Master of Applied Business Analytics Requirements & Deadlines
Applied Business Analytics Admission Requirements
Explore how you can begin the admissions process to earn your Master of Applied Business Analytics degree online at the Carlson School. You'll learn about the upcoming application deadlines, items to provide with your online application, and the timeline for receiving a response from the admissions committee.
Application Deadlines
The Carlson School is here to guide you through a seamless admissions process. Review the milestones below to see when you'll need to submit your application to start the Master of Applied Business Analytics program at the best time for your schedule and professional goals.
Applicants to the online Master of Applied Business Analytics program will receive an admission decision within 10 business days of the admissions committee receiving a completed application. A completed application submitted to the admissions committee must include transcripts, professional recommendations, a personal statement, a resume, and a video essay. You will receive information from the admissions committee after your application has been received and marked as complete. If you are granted a scholarship, notification will be included in your admission decision.
Key Admission Dates
| Rounds | Spring Start (January) | Fall Start (September) |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | October 15 | May 15 |
| Round 2 | November 15 | June 15 |
| Round 3 | December 15 | July 15 |
Admission Requirements
Start your application to the Master of Applied Business Analytics program today. You can save your progress to take a break during the process, making it easier to gather the documents outlined below.
Unofficial transcripts can be submitted through the online application or emailed to mbamsapp@umn.edu for attachment to your application file. Paper transcripts may be submitted to:
321 19th Ave. S, Room 1-110
Minneapolis, MN 55455
You must submit a transcript from each college or university where you have completed coursework before your application will be considered complete and reviewed by the admissions committee. Unofficial transcripts must include your name and the name of the institution. Third-party credential evaluation reports and degree planning documents are not accepted.
Official transcripts will be required if you are admitted to the program.
Each student must demonstrate proof of quantitative and programming competencies to apply.
| Quantitative Requirement | The quantitative requirement may be fulfilled by the completion of at least one semester of a college-level quantitative course with a C grade or better at the time of application submission. This course must be completed, not in progress. You must upload a transcript showing your final grade and a course syllabus. Contact us to connect with an admissions advisor to learn more about the academic subjects that meet this requirement. Note: If you have not successfully completed the quantitative requirement by taking an academic course, you should take the Probability & Statistics for Machine Learning & Data Science Coursera course to satisfy the quantitative requirement and upload a certificate of completion with your legal name that matches the name provided in the application. |
|---|---|
| Programming Requirement | The computer programming requirement may be satisfied in one of three ways:
The key concepts and skills required to fulfill this requirement include conditional if statements, loops, functions, input/output, file handling, and foundational data types and structures (e.g., strings, lists, dictionaries). This list is offered as a guideline to help candidates evaluate their existing coursework, training, and competency. |
GMAT, GRE, and Executive Assessment scores are not required for the online Master of Applied Business Analytics. However, depending on personal qualifications, the submission of scores may still be strongly recommended for certain candidates to demonstrate their abilities to complete the degree's academic requirements.
| When are test scores strongly recommended? | While the submission of test scores is optional for all candidates applying for entry, completing an exam with strong test scores can strengthen a candidate's academic profile in the admissions review process. Test scores are strongly recommended, particularly for applicants with academic weaknesses (e.g., a cumulative GPA below B average) or deficits (e.g., below B grades in quantitative or relevant business coursework). Applicants may enter unofficial scores directly into the online application. Official scores should be received before the application deadline for which you would like to be considered. If a candidate indicates at the time of application that they do not intend to submit scores with their application, they will be unable to submit scores later, neither before nor after an admission decision. If they are denied admission to a term, they will need to re-apply with the addition of optional test scores for a future term. |
|---|---|
| Where to send test scores | For the GMAT and Executive Assessment, arrange for the testing service to send an official score report to code D2N-VJ-05, Carlson Master of Applied Business Analytics. Results arrive 2-3 weeks after the test. For the GRE, arrange for the testing service to send an official score report using ETS institution code 6874. Results may take up to eight weeks to arrive. |
Use the online application to provide the names and contact information of two professional references. Professional recommendations are strongly preferred, but academic recommendations may be considered for those with limited professional experience. We partner with GMAC for the common letter of recommendation.
Your recommendation providers will receive an email from gradappinfo@umn.edu. The subject line will include your name and "Recommendation for the University of Minnesota." Please ask your providers to include this email address in their contact lists and to double-check spam and junk mail folders if they don't receive the message.
NOTE: Using a company email address is not required. Some companies have firewalls that prevent receipt of the recommendation request email. Recommenders should receive the recommendation request email within 12 hours of saving their contact information in the application. If recommenders do not receive the email within 12 hours, please try again with another email address. The best practice is to use a Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail email address for recommendations.
Recommendation providers can submit their recommendations anytime, before AND after you submit your application.
To fulfill this section of the application, we require two complete recommendations, but you can list up to six professional recommendations. The admissions committee will review all completed professional recommendations.
Your personal statement should be no more than 1,200 words (three pages) and address the following questions:
- Why are you choosing to pursue a Master of Applied Business Analytics at this time in your career? What are you hoping to accomplish by doing so? Briefly describe your short-term (upon graduation from the program) and long-term (5-10 years after the program) career goals. Please be as specific as possible with roles, companies, and/or industries.
- What excites you about being part of the Carlson School's Master of Applied Business Analytics program?
- Describe your current thinking about diversity, equity, and inclusion. How has your thinking changed over time?
All applicants are invited to submit an essay to be considered for one of the 50% or 15% merit-based scholarships offered to admitted candidates entering the online Master of Applied Business Analytics program. Scholarships will be awarded on merit to a limited number of admitted candidates who demonstrate the potential to be exemplary contributors to the Carlson School community and possess outstanding academic and professional achievements. Selected students will be notified of their award at the time of admission.
This essay is not required for admission to the program, but it is required for scholarship consideration. The essay, a minimum of 300 words, must be submitted within the application. No late or alternative submission methods will be accepted.
The scholarship is non-transferable to other Carlson School degrees, cannot be combined with other scholarships or discounts, and may only be applied toward the online Master of Applied Business Analytics program.
The scholarship essay should address the following:
- Tell us about a time you advocated for a more inclusive or welcoming community, either professionally or personally. How do you plan to carry what you have learned from this experience forward and positively impact the Carlson School?
Carlson Corporate Discount applicants may also submit an essay for the consideration of the available scholarships. "Stacking" scholarship awards and corporate discounts is not allowed.
Additionally, Corporate Discount candidates must submit two letters of recommendation and the scholarship essay to fulfill requirements for scholarship consideration.
Use this essay to share information that is not presented elsewhere in the application. For example:
- Explanation of employment gaps or academic weaknesses
- Quantitative abilities
- Choice of recommenders
- For re-applicants, improvements to your candidacy
Your statement should be limited to 500 words (one page).
Proof of English language proficiency is required of all applicants and must be demonstrated in one of the following ways:
- You completed at least the last two years of a bachelor's degree or one year of graduate school (full time) in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Anglophone Africa, or the English-speaking Caribbean and will provide official transcripts
- You completed your education solely in English in a country where English is not an official language and will provide documented proof
- You will provide the official results of an English language test taken within the last two years
The following tests are all accepted:
The application fee is $75 (non-refundable) for U.S. citizens, international applicants, and U.S. residents with foreign credentials. Your application fee will be waived if you have been on active duty in the U.S. military within three years of submitting your Master of Applied Business Analytics application.
Submit a current resume that includes job responsibilities and accomplishments. The resume can include part-time work, internships, graduate assistants, or co-ops as necessary.
- The video essay is a required component of the application that allows candidates to show the admissions committee the authentic you. Think of this video essay as if you were answering an interview question with a member of our admissions committee
- You will need to use a computer with camera and microphone capabilities. You will also need a strong internet connection for uploading the video. You will be able to test your technology before starting the video essay and submit a practice video essay
- You can test your technology and run the practice simulation as many times as you wish to be comfortable with the format and technology. You will be able to review your practice video essay(s), and your recording(s) will not be saved beyond the testing phase and will not be reviewed
- You can also practice responding to impromptu questions offline with a friend or colleague before completing the video essay portion of your application
- You will be prompted to click "Ready" once you are prepared to submit an official video essay. You will be asked one impromptu question from a bank of imaginative or behavioral questions selected by our admissions team
- Two minutes (120 seconds) will be provided to prepare an answer and two minutes (120 seconds) to record an answer. The recording will automatically stop after two minutes. You are not required to use the full two minutes. If you have time after completing your response, click the "Stop Recording" button to end the recording
- You will only be provided one attempt to record your official video essay
Describe an academic or extracurricular activity that helped you shape your personality. What did you learn?
Describe a situation where you were a team member. How did you decide when to lead and when to follow, and how did the results impact you?
Describe a time when you showed great resilience and tenacity, and it paid off. What were the results?
Describe the biggest risk you took at work and its outcome.
Explain a situation where you had to change your communication style. What was the outcome, and what did you learn?
Give an example of a situation where you had to change your priorities due to an unexpected task. What was the outcome?
How would you describe your current thinking about diversity, and how has your thinking changed over time?
Talk about an activity or extracurricular experience and how it changed your perspective.
Talk about the time when you made a wrong decision. What was the setback, and how did you handle it?
Tell about a setback you experienced. How did you deal with it, and what were the results?
Tell us about a time when you handled a task for which you had no information. What steps did you take to begin the task, what strategies did you use, and what were the results?
Tell us about a time you encountered an individual who was resistant to change. How did you deal with it, and what was the outcome?
What accomplishment are you really proud of and why?
What does it mean for you to have a commitment to diversity? How have you demonstrated that commitment, and how would you see yourself demonstrating it here?
What is the key ingredient for building and maintaining professional relationships? Provide examples.
What is your definition of diversity, and how or why do you think diversity is important?
What's the best piece of constructive criticism you've received, and how has it influenced your work?
What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn from your resume alone?