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As a product administrator at the International Rescue Committee, an organization that helps people in crisis zones throughout the world, Pranit Chand MSBA‘24 applies his knowledge of data science and entrepreneurial leadership to address big global humanitarian issues.
“I’ve always had this focus, this altruistic mindset: Do good, better,” says Pranit, who completed an internship with the United Nations Development Program during his graduate program. “The reason why I got in was because of my experience with innovation and entrepreneurship at Babson,” says Pranit. “My hiring manager was really impressed by what I had to offer in terms of thinking about innovation and entrepreneurship,” he says.
Pranit earned his Master’s of Business Analytics (MSBA) from Babson College in 2024.
In his current role, those skills are still serving him, and his organization, well. “The value I bring is the entrepreneurial aspect of things. I'm always thinking ‘OK, how can we do this differently? How can we make it better?’ ” he says.
Pranit was first introduced to the idea of entrepreneurial leadership as an undergraduate student at Emerson College. In an entrepreneurship class during his junior year, he placed in the final pitch competition, and went on to earn the Entrepreneur Spirit Award and complete a related summer program at MIT. After earning his bachelor's degree in Economics, Data Science, Entrepreneurial Studies, he wasn’t sure if grad school was the path for him.
An international student from Nepal, Pranit thought grad school was out of reach, “too expensive.” But then he came across an organization called Leadership Brainery, a partner of Babson College, with the mission to connect underrepresented students to master’s and doctoral degree programs. He applied and was awarded a presidential scholarship, easing the cost of tuition. Shortly after, he met a Babson alumnus at a Leadership Brainery event and had a conversation that he says made him want to accept the offer right then—even before he’d ever visited campus.
The conversation was with then-Babson student Jacob Nyamu MSBA'23. “While I was talking to him, I found out that not only did he go to Babson, but he was in the same program that I got accepted into,” says Pranit. “I remember him telling me that it is a great program and I’d have no regrets jumping into it.”
“Call it a sign from the universe if you may,” he adds. “We ended up collaborating on a couple of projects later on and I definitely have no regrets joining Babson!”
When he arrived on campus, it was everything he’d hoped. “I remember thinking to myself, I just feel so comfortable here,” says Pranit. “I feel like I'm home.” Babson’s network offered Pranit exactly the type of support and learning environment he needed to succeed.
Oftentimes at Babson, support comes with the push to challenge oneself. Pranit recalls taking a class with Associate Professor Joshua Stillwagon: “It was by far one of the most difficult classes I've ever taken in my life. I absolutely loved it.” With only five or six students in the section, Pranit enjoyed the personalized attention. “Professor Stillwagon broke down the concepts and presented them to us in a way we could understand.”
The learning was so comprehensive that Pranit remembers thinking, “If I have to pivot and go into a PhD program, I would be more than prepared after taking this class.”
The Babson faculty prepared Pranit to handle complex concepts and encouraged him to continue pursuing an entrepreneurial approach to data science—and the staff of the Graduate Center for Career Development (Grad CCD) taught him the value of mentorship, networking and how to present himself.
“I owe my career to Grad CCD,” says Pranit, who worked in the center as a writing coach and built lasting relationships with the colleagues and peers he met there. The coaching and support of the Grad CCD staff gave him the confidence and clarity to pursue his current career.
Not all of Pranit’s learning at Babson happened through formal coursework or mentorship, though. It was during his MSBA that he also first started participating in hackathons. At first, he was looking for a way to add project experience to his resume. What he found was so much more.
Pranit participated in a few of these competitions through Babson as well as some hosted at other Boston-area universities. Often, the hackathons used real data and posed real problems for companies and organizations that the “hackers” worked to solve. He placed second in Babson’s Metropolitan Commercial Bank Hackathon and was a finalist in one of MIT’s competitions.
Pranit says hackathons taught him to think fast, work with diverse teams, and deliver real solutions. Through the experiences, he honed “that ability to iterate, to think through a problem, ideate, and come up with concepts in a very short period of time and present it,” says Pranit.
Beyond hackathons, Pranit says he felt Babson encouraged him to engage with industry partners, companies, and other academic institutions by providing resources to attend conferences or networking events. “There was a push to not limit yourself,” says Pranit, adding that Boston, to him, is the most “incredible academic ecosystem” he could ask for.
Since graduating from Babson, Pranit says he has stayed in touch with people he met in the program, at Grad CCD, through the hackathons, and mentors he found on campus.
Today, he has “convinced two or three people in my circle to apply” to the school, sharing with them the connections, curriculum, and supportive environment that awaits them.
When prospective students ask him what to expect, he says, “It’s the most exciting and challenging experience you’ll ever have. Put in the work, and it will change your life.”
The full-time Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program trains future business leaders on state-of-the-art business analytics tools and techniques, including the latest in AI technology. Learn to think and act entrepreneurially, synthesize and draw insights from complex data, and use analytics to tell effective stories that impact business strategy.
Ninety-three percent of job-seeking MSBA graduates are employed 6 months post-graduation
Our STEM designation allows international students on an F-1 visa to apply for a STEM optional practical training (OPT) extension to work in the U.S. for up to 36 months after graduation.
Average U.S. Salary for MSBA graduates in 2024
Babson College is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)