Business, research and administrative professionals

How to become a management consultant or business analyst

Official title: Management consultants and business analysts

Also called: Consultant, Risk analyst, Bi consultant, Energy analyst, Business coach, Ai risk analyst, Trading analyst, Risk consultant, Business adviser, Business analyst, Reporting analyst, Management adviser

Management consultants and business analysts advise industrial, commercial and other establishments on a variety of management and business-related matters to assist in the formulation of financial and business policies in order to maximise growth or improve business performance.

Main tasks

Assesses the functions, objectives and requirements of the organisation seeking advice
Identifies problems concerned with business strategy, policy, organisation, procedures, methods and markets
Determines the appropriate method of data collection and research methodology, analyses and interprets information gained and formulates and implements recommendations and solutions
Advises governments, commercial enterprises, organisations and other clients in light of research findings
Runs workshops, and addresses seminars, conferences and the media to present results of research activity or to express professional views

How to become one

Entry is most common with a degree or equivalent qualification but is possible with other academic qualifications. Professional qualifications are available and will be a requirement in some areas.

Ways in

Apprenticeship (England): Business analyst (level 4). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0117.
Apprenticeship (England): Improvement practitioner (level 4). England. Typically 14 months. Skills England standard ST0192.
Apprenticeship (England): Improvement technician (level 3). England. Typically 14 months. Skills England standard ST0193.
Apprenticeship (England): Junior management consultant (level 4). England. Typically 24 months. Skills England standard ST0273.
University: Science degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK
University: Arts & Humanities degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK

Pay · Outlook

Median full-time pay: £53,295 a year The middle half earn £40,202 to £70,977.
About 199,600 people work in this job now, and about 224,000 are projected by 2035. (+12.2%)

Questions people ask

How do I become a management consultant or business analyst?

Entry is most common with a degree or equivalent qualification but is possible with other academic qualifications. Professional qualifications are available and will be a requirement in some areas.

How much does a management consultant or business analyst earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £53,295 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £40,202 to £70,977.

Is a management consultant or business analyst a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 12% by 2035, from about 199,600 to about 224,000 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a management consultant or business analyst?

Usually. 75% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Sources

Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.