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Studies & Degrees in Management Systems Consultant

A management systems consultant advises organisations on the systems they use to run the business: the processes, the data and the software behind them. The work sits between two better-known occupations. Management consultants recommend ways to improve an organisation's efficiency, and computer systems analysts study an organisation's current computer systems and procedures and design improvements to them. A management systems consultant does some of both, usually for a client and on a project basis.

Students who want to work in this field learn to analyse how a company operates, to work with financial and operational data, to judge the costs and benefits of an information system and to manage the change that a new system brings. Typical subjects are business organisation, process analysis, databases, data governance, business intelligence, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, project management and communication with managers.

Qualifications and levels

There is rarely a degree with this exact name. People enter the profession from business, computing or engineering studies and add a specialisation later.

  • Bachelor's degree. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level requirement for management analysts, and fields of study may include business, social science and engineering. Computer systems analysts typically need a bachelor's degree in computer and information technology or a related field, and the BLS notes that business courses or a major in management information systems may be helpful. In Spain an official bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits.
  • Master's degree. Some employers prefer candidates with a master's degree in business administration (MBA), for systems analysts with a concentration in information systems. Official Spanish master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Business schools also teach specialised master's programmes in data and analytics. EAE Business School, for example, runs a Máster en Business Analytics and a Máster en Big Data of 60 ECTS credits each. The school states that both lead to its own qualification together with a continuing-education master's (Máster de Formación Permanente, a título propio) from the Universitat de Lleida on the Barcelona campus. They are therefore not official master's degrees (másteres universitarios).
  • Vocational training. In Spain the higher vocational training (FP) qualification Técnico Superior en Desarrollo de Aplicaciones Multiplataforma lasts 2,000 hours and includes a module on business management systems (Sistemas de gestión empresarial). It trains developers of business software rather than consultants, but it is a route into ERP implementation work.
  • Certification. Management analysts are not required to hold a certification, although the BLS says a credential may give jobseekers a competitive advantage.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists two active schools for this subject, both in Barcelona, Spain: EAE Business School and UIBS / Barcelona Business School. Neither offers a programme called management systems consulting; they teach the business and data background that consultants build on.

EAE Business School teaches its Máster en Big Data in Barcelona in Spanish or English full time over 10 months, and part time in Spanish. The programme covers data governance, business analytics, data management, data visualisation, programming and data science, and the school names Big Data consultant among the jobs graduates can hold. Its Máster en Business Analytics is taught in Spanish in a hybrid format in Barcelona and Madrid. UIBS offers bachelor's, master's and doctorate programmes in business and management at its Barcelona campus; ask the school which courses cover information systems and what recognition its qualifications have.

Because few schools use this subject name, it is worth looking also at degrees in business administration, information systems, industrial organisation engineering and computer science.

Careers

Consultants work for consulting and IT services firms, for software vendors or as independent advisers, and some work inside the organisation they analyse. The BLS notes that most management analysts work as consultants on a contractual basis and that they travel frequently to meet clients. Experience counts: many analysts enter the occupation with several years of work experience, and software companies might look for people who have worked as computer systems analysts.

Official figures exist for the two neighbouring occupations in the United States. Management analysts held about 1.1 million jobs in 2025, a third of them in professional, scientific and technical services, and the BLS projects employment to grow 10 percent from 2025 to 2035. Computer systems analysts held about 544,400 jobs in 2025, with projected growth of 8 percent over the same period. These figures describe the US labour market only.

Frequently asked questions

Which degree do I need to become a management systems consultant?

There is no single required degree. A bachelor's degree is the usual minimum, typically in business, information systems, computing or engineering, and many consultants add an MBA or a specialised master's in analytics or information systems.

Is a master's degree necessary?

Not always. According to the BLS, a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level requirement, but some employers prefer candidates with an MBA.

Are the EAE Business School master's programmes in data official degrees?

EAE Business School describes the qualifications of its Máster en Big Data and its Máster en Business Analytics as títulos propios, awarded by the school and, in Barcelona, by the Universitat de Lleida as continuing-education master's degrees. They have 60 ECTS credits but are not official master's degrees.

Do I need work experience?

Often, yes. The BLS states that management analysts typically need at least a bachelor's degree and several years of related work experience.