WGU runs six-month terms and divides its degree into 42 courses. Each course carries three or four competency units, which are units of skill progress. Students clear at least 12 units every term. SNHU runs eight-week terms and 40 courses for the same degree. Penn State World Campus works in semesters, and U.S. News lists it in its Best Online Programs for Bachelor's 2026.
Check institutional accreditation before you enroll. SNHU holds institutional accreditation from NECHE, the New England Commission of Higher Education.
What will you learn in an online data analytics degree?
The core tools overlap. WGU and SNHU both teach SQL, the language you use to pull answers out of databases, plus Python and R. Penn State names R in its course list. The differences sit in what surrounds those tools.
SNHU adds Tableau, SAS, applied statistics, and calculus. Penn State World Campus puts weight on data governance, which is how a company decides who can see which numbers. WGU includes four credentials in the degree: CompTIA Data+, CompTIA Project+, AWS Cloud Practitioner, and a Udacity Data Analyst Nanodegree.
SNHU also offers an optional Project Management for STEM concentration.
Want a cheaper start? Our guide to the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate shows what that shorter program covers and where it stops.
How long does an online bachelor's in data analytics take?
WGU reports that 62% of its Data Analytics graduates finish within 36 months, based on its own internal data.
Transfer credit is the fastest lever you control. SNHU can accept 90 of 120 credits, which leaves 30 credits to take. WGU counts courses and units instead, and its students arrive with an average of 27 transferred credits. An associate degree covers about 14 of those 42 courses.
Your term structure sets the rhythm. A six-month term means fewer deadlines each year. An eight-week term means more course starts each year.
What jobs and pay can you expect after graduating?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks three jobs that this degree leads to. All three list a bachelor's degree as the typical entry education.
The BLS data scientists page reports a median of $120,230 a year in May 2025. It projects 35% growth from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,800 openings a year.
Management analysts earned a median of $101,860 in May 2025. That job grows 10% through 2035 and adds about 94,100 openings each year. Operations research analysts earned a median of $88,940, with 12% growth and about 7,500 openings a year.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth 2025-35 | Openings per year |
|---|
| Data scientists | $120,230 | 35% | 24,800 |
| Management analysts | $101,860 | 10% | 94,100 |
| Operations research analysts | $88,940 | 12% | 7,500 |
Data scientists pay the most and grow the fastest. Management analysts hire the most people. For a closely related role, see our business intelligence analyst salary guide.
What should you do next?
Start with your own transcript. Run your completed courses against each transfer policy and see which school takes the most. The 90-credit rule at SNHU and the competency model at WGU move your finish date and your bill more than anything else.
Then check what arrives with the degree. WGU hands you four certifications. SNHU gives you an optional project management concentration and a path into its MS in Data Analytics, where up to four graduate courses count at the undergraduate rate. The next SNHU term starts January 4, 2027.
Before you commit to a bachelor degree in data analytics online, weigh a shorter certificate too. Our review of the Google Data Analytics certificate compares it against the degree. If you are choosing between analytics and computer science, our guide to the best online computer science degree programs maps that side. For a business route after the bachelor's, read our online MBA in data analytics guide.
Photo: Goumbik, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/photos/office-business-notebook-statistics-2717014/)
Fazlur Rahman
