Data Analyst Jobs and the Online AI Degree That Fits Them

A data analyst turns raw numbers into answers a manager can act on. BLS does not count data analysts as their own occupation, so the closest match, operations research analysts, supplies the pay and outlook here: a May 2025 median of $88,940 and a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry level. An AI degree is optional but can sharpen your modeling skills.

What Does a Data Analyst Do?

A data analyst finds the facts inside a pile of numbers and explains them to people who have to make a decision. The question might be why sales dipped in one region, which customers are likely to leave, or where a delivery route wastes time.

The work is part detective, part translator. You pull data, check that it is trustworthy, look for patterns, and then write or present what you found in plain language.

BLS has no occupation called data analyst. Our wage and outlook figures come from operations research analysts, the closest match it publishes. BLS counts data analysts with that wider group, so these figures cover all of it and are not a data-analyst-only number.

What Does a Typical Day Look Like?

BLS lists the duties for operations research analysts, and they line up well with what analysts do in most offices. According to BLS, these workers:

• Identify problems in areas such as business, logistics or healthcare.
• Collect and organize information from sources such as databases, sales histories and customer feedback.
• Gather input from workers or subject-matter experts.
• Analyze the data and pull out what is relevant to the problem.
• Develop and test quantitative models, support software and analytical tools.
• Write memos, reports and other documents that explain findings and recommendations for managers and executives.

In practice, a lot of the day goes to the unglamorous parts. Cleaning data and chasing down why two reports disagree can take longer than the analysis itself. The payoff is that your answer gets used.

Titles shift from company to company. A posting for a business analyst, reporting analyst or analytics associate may describe nearly the same work, so compare tasks, not names.

Which AI Degree Level Do Employers Expect?

For the closest BLS occupation, the typical entry education is a bachelor’s degree. BLS does not say the degree has to be in AI, and it does not list graduate school as required. That is useful context before you spend money on a program.

So where does an AI degree fit? It fits when you want skills beyond spreadsheets and dashboards: building models that predict, working with machine learning tools, or leading analytics projects that use AI. The level you pick depends on where you are now.

That table is a guide, not a rule. A degree is one signal, and a portfolio of real projects counts too.

Which Online AI Programs Fit a Data Analyst Path?

Four of our lists matter most for this job. Each one answers a different question.

Online AI degrees for business cover programs that pair AI with management, strategy and decision-making. They suit analysts who want to explain results to executives. Saint Louis University’s Applied AI and Decision Analytics master’s is one example, and its coursework includes a class on evidence-based decision making.

Online applied AI degrees focus on putting AI to work instead of researching new methods. That matches the job, since analysts apply tools to real business questions. Oregon State University’s Business Analytics and Applied AI master’s sits in this group.

Online AI degrees for career changers are for people coming from other fields. Saint Louis University says no prior STEM degree is required, and the University of Arizona’s AI for Business master’s takes a bachelor’s in any field, with an entry test covering statistics, Python and SQL.

Online bachelor’s degrees in artificial intelligence fit people who do not yet have a four-year degree. Dakota State University’s Artificial Intelligence in Organizations bachelor’s is a business-oriented option.

Check each school’s own page for current requirements, because admissions rules change.

Do You Need to Know How to Code?

Some roles want programming and others do not. The University of Arizona’s entry test covers Python and SQL, so that program expects some of both. Saint Louis University says foundational skills are taught in the program.

If coding worries you, read our guide on an AI degree without coding. Analysis jobs often live in the middle: you write queries and short scripts, but you are not building software for a living.

What Skills and Tools Do Data Analysts Use?

The skills fall into three groups. None of them is a certified requirement, and employers weigh them differently.

Working with data. Writing database queries, using spreadsheets well, and cleaning messy data. Many analysts also learn a scripting language such as Python or R as they grow.

Understanding what the numbers mean. Statistics, including how to tell a real pattern from noise. This is the skill that separates a useful analyst from someone who makes charts.

Communicating. Turning a finding into a short memo or a clear chart. BLS lists writing reports and memos for managers and executives as a core duty, so this one is not optional.

Dashboard and reporting tools come up often in postings, but which one varies by employer. Read ten postings in the city or industry you want and note which tools repeat. Learn those first.

AI adds a fourth group. Programs on our lists teach machine learning, generative AI for business, and the ethics of using models to make decisions. Those topics help when your manager asks what an AI tool can safely do.

How to Get Hired as a Data Analyst

Here is a realistic path. The order matters more than the speed.

1. Pick a target industry. Analysts in healthcare, logistics and finance use different data. Choose one so your examples fit what employers want to see.
2. Learn the core tools. Start with spreadsheets and database queries, then add a scripting language.
3. Build three projects. Use public data, answer a real question, and write up the finding in a page. A manager should be able to read it in two minutes.
4. Decide whether a degree helps. If you lack a bachelor’s, that comes first. If you have one, weigh a master’s against your goals and budget.
5. Tailor your resume to each posting. Mirror the language of the job description, and put your best project near the top.
6. Apply broadly and practice explaining your work. Interviews often ask you to walk through how you would solve a problem. Practice saying your reasoning out loud.

A degree can open doors, but it does not replace evidence that you can do the work. Our piece on whether an AI degree is worth it goes deeper on that tradeoff.

Who Tends to Do Well as a Data Analyst?

People who like puzzles and are patient with detail do well here. The job rewards curiosity about why a number moved, and a habit of checking your own work before you share it.

You also need to be comfortable being the person who says “the data does not support that.” Managers sometimes hope for a particular answer. Good analysts report what the numbers show and explain how sure they are.

The downsides are real. Data is often messy, requests arrive with unclear questions, and your work can be ignored if you present it badly. Those problems get easier with practice, and a program with a capstone project gives you a safe place to start.

What About Certificates Instead of a Full Degree?

A certificate is a shorter, cheaper way to add AI skills if you already hold a bachelor’s degree. Some schools on our lists offer one alongside their master’s, and some share courses with the master’s. Saint Louis University, for example, offers a post-baccalaureate certificate in applied AI and decision analytics that lists several of the same courses as its master’s.

Check whether a certificate carries credit toward a degree before you enroll. If it does, you can start small and decide later whether to continue.

What Do Data Analysts Earn?

These figures are BLS May 2025 wages for operations research analysts, the closest occupation. Our data analyst salary page has the full breakdown.

The national median is $88,940 a year, or $42.76 an hour. The mean is $99,730. The lowest-paid tenth earns $57,060 or less, and the highest-paid tenth earns $159,910 or more. The middle half earns between $68,360 and $125,990.

That spread is wide, and where you work matters. By annual mean wage, the top-paying states are:

Colorado and Alabama have few workers in this group, so their averages rest on small numbers. Texas has the most jobs, 11,890, followed by California with 10,620 and Florida with 9,120.

What Is the Job Outlook?

BLS projects employment for operations research analysts to grow 12 percent from 2025 to 2035, which it calls much faster than the average for all occupations. It expects about 13,500 additional jobs on a base of 113,100 in 2025, and about 7,500 openings a year once you count people who leave or retire.

Treat projections as estimates. They come from past trends and assumptions that can shift. They are useful for direction, and they do not promise that any one job will be open when you graduate.

Can You Work as a Data Analyst Remotely?

BLS does not measure remote work for this occupation, so no official share exists. Location varies by employer, and some roles require office days.

The decision to study online is separate from where you will work. An online degree from an accredited school is a real degree, and most programs on our lists are fully online. A few add on-site requirements, so check the program page before you apply.

If remote work matters to you, filter postings by location type and ask about it early in the interview.

Is an Online AI Degree Worth It for This Job?

It depends on your starting point and your target. If you already analyze data and your employer will pay for a master’s, the math is easier. If you are changing careers and need to learn tools, a program with a built-in on-ramp can save you time.

Cost varies widely. The salary page compares real program prices with the pay range, so you can see what a degree would add against what you might earn. We do not promise a raise, and nobody can.

If your goal is simply to land your first analyst job, consider building projects first. You can always add a degree later, once you know what the work is like.

Where to Go Next

Start with the list that matches your situation: business-focused programs if you want to lead, applied AI programs if you want to build, or career changer programs if you are coming from another field.

For the wider picture of roles that use AI, read our overview of artificial intelligence careers. It shows how analyst work compares with research and engineering jobs.