When Oliver Rutz asks MSBA students a question, it’s never just about a model or analysis. It’s about what happens next.
“I frame every problem as ‘What can we do differently tomorrow given we ran the ML model or did the analysis?’” says Rutz, the Foster School of Business Marion B. Ingersoll Professor of Marketing and Faculty Director of the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program. “The best analysts don’t just run some ML models. They ask the right questions and know how to tell compelling stories with data.”
That philosophy has made Rutz, who teaches a customer analytics class, a key leader in the Foster School of Business MSBA program. In fact, he helped design and launch the program alongside former Program Director Sara Jones.
Oliver Rutz on Analytics that actually change things
For Rutz, whose research focuses primarily on how digital advertising affects consumer behavior, customer analytics is about understanding how data drives strategy across the entire customer lifecycle from acquisition to retention and every touchpoint in between.
“What I deeply enjoy is helping students uncover how data can drive customer-centric strategies,” he says. He finds energy in those breakthrough moments when students connect machine learning approaches and statistical findings to tangible business outcomes.
“How can we use data to understand the past and ultimately predict the future better?” he often asks students.
Rutz draws on years of consulting and research in digital marketing to bring real-world challenges into his classroom, where students grapple with authentic data and scenarios that mirror what they’ll face at companies.
Introducing Generative AI Analytics into the MSBA Curriculum
Rutz never stops evolving as an educator. He recently introduced a new lecture on generative AI, which is his take on how emerging technologies are reshaping the analytics landscape.
“Being part of the Foster School of Business means being surrounded by colleagues who are passionate about innovation in business education,” he says. “I’m still learning new things all the time.”
It’s a mindset he hopes students will adopt as well. The analytics field moves quickly, and the ability to continuously learn and adapt is just as important as any technical skill.
“Seattle is a hub for innovation, with global leaders in tech, retail, and healthcare all within reach. The city’s data-driven culture offers MSBA students great access to internships, guest speakers, and networking opportunities.”—Oliver Rutz
MSBA blends academic rigor and industry experience
What sets Foster’s MSBA program apart, according to Rutz, is its focus on business impact.
“Our faculty blend academic rigor with industry experience, ensuring students learn how to translate analytics into actionable insights,” he says
That ability to move from model outputs to strategic recommendations is a defining characteristic of standout analysts, Rutz says. First, you need to understand which model fits a given marketing problem, execute it properly, and interpret the findings. But second, and perhaps more importantly, you need to communicate those insights in a way that drives real change.
Learning in Seattle, the heart of innovation
According to Rutz, the Seattle area is a data-driven ecosystem that MSBA students can tap into immediately.
“Seattle is a hub for innovation, with global leaders in tech, retail, and healthcare all within reach,” Rutz says. “The city’s data-driven culture offers MSBA students great access to internships, guest speakers, and networking opportunities.”
Rutz loves teaching Foster MSBA students because they are “intellectually curious and eager to make an impact using data and quantitative approaches.”
His advice for prospective students: “Come ready to work hard, think critically, and collaborate deeply. The MSBA is more than a degree; from my view, it is a launchpad into a career where analytics meets impact.”
That impact-focused approach runs through everything in the MSBA program, from curriculum design to the way faculty frame problems in class. Students don’t just learn to build models; they learn to answer the question that Rutz returns to again and again: What can we do differently tomorrow?
And in a field moving as quickly as business analytics, knowing how to answer that question might be the most valuable skill of all.
The MSBA program at the Foster School of Business combines technical training in data science and machine learning with strategic business thinking. Learn more here.