
IBM
Skills you'll gain: Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Wrangling, Dashboard, Data Visualization Software, Data Visualization, SQL, Unsupervised Learning, Plotly, Interactive Data Visualization, Peer Review, Data Transformation, Supervised Learning, Jupyter, Data Analysis, Data Cleansing, Data Manipulation, Data Literacy, Generative AI, Professional Networking, Data Import/Export
Build toward a degree
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months

Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Data Visualization, Data Ethics, Exploratory Data Analysis, Sampling (Statistics), Data Presentation, Data Visualization Software, Feature Engineering, Regression Analysis, Descriptive Statistics, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Advanced Analytics, Data Analysis, Tableau Software, Data Science, Statistical Analysis, Machine Learning, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Interviewing Skills, Python Programming
Build toward a degree
Advanced · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months

Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Rmarkdown, Data Literacy, Data Visualization, Data Presentation, Data Ethics, Data Cleansing, Data Validation, Ggplot2, R (Software), Tableau Software, Sampling (Statistics), Spreadsheet Software, Data Analysis, LinkedIn, Dashboard, Data Structures, Python Programming, Interviewing Skills, Professional Development
Build toward a degree
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months

IBM
Skills you'll gain: Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Storytelling, Data Wrangling, Dashboard, Data Visualization Software, Plotly, Data Visualization, Data Presentation, Interactive Data Visualization, Generative AI, SQL, Data Transformation, Data Analysis, Statistical Visualization, IBM Cognos Analytics, Excel Formulas, Professional Networking, Data Import/Export, Microsoft Excel, Python Programming
Build toward a degree
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months

Skills you'll gain: Data Ethics, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Data Analysis, Analytics, Business Analytics, Data Storytelling, Big Data, Data Science, Communication, Stakeholder Communications, Workflow Management, Project Management, Artificial Intelligence
Advanced · Course · 1 - 3 Months

Skills you'll gain: SQL, Peer Review, Jupyter, Data Literacy, Data Mining, Data Modeling, Data Collection, Business Analysis, Relational Databases, Stored Procedure, Databases, Data Science, Big Data, Computer Programming Tools, Query Languages, Data Visualization Software, Decision Tree Learning, Predictive Modeling, Cloud Computing, Python Programming
Build toward a degree
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Skills you'll gain: Descriptive Statistics, Feature Engineering, Probability & Statistics, Supervised Learning, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Exploratory Data Analysis, Box Plots, Regression Analysis, Statistics, Predictive Modeling, Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, Data Science, Histogram, Data Visualization, Statistical Analysis, Forecasting, Database Application, Integrated Development Environments, Computer Networking, Python Programming
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Skills you'll gain: Data Literacy, Data Mining, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Data Analysis, Data Science, Digital Transformation, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

Johns Hopkins University
Skills you'll gain: Shiny (R Package), Rmarkdown, Regression Analysis, Exploratory Data Analysis, Statistical Inference, Predictive Modeling, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Machine Learning Algorithms, Plotly, Interactive Data Visualization, Probability & Statistics, Data Presentation, Data Visualization, Feature Engineering, Statistical Analysis, Statistical Modeling, R Programming, Data Science, Machine Learning, GitHub
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

University of Pittsburgh
Skills you'll gain: Statistical Analysis, NumPy, Probability Distribution, Matplotlib, Statistics, Pandas (Python Package), Data Science, Probability & Statistics, Probability, Statistical Modeling, Predictive Modeling, Data Analysis, Linear Algebra, Predictive Analytics, Statistical Methods, Mathematics and Mathematical Modeling, Applied Mathematics, Python Programming, Machine Learning, Logical Reasoning
Build toward a degree
Beginner · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months
Duke University
Skills you'll gain: Probability, Graphing, Algebra, Bayesian Statistics, Arithmetic, Data Science, Calculus, Data Analysis, Descriptive Statistics
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

Johns Hopkins University
Skills you'll gain: Data Science, Data Management, Data Analysis, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Project Design, Performance Metric, Software Engineering, Machine Learning, Predictive Modeling, Statistical Inference
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Though they sound similar, data science certificates and certifications are actually different from one another.
Data science Professional Certificates are awarded to individuals who have completed a specific course of study. For example, once you complete the IBM Data Science Professional Certificate, you’ll be awarded a certificate that you can put on your resume to highlight your training and skills to potential employers.
Data science professional certifications, meanwhile, are awarded to individuals who have passed a specific exam like Microsoft’s Azure Data Scientist Associate certification. Usually, certifications are pursued by individuals with prior work experience and some may even require that test-takers have worked a certain number of years in the field to qualify.
Obtaining a data science Professional Certificate can help you stand out to potential employers by highlighting your training and relevant job skills. As a holder of the IBM Data Science Professional Certificate, for example, you’d possess a certificate that shows you’ve completed a 10-course curriculum that covers such foundational concepts as Python, SQL, data analysis, data analytics, and machine learning models.
Coursera offers a variety of data science courses, specializations, and Professional Certificates that each award a certificate upon completion.
The IBM Data Science Professional Certificate offers a beginner-friendly crash course in foundational data science topics like Python, SQL, data visualization, data analysis, and even machine learning. The University of Michigan’s Applied Data Science with Python Specialization, meanwhile, teaches intermediate-level learners how to use Python toolkits to apply statistical, machine learning, information visualization, text analysis, and social network analysis to their datasets. In the University of Colorado’s Data Science Graduate Certificate, finally, you’ll develop skills in data science and gain knowledge of statistical analysis, data mining, and machine learning from one of the nation’s top-ranked Tier 1 research institutions.
None!
Coursera has numerous beginner-friendly data science courses, specializations, and Professional Certificates that don’t require you to have any special knowledge to start them. While math and programming skills could certainly help, programs like the IBM Data Science Professional Certificate and the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate assume that you don’t possess such knowledge before starting them and will introduce you to relevant topics as you work through each module.
Read more: 7 Skills Every Data Scientist Should Have
A data science certificate could prepare you for entry-level data analytics roles like data analyst, marketing analyst, and business intelligence analyst. Depending on your prior work experience, you may also qualify for more advanced positions like data scientist, data architect, and data engineer.
Read more: Data Science Jobs Guide: Resources for a Career in Tech