What Can You Do With a Data Analytics Degree?

A common question prospective students ask is, "What can you do with a data analytics degree?" A data analytics degree may help prepare students for a variety of careers that involve collecting, analyzing and interpreting data to support business decisions across many industries.¹,²

What Is Data Analytics?

Data analytics can be described as the process of gathering information and studying it to produce useful insights. Much of the higher-level analysis in this field may be performed by data scientists, though many modern analytics tools now allow a broader range of business users to explore data sets themselves.²

At its core, the practice typically focuses on using tools and techniques to examine data, often in real time or close to it, in order to surface patterns, correlations, and trends. The goal may be to support predictive and prescriptive analysis by generating forward-looking forecasts and informed recommendations that can help organizations make decisions.²

Data analytics is closely connected to related fields such as big data and data science, though they are distinct. Big data may refer to the generation, collection, and processing of large volumes of data from many sources. Data science may be understood as the broader study of how to use data to derive meaning, drawing on a mix of math, statistics, and programming. Data analytics may sit within this landscape, using big data as a key input and falling under the wider umbrella of data science.²

Typical Career Paths With a Data Analytics Degree

A data analytics degree may help build foundational knowledge relevant to a range of roles across businesses and industries. Some typical career paths associated with Rasmussen University's Data Analytics program may include roles like:¹

Business intelligence developer. According to Oracle^®, a business intelligence (BI) developer works to understand what business users need and to build or improve the reporting that meets those needs. Drawing on a clear picture of where data comes from and how it's structured, they may develop reports that surface current business performance and key indicators.³

Data analyst. IBM^® describes the data analyst as someone who supports decision-making and business operations by drawing on reporting, data mining, and data visualization skills to turn raw information into something an organization can act on.⁴

Systems software developer. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, software developers build the applications that let people carry out specific tasks, as well as the underlying systems that run devices or control networks, working across the full process of designing and maintaining that software.⁵

These roles can exist across a wide range of settings, as organizations in fields such as business, healthcare, and technology may rely on data professionals to interpret information and support decision-making. Some roles may require additional education, certifications, or experience depending on the employer and position.¹

What Are the Main Types of Data Analytics?

Data analytics can take several different forms depending on what an organization is trying to accomplish. The four main types typically include:²

• Predictive analytics: Used to identify trends, correlations, and causations, often to anticipate future outcomes
• Prescriptive analytics: Combines artificial intelligence and big data to help predict outcomes and recommend what actions to take
• Diagnostic analytics: Examines past data to understand the cause and effect behind why something happened
• Descriptive analytics: Forms the backbone of reporting, addressing basic questions of how many, when, where, and what

Understanding these different approaches may help illustrate the range of work that data professionals may be involved in across their careers.²

What Skills Will I Gain?

A data analytics program may help students build skills that apply across the data lifecycle, from gathering data to sharing what it shows. The following are skill areas students in Rasmussen University's Data Analytics program may work toward, each paired with how the program is designed to help develop it:¹

Data Extraction
Data extraction is the work of gathering data from different sources and bringing it together into a form that's ready to analyze. In Rasmussen University's program, students may explore methods for consolidating data from multiple sources across an enterprise environment, and practice designing and deploying Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) jobs for large data sets.¹

Data Manipulation
Data manipulation is about cleaning and shaping raw data so it's accurate and reliable enough to work with. Coursework in the program may build familiarity with data management concepts, including common data quality issues such as missing data, incorrect data, outliers, normalization, and duplication.¹

Data Analysis
Data analysis is the process of examining prepared data to identify patterns and draw out meaning. As part of the program, students may practice running data extracts and scripts through their coursework.¹

Data Visualization
Data visualization is the practice of presenting data clearly so that others can understand and act on what it shows. Students may learn to use tools such as Tableau^®, Microsoft^® Azure^®, Excel^®, and Python^® to visualize data, and to develop objective depictions of data using an editorial-thinking approach.¹

Exploring a Career in Data Analytics

A data analytics degree can help build technical and analytical skills relevant to a variety of careers across business, healthcare, finance and technology. If you're interested in learning those skills, Rasmussen University's program is one educational pathway to explore.¹

If you're curious about what it takes to pursue this path, exploring the program's curriculum, skills, and career outcomes may be a helpful next step.¹

Earning a degree does not guarantee employment or specific job outcomes. Employment conditions in your area may vary.

¹Rasmussen University, Data Analytics Bachelor's Degree, at https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/technology/data-analytics/ (accessed May 28, 2026).
²Michael Chen, What Is Data Analytics? How It's Used & Practical Uses, (Oct. 7, 2025), https://www.oracle.com/analytics/data-analytics/ (accessed May 28, 2026).
³ Oracle^®, Business Intelligence Developer, at https://www.oracle.com/middleware/technologies/bideveloper.html (accessed June 2026).
⁴IBM^®, Data and Analytics Jobs, at https://www.ibm.com/careers/data-and-analytics (accessed June 2026).
⁵Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm#tab-2 (accessed June 2026). Employment conditions in your area may vary.

Oracle^® is a registered trademark of Oracle International Corporation, 500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood City, California 94065, United States.
IBM^® is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation, New Orchard Road, Armonk, New York 10504.
Tableau^® is a registered trademark of Salesforce, Inc., at SALESFORCE TOWER, 415 MISSION ST, 3RD FL, SAN FRANCISCO, California 94105.
Microsoft^® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation 255 East Fifth Street, Suite 1900, Cincinnati Ohio 45202,United States Of America.
Azure^® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation 255 East Fifth Street, Suite 1900, Cincinnati Ohio 45202,United States Of America.
Excel^® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation 255 East Fifth Street, Suite 1900, Cincinnati Ohio 45202,United States Of America.
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