes to see exactly what operations analyst education sections show.
The most common colleges for operations analysts are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online operations analyst courses to help get the education required to be an operations analyst.
There are certain operations analyst certifications that you should consider. These operations analyst certifications include Six Sigma Green Belt and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
What education do you need to become an operations analyst?
What degree do you need to be an operations analyst?
- Bachelor's, 72%
- Associate, 12%
- Master's, 11%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become an operations analyst?
- Business, 32%
- Finance, 13%
- Accounting, 8%
- Economics, 6%
- Other Majors, 41%
Most common colleges for operations analysts
| Operations analyst common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 16.91% |
| DeVry University | 5.72% |
| Northeastern University | 5.46% |
| New York University | 5.41% |
| Florida State University | 5.35% |
Best majors for operations analysts
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 32.1% |
| 2 | Finance | 13.2% |
| 3 | Accounting | 8.1% |
| 4 | Economics | 6.4% |
| 5 | Computer Science | 4.5% |
Best colleges for operations analysts
The best colleges for operations analysts are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Pennsylvania.
An operations 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 operations 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 operations analysts.
1. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
7. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$53,880
Enrollment
6,590
8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
9. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
10. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
20 best online courses for operations analysts
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Top 10 most affordable universities for operations analysts
The most affordable schools for operations analysts are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and usf sarasota-manatee.
If the best universities for operations 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 operations 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. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
4. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
9. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
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 operations analysts
The hardest universities for operations analysts to get into are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for operations 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 operations 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. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
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. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,443
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,415
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for operations analysts
The easiest schools for operations analysts to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and la roche college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an operations 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 operations analysts.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
4. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
7. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
8. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
9. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
10. Dominican College of Blauvelt
Orangeburg, NY • Private
Admissions rate
77%
SAT average
1,038
Average operations analyst salary by education level
| Operations analyst education level | Operations analyst salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $72,492 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $64,947 |
| Doctorate Degree | $75,736 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $56,832 |
Operations analyst education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025