Biography
For Ian Poe 25MSBA, the path from marketing to data analytics began in the classroom. As a marketing major in Emory’s BBA program, he gravitated toward courses grounded in measurement and insight. “As a marketing BBA at Emory, the classes I enjoyed the most were focused on marketing metrics and analytic marketing,” he explains. That exposure sparked a deeper interest in data science and ultimately led him to pursue the Master of Science in Business Analytics.
Already enrolled as a BBA student, Ian took advantage of the joint BBA/MSBA pathway, allowing him to accelerate his education while sharpening his technical skill set. “I saw the MSBA program as a great opportunity to help me become a data professional,” he says.
The program’s structure and rigor quickly reshaped how he approached both academic and real-world problems. “The MSBA’s focus on data-driven approaches and analytical rigor has heavily shaped the way I work and think, both at my job and in my personal life,” Ian shares. He credits the program with strengthening his problem-solving abilities and helping him make “well-informed decisions based on data, not just ideas”—a mindset that continues to guide his work today.
Professionally, the impact of the MSBA was immediate. “As an MSBA graduate, I’ve been able to land a higher-paying job than I would’ve been able to with just a BBA,” he notes. Entering the workforce in a senior-level role allowed him to bypass years of junior-level work and apply his skills at a higher level from day one. The Goizueta alumni network also played a meaningful role in his career progression, helping him secure his current position through an alumni referral.
One of Ian’s most memorable experiences at Goizueta came through hands-on competition. He competed in the Data4Good Data Science competition alongside fellow BBA/MSBA students, advancing through hundreds of teams nationwide to the final round at Purdue University. “It was a great chance to apply what I’d learned during my MSBA in creative and novel ways,” he says, while also enjoying the camaraderie of traveling with classmates. The experience, he adds, brought “a lot of pride in being a Goizueta student.”
Faculty mentorship was another defining element of Ian’s experience. “Goizueta has a really great set of professors, enabling both excellent classes and top-tier research opportunities,” he says. During his time in both the BBA and MSBA programs, Ian worked on research with a professor focused on AI applications in educational settings—an experience that directly informs the work he does today. He credits Goizueta’s faculty as the school’s strongest asset, noting that “enthusiastic, involved professors who really care about their students’ learning has made a world of difference in my experience.”
Through rigorous analytics training, applied learning, and meaningful faculty and alumni connections, Ian’s Goizueta journey prepared him to move quickly and confidently into a data-driven career.