MSBA Admissions

Create your online application profile via the UW Graduate Admissions website. After creating your profile, you will be asked to select program information:

• Select your application type: “Graduate”
• Select your graduate program: “UW Tacoma's Milgard School of Business Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA Program)”
• Complete the rest of the new application. Be sure to indicate the quarter and year you wish to enter.

A personal statement is required as a part of your online application. The essay must be within 750 words and should answer the following questions:

• Why are you interested in the UW Tacoma Milgard MSBA program and what skills do you hope to gain from it?
• What are your future career goals and plans in the next 5 to 10 years? How will the MSBA Program help you reach your goals?
• Applicants are selected not only for their potential to benefit from the program but also for the experiences and knowledge they can contribute to the class. What will you contribute to the MSBA Program?

Your resume must be uploaded to your online application. It should be a complete summary of your education and professional work history in reverse chronological format. For each position, include:

• Company name and division/group/department
• Position title
• Dates of employment or internship
• Responsibility summary – a 2 to 4 sentence section describing your primary responsibilities for each position
• Accomplishments– 2 to 4 bullets for each position

Applicants are required to list two people who are able to provide detailed information about their academic performance, employment responsibilities/accomplishments, activities, personality or character. We will only contact your references if we need additional information when making an admission decision. Provide the following information for each reference: Last Name, First Name, Title/Company Name, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Relationship to Applicant (e.g. supervisor, professor, colleague).

Recommendation letters are optional items for students who would like to strengthen their applications.

Transcripts are required from all college institutions in which a degree was granted. For the application review process, you are required to upload a copy of your unofficial transcripts to your online application. These documents should be generated by the institution (e.g., a scan of an official document or a PDF created from a student portal). Anything appearing self-generated is not considered a valid document. If you are offered admission to MSBA, you will be required to submit an official copy of your transcripts to the UW Graduate School. Please do not mail official transcripts to the MSBA office; additional instructions will be provided to admitted students.

Required content for all transcripts:

• Full name of applicant (former names are acceptable if indicated on application)
• Name of degree-granting institution
• Title(s) of academic degree(s) awarded
• Dates of enrollment, including date of graduation/degree conferral
• Names of individual courses
• Grades, marks, or ratings of individual courses
• International transcripts must include official English translations
• Both marks sheets and degree statements are required, if applicable

All applicants are required to include a self-review of their experience and skill in the following prerequisite areas:

Our MSBA program welcomes students from any education or professional background. We seek students who are out of box thinkers, with different life experiences, socio-economic backgrounds, academic and professional experiences, and professional goals. Our program ensures equitable access for underrepresented minority students. Applicants are selected not only for their potential to benefit from the program, but also for the experience and knowledge they can contribute to the class. We strongly believe that a diverse student body helps create such an environment. Our primary goal is for students to succeed and have an exceptional learning experience, ultimately leading to a successful career in the evolving area of business analytics.

Prerequisite areas may be fulfilled in several ways. Applicants may have degrees, certificates or on-the-job training in an area. For example, those with undergraduate business degrees have satisfied the Business Foundations requirement. Others have gained experience at work. 

Within the application, you will find a blank table with each prerequisite area. Please share a few sentences outlining your background in each area, including any undergraduate coursework, online training, work experience or post-baccalaureate coursework that you may have completed prior to submitting the application. If you are in progress of training, provide details and indicate when you will finish. The most competitive applicants show training in at least 7 areas with a plan to complete the remainder prior to the start of the program. Do not leave any section blank, enter N/A or "none".

One way to meet prerequisites is by enrolling in Foundations for Data & Analytics modules offered through the Center for Business Analytics.  Register for Foundations for Data & Analytics modules here: Foundations Home Page | Analytics Innovations Hub (uw.edu). For additional information about prerequisite courses, please contact msba@uw.edu for a list of approved courses that can satisfy prerequisite requirements.  

If your native language is not English, the University of Washington requires you to demonstrate English language proficiency in one of the  ways outlined in Policy 3.2.

Most test scores are valid for two years. All scores must be submitted electronically to the University of Washington. Instructions on submitting these scores can be found at the Graduate School website. We require applicants to meet the ELP Satisfied score as shown in the table below.

A non-refundable application fee of $85 must be paid by credit card through the online application system. You must submit a separate application and pay a separate application fee for each graduate program you are applying to. We are not able to transfer applications between programs. Application fee waiver information is available here.

Applicants are required to create and submit a short video interview. The video interview allows us to get to know you better, assess your communication skills as well as your ability to think quickly and creatively. The interview consists of pre-recorded questions by the MSBA Program where your responses to these questions are recorded. You will need a computer with internet access, a webcam and a microphone. If you encounter any barriers in fulfilling this requirement, please contact the program recruiter.

Login to the UW Graduate School Application and verify that your application is complete.  Please note that all required materials must be received before your application can be evaluated. You may be contacted by the Milgard MSBA Program Office requesting additional material as needed.

If you are an admitted international applicant and indicated you would be requesting an I-20 or DS-2019, you will be given separate instructions. International students often have very specific questions regarding language, financial requirements, and employment opportunities. Due to the program starting in summer quarter, there is a limited amount of time to submit your request and provide the financial documents. Delaying this process may result in not obtaining your visa in time to join the program.

• Transcripts: In addition to the transcripts listed above, international students must submit their official transcripts and degree statements from all institutions attended with certified translations in English to the UW Graduate School.
• All I-20 Forms: If you are currently residing in the U.S., provide photocopies of all 1-20 Certificate of Eligibility forms with the F-1 visa stamp, or DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility forms) with the J-1 visa stamp or any current visa status forms issued to you. Please mail copies of these to the UW Graduate School and the Master of Science in Business Analytics at the Milgard School of Business, University of Washington Tacoma.
• All international applicants are required to review the following website: https://grad.uw.edu/prospective-students/how-to-apply/international-applicants/

Submitting a GMAT/GRE score is optional for all applicants. However, we strongly advise that the following applicants submit GMAT/GRE scores to strengthen their application:

• International applicants who have not completed an undergraduate or graduate degree in the United States
• Applicants who have less than 2 years of post-baccalaureate professional experience
• Applicants who have between a 3.0-3.25 GPA, or equivalent, on a 4.0 scale

Official GMAT/GRE scores be sent to:
University Name: University of Washington Tacoma
School Name: Milgard School of Business
Program Name: Master of Science in Business Analytics
GMAT Program Code: ZRZ-NM-21
GRE Score Report Code: 4854

In the admissions process, we convert GRE scores to GMAT using the ETS Comparison Tool. These exams are offered year-round and can be taken multiple times. Scores are valid for five years and you must take the exam at least two weeks before the admissions deadline to allow for the scores to be matched with your application. If you have taken the exam more than once, the admissions committee will use your highest total score to evaluate your application.

Request that your official scores be sent to the University of Washington Tacoma MSBA Program. Include your score breakdown in the Self-Reported Test Score sections in the online application. Click here for more information about taking the GMAT/GRE (https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/admissions/taking-gre-or-gmat).

What you can expect after you have submitted your application:

• Notification of Admission Decision: For applicants who complete the application process by the deadline, an admissions decision will be provided within 3-6 weeks. All communication regarding the status of your application, including admission decisions, will be through electronic mail only.
• Post Admission Follow Up: If you are admitted to the Milgard School of Business MSBA program and choose to attend, please log back into your application page and follow the steps online. All admitted students will be asked to make a decision and pay their Enrollment Confirmation Deposit within one month of receiving an offer of admission into the incoming summer cohort. If no decision is made by the student, the program may choose to offer this seat to another applicant. Please contact msba@uw.edu if additional time is required to make a decision.
• Applicants admitted from the waitlist may be given a shorter amount of time to convey a decision to the admissions team, depending on how close it is to the start of the program.

The MSBA Program requires extensive data analysis, visualization and computing, therefore a laptop with suitable capabilities is required by each student. You are making a significant investment in your education by pursuing this master degree and it is wise to support that investment by ensuring that your computer’s capabilities permit you to learn skills and knowledge, and practice and complete all coursework in a timely fashion with high quality results. During your education, you will use most software resources from cloud computing. We will provide a guidance to ensure that your existing computer or a new computer that you may purchase will enable your success in the MSBA Program. Recommendations for a laptop computer will be provided later in the process.