As the originator of the Master of Science in Analytics (MSA), the Institute’s founding director Dr. Michael Rappa was inspired by his own experience as a first-generation college student to create a degree that produces a strong return on investment for his students. He remains committed to delivering value with each new cohort that enters the program.

One benchmark metric of a very personal nature is the Institute’s annual comparison of the average base salary of MSA graduates to Dr. Rappa’s annual salary for his own first full-time professional job in 1987—as a newly appointed assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

The chart below shows a yearly index comparing the average annual starting salary for the MSA graduating class to the inflation-adjusted starting salary earned by Dr. Rappa at MIT. It’s worth noting, in Dr. Rappa’s case, the duration of his graduate education was 6 years, or 7-times longer in duration than the 10-monthlong MSA degree.

Each year the index measures greater than zero — 15 of the past 16 years — means the MSA program outperformed the benchmark (Dr. Rappa’s starting salary). The index averaged 12-percent over the 15-year history of the MSA program and has exceeded the benchmark by 10% or more in 11 of the past 12 years.

See the latest placement outcomes for MSA students.