A ‘Tsunami Of Interest’ In Data Analytics Masters, Says MIT Sloan Dean David Schmittlein

MIT Sloan’s full-time MBA attracts 10 applications for every seat in the class; its Master of Business Analytics gets 20. Dean David Schmittlein explains why

David has launched new masters in finance and analytics during his deanship MIT Sloan

“I’ve not been fired yet!” David Schmittlein smiles as he reflects on his 11-year deanship at MIT Sloan.

David became dean of MIT Sloan in 2007 after 17 years at Wharton. Since then, MIT Sloan has consistently placed in the top-10 across MBA rankings tables including the Financial Times, Forbes, and US News. Sloan’s new Master of Business Analytics is ranked the best in the world by QS.

Today, 49 countries are represented in Sloan’s full-time MBA class; 38% of students are international; 42% women. Students come from backgrounds which include consulting, finance, and technology, but also the public sector, healthcare, and humanities.

The market for graduate management education is constantly changing. For David, the challenge is keeping his business school ahead of the curve.

MBA vs Masters

The astronomic rise of specialized master’s programs, accompanied by the gradual decline of the traditional, two-year MBA in the US, have been among the most noticeable changes of the past few years.

70% of full-time, two-year MBA programs in the US reported declining applications for the 2018 application cycle.

Declining application numbers have been a fact of life for lower-ranked US MBA programs for some time, but this year has seen top-ranked programs report