Brandeis Stories

By Mary Horan
February 20, 2026

For Hannah Guay, MSBA ’27, pursuing a Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) at Brandeis was about more than advancing her technical skills — it was about learning how to apply data to real business challenges and to meaningful, sustainability-focused work.

“I decided to pursue a master's in business analytics because I always knew I wanted to go back to school at some point,” Guay says. “In my undergraduate studies, my career center had mentioned getting my master's in something analytics-focused, and Brandeis was one of the schools that they recommended.”

Guay has long been passionate about both data and the environment. Originally from Wakefield, MA, Guay combined these interests by studying statistics and data science as her major at Connecticut College, with a minor in environmental studies. While her undergraduate work built strong analytical foundations, she wanted to deepen those skills in a business context.

“As a statistics and data science major, I kind of had all those technical skills in analytics and being able to take data and clean it,” she explains. “But I wanted to further that in a business context, and be able to apply my skills to real business problems.”

A flexible program with real-world pathways

One of the biggest surprises for Guay in the Brandeis MSBA program has been the diversity of directions students can pursue in the field and how quickly they can tailor the degree to their interests.

“I think the variability of what you can do with this master’s [is important],” she says. “Coming in, I didn’t really know there were concentrations. So, you can do sports, you can do marketing, finance [or] sustainability, which is something I’m really interested in.” Students in the MSBA program can choose from four concentrations: Artificial Intelligence, Sports Analytics, Healthcare Analytics or Marketing Analytics.

The program begins with a shared foundation in core business concepts before students branch into more specialized coursework that aligns with their goals.

“After your first semester, you’re able to branch out and pick those subjects that you’re interested in,” Guay says. “So you can focus more on financial classes or marketing classes. That flexibility was surprising.”

Career support that opens doors

Guay credits the program’s career resources and mentorship support with helping her translate academic interests into professional opportunities.

“When you enroll in school, you get an email from your career coach. Ours is Kristen Babineau,” she says. “First, she has a big meeting with everybody in the MSBA, and then she offers to have individual meetings. And then, even beyond that, throughout my whole first semester, with opportunities that she thinks you would be interested in, she'll reach out to you.”

Through that guidance, Guay secured a sustainability-focused market research internship with Bluefield Research, analyzing data in the global water sector.

“This semester I'm actually doing that internship with Bluefield Research,” she says. “So I'm able to take market data in the water sector, so global water, wastewater, stormwater, and understand the market trends in that. So that's something I'm interested in.”

She says the opportunity directly connected her background in environmental studies with business analytics.

“Coming in to get my MSBA, I kind of didn't know how I could wrap sustainability into it,” Guay explains. “And through that, I was actually able to secure an internship in market research and sustainability.”

A close-knit community and engaged faculty

Beyond career outcomes, Guay says the MSBA community has been a defining part of her experience.

“It is a really good opportunity and also a really close-knit community,” she says. “The school does a lot to create fun events and things that you can go to, to meet new people.”

She also highlights the accessibility of faculty and mentorship within the program.

“The professors are really, really involved and interested,” Guay says. “If you go to them and you talk to them, they really make an effort to help you. And I think that's probably something I'll miss a lot.”

Preparing for meaningful impact

Looking ahead, Guay hopes to build a career that combines analytics, sustainability and real-world impact.

“For my future, I’m expecting to land in a career that I thoroughly enjoy and also feel like I’m making a meaningful contribution,” she says. “Something environmental-focused would be probably of the most interest to me. Just working in sustainability, helping with data and reaching those net-zero goals.”

For prospective students considering the program, her advice is simple: apply and explore the possibilities.

“It is a really good opportunity,” Guay says.