Data visualization courses can help you learn how to create compelling charts, graphs, and dashboards, along with understanding data storytelling and visual design principles. You can build skills in interpreting data trends, selecting appropriate visual formats, and conveying insights effectively to diverse audiences. Many courses introduce tools like Tableau, Power BI, and D3.js, that support transforming raw data into visual narratives and making data-driven decisions in various fields.

Johns Hopkins University
Skills you'll gain: Rmarkdown, Shiny (R Package), Ggplot2, Tidyverse (R Package), Data Visualization, Spatial Data Analysis, Statistical Visualization, Scatter Plots, Plot (Graphics), Dashboard, Data Import/Export, Interactive Data Visualization, R Programming, Data Visualization Software, Geospatial Information and Technology, Data Literacy, Statistical Reporting, Data Manipulation, Data Science, Data Analysis
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Visualization Software, Data Visualization, Dashboard, Ggplot2, Plot (Graphics), Shiny (R Package), R Programming, Leaflet (Software), Data Analysis, Scatter Plots, Box Plots, Data Science, Spatial Data Analysis, Histogram, UI Components, User Interface (UI)
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Johns Hopkins University
Skills you'll gain: Shiny (R Package), Rmarkdown, Exploratory Data Analysis, Regression Analysis, Version Control, Statistical Analysis, R Programming, Data Manipulation, Data Cleansing, Data Science, Statistical Inference, Predictive Modeling, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Data Wrangling, Machine Learning Algorithms, Plotly, Plot (Graphics), Interactive Data Visualization, Machine Learning, GitHub
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

University of Colorado System
Skills you'll gain: Tidyverse (R Package), Clinical Data Management, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Modeling, Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act (HIPAA) Compliance, Medical Privacy, Data Manipulation, Predictive Modeling, Database Design, Clinical Informatics, Google Cloud Platform, Intensive Care Unit, Data Ethics, Data Quality, Risk Modeling, Natural Language Processing, Bioinformatics, Informatics, Text Mining, R Programming
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Duke University
Skills you'll gain: Exploratory Data Analysis, Ggplot2, Data Visualization Software, Tidyverse (R Package), Data Visualization, Version Control, Data Analysis, Statistical Methods, Data Wrangling, R Programming, GitHub, Data Transformation, Statistical Analysis, Git (Version Control System), Data Manipulation, Statistical Programming
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

Ball State University
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Rmarkdown, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Visualization Software, Ggplot2, Interactive Data Visualization, Plot (Graphics), Statistical Visualization, R (Software), R Programming, Data Storytelling, Data Presentation, Histogram, Scatter Plots, Data Analysis
Build toward a degree
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

Skills you'll gain: Tableau Software, Dashboard, Data Visualization Software, Data Visualization, R Programming, Alteryx, Statistical Programming, Data Presentation, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Cleansing, Data Storytelling, Data Structures, Statistical Analysis, Workflow Management, Data Analysis, Scatter Plots, Graphing, Data Manipulation, Data Processing, Data Transformation
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Skills you'll gain: Sampling (Statistics), Matplotlib, Data Analysis, Data Mining, Statistical Analysis, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, NumPy, Pandas (Python Package), Probability Distribution, Dimensionality Reduction, R Programming, Probability, Python Programming, Scikit Learn (Machine Learning Library), Linear Algebra, Applied Machine Learning, Unsupervised Learning, Regression Analysis, Statistical Methods, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML)
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Johns Hopkins University
Skills you'll gain: Rmarkdown, Data Visualization, Statistical Visualization, Ggplot2, Data Import/Export, Data Visualization Software, R Programming, Tidyverse (R Package), Statistical Reporting, Data Manipulation, Scatter Plots, Data Wrangling, Histogram
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

Johns Hopkins University
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Visualization Software, Data Literacy, Storyboarding, Statistical Visualization, Data Storytelling, Data Manipulation, Ggplot2, Statistical Reporting, Data Wrangling, Data Analysis, Data Cleansing, R Programming, Tidyverse (R Package), Data Transformation, Data Import/Export, Rmarkdown, Graphing
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

O.P. Jindal Global University
Skills you'll gain: Sampling (Statistics), Statistical Analysis, Probability Distribution, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Descriptive Statistics, Statistical Methods, Correlation Analysis, Regression Analysis, R (Software), R Programming, Statistical Modeling, Statistical Inference, Probability, Big Data, Decision Tree Learning
Build toward a degree
Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months

Johns Hopkins University
Skills you'll gain: Bioinformatics, Unix Commands, Biostatistics, Exploratory Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Unix, Data Science, Data Management, Statistical Methods, Command-Line Interface, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Linux Commands, Data Analysis Software, Data Quality, Statistical Modeling, Data Structures, Data Analysis, Molecular Biology, R Programming, Python Programming
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Data visualization, which is sometimes called information visualization, is the representation of datasets through graphical means such as charts, maps, visual analytics interfaces such as dashboards, and interactive visualizations. A picture is worth a thousand words - or a thousand lines of a spreadsheet - and the ability to convey key relationships within complex datasets and insights from data analysis in a visually compelling way is critically important to making sense of our world.
While data visualizations may be as simple as a bar graph created in Microsoft Excel, the complexity, size, and velocity of datasets in the big data era often demand more powerful approaches. Specialized programs such as Tableau Software and the D3.js JavaScript library are widely used in the business world to create dynamic data visualizations, which may even incorporate real-time data streams. For particularly complex tasks, data virtualization software may also be used as middleware to integrate multiple sources and types of data into a format suitable for use with these visualization programs.‎
The ability to create data visualizations are increasingly expected in a variety of jobs, making these skills highly valuable as well as portable. Whether you’re a financial analyst at a hedge fund displaying a real-time dashboard of portfolio risk or a data journalist creating an interactive visualization map of the spread of Covid-19, compelling data visualizations can increase the impact of your work and give you an edge in your career.
Management analysts are particularly attuned to the value of good data visualizations. These consultants must make convincing recommendations for organizational changes to upper-level management and busy executives, and powerful graphics can be essential to making these cases effectively. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, management analysts earned a median annual wage of $85,260 as of 2019, and these jobs are expected to grow much faster than average as more and more companies seek advice on navigating today’s fast-changing business world.‎
Yes! Coursera lets you learn remotely about data visualization and related topics with courses and Specializations from top-ranked schools like New York University, University of California, Davis, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. You can also take courses from industry leaders like IBM and PwC, one of the top management consultancies in the world. Online learning with Coursera is an especially good fit for mid-career professionals seeking to add data visualization capabilities to their skill set, as you can complete coursework on a flexible schedule that fits into your existing work life.‎
Some skills you might want to have before learning data visualization include mathematics, Excel, and some coding experience. Specifically, learning popular programming languages like R and Python can be useful for analyzing the data you want to present in a visual format. Strong data analysis skills are usually essential because you should be able to interpret data accurately to avoid misleading the people viewing the final product. In addition to technology skills, you can put to use other skills in a data visualization role, such as problem-solving, artistic skills, and communication skills.‎
The right kind of person for a role in data visualization has a combination of technology, business, and communication skills. They typically know how to collect, analyze, and interpret data quickly and accurately using programming languages like R, Python, and JavaScript and tools such as Tableau, PowerBI, or Microsoft Excel. Someone with strong communication skills also tends to work well in this field. Being able to listen to the needs of the client and create a data visualization tool that accurately represents the data in a way that the audience understands is useful.‎
If you're comfortable working with large amounts of data and are passionate about making sure people understand the available data about a project, program, or concern, learning data visualization may be a good choice for you. You'll likely have opportunities to help others by sharing important data in a format that’s visually appealing and easy to interpret. Learning data visualization can add to your skillset if you've previously studied or worked as a graphic designer or data analyst. You may choose to learn a programming language so you can develop your own data warehouse or another visualization tool to showcase the data you analyze, or you can decide to explore the variety of methods used to create visual displays of data.‎
If you're looking for the best free data visualization courses available, try auditing one of these courses Data Visualization Specialization, Excel Data Analytics and Visualization Specialization, Fundamentals of Data Visualization Course, Data Visualization and Dashboarding with R Specialization or Data Analysis and Visualization Foundations Specialization. In the audit version, you can assess most of the material but will not be able to submit assignments or receive grades or a certificate for your work unless you upgrade.‎
For those seeking to get started in data visualization, the Data Visualization with Tableau offers valuable insight into topics such as practices, theories, and tools used in data visualization. Additionally, the Data Analysis and Visualization Foundations Specialization covers the fundamentals of data visualization. For those wishing to learn R programming for data visualization methods, the Data Visualization and Dashboarding with R Specialization is a great option. Those looking for data visualization with Python can sign up for Python for Data Visualization and for Tableau, Data Visualization with Tableau provides an introduction to analytics and data visualization.‎
For those looking to excel in advanced data visualization, Coursera offers an extensive range of courses. These include the Excel, Data Visualization & Analytics Specialization, Fundamentals of Data Visualization, Python for Data Visualization, Excel for Data Visualization, and Data Visualization Project.‎
Online Data Visualization courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Data Visualization skills. Choose from a wide range of Data Visualization courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.‎
When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Data Visualization, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here.‎