Data Science and Data Analytics
Data for impact
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certificate Description
Data analysis tops the list of digital skills that U.S. professionals would like to gain this year.
— LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Survey, May 2023
Learn the language of data
The industry of business intelligence and analytics has undergone major shifts in fundamental technologies. The UCSC Extension certificate program in Data Science and Data Analytics offers training for data scientists, analysts, administrators, and managers who want to apply analytics to business decision-making.
Choose between two data emphases
Track 1: Data Science
A comprehensive introduction for students wishing to pursue or enhance their careers in the growing field of data science and analytics.
Track 2: Data Engineering
Designed for enterprise data professionals who are involved in designing, administering and using shared databases in a Big Data environment.
Two specializations for the Data Science Data Analytics industry
Data Science (9 units)
Data Engineering (8 units)
Program Overview
Estimated Cost: Track 1 starts at $5,750. | Track 2 starts at $5,230. (You pay only for courses you enroll in.) | International Tuition Cost
Program Requirements: 6 courses (16 quarter units). Take 2 required courses (6 quarter units) and 4 elective courses (minimum 10 quarter units). End with certificate of completion review.
Minimum Hours of Instruction: Minimum 160 hours of instruction.
Estimated Duration: A full-time student can complete the certificate in 9–12 months.
Special Programs:
Courses
1. Required Course(s): Track 1 - Data Science
2. Electives: Track 1 - Data Science
3. Required Course(s): Track 2 - Data Engineering
4. Electives: Track 2 - Data Engineering
5. Completion Review:
Meet Our Instructors
What students are saying
"It was pretty deep and the assignments were demanding so I had to work hard to get the point."
— Renato Roschel Ribeiro, MBA
International Student
Director of Digital & Analytics | Data Analytics Professor
Certificate Inquiry Form
Recommended Course Sequence
The sequence may vary based on student background and professional interest. Choose one of the two specialized tracks—Track 1: Data Science or Track 2: Data Engineering
Substitutions
Shared credits
Some Engineering and Technology courses may be listed in more than one program. However, only one course may be shared between two E&T certificate programs unless otherwise noted.
To receive your certificate
Upon completion of the course sequence, you may request your Certificate Completion Review.
Requisite Knowledge
Please review the course descriptions to ensure that you have taken necessary prerequisites or meet the requirements through job experience or previous education. You can learn more about each course in the Syllabus Library.
Advisory Board
Certificate Program Chair
PARTHASARATHY PADMANABHAN, M.B.A., is a data architect at one of Silicon Valley’s leading technology companies. Padmanabhan has more than 25 years of experience in information technology and has worked in data modeling for more than 10 years. He teaches "Data Modeling for Relational Databases," and "Data Visualization & Data Analysis" and began serving as chair of the Data Science and Data Analytics Advisory Board in 2020.
Certificate Program Advisory Committee
PIYUSH BHARGAVA, MS
Senior Director in Data & Analytics Organization
Former Distinguished Engineer, Cisco
CHING-FONG "CF" SU, PhD, MS
Director of Engineering, Machine Learning, Quora
LISE GETOOR, PhD, MS
Professor, Computer Science and Engineering Department | Center Director, D3 Data Science Research Center
University of California, Santa Cruz
ASHISH GUPTA, MS, BTech
Senior Staff Engineer, LinkedIn
HIEN LUU, MS, BSEE
Senior Engineering Manager, DoorDash
Instructor, Data Science and Data Analysis Certificate Program
RAMA ORUGANTI, MCA
Principal Engineer in the Data & Analytics organization, Cisco
PARTHASARATHY PADMANABHAN, MBA
TitleIT Architect- Enterprise Data Warehouse, Cisco
Chair/Instructor, Data Science and Data Analysis Certificate Program
ARMEN PISCHDOTCHIAN, MBA, MA, BA
Academic Mentor, IBM Watson Solutions
RAQUEL PRADO, PhD
Professor, Statistics Department, University of California, Santa Cruz
Establish Candidacy
Who should establish candidacy?
- People who are pursuing a certificate (and have enrolled in a course in the program).
- People who want to lock in the current requirements of a certificate or specialization.
4 Simple Steps to a Certificate or Specialization
- Complete a course in your selected program.
- Establish candidacy. Click on the Establish Candidacy button on your program page.
- Take all required courses for certificate completion.
- Once your grades are posted on your final course, enroll in the certificate review fee.
A Benefit of Establishing Candidacy
Program requirements may change. Once you commit to a program by establish your candidacy, you will not have to change your plans to meet new requirements. They are locked in for you. Timeline: 4 years to get it done (or 3 for a specialization) You must complete all the necessary units in a certificate within a four-year window. The clock begins on the first day of your first course in the certificate program. For example, if you started a course on Sept. 5, 2023, you would have to finish by Sept. 4, 2027.
Note: Establishing candidacy does not trigger the beginning of the four-year window. It begins the first day of the first course in your chosen certificate program. The Certificate Completion Review process does not have to occur within the four-year timeframe.
Exceptions to the four-year requirement
- If you Established candidacy prior to Jan. 1, 2024, you will have five years to complete a program.
- Students participating in a special program, such as workforce, international, or our curriculum partner programs, such as the Legal Studies courses (CLS by Barbri) and sales and business courses (Ziplines Education) have shorter completion requirements.
Grade Requirements
Please note that only letter grades of C or higher may be applied to a certificate, and in some programs, students may have more stringent requirements. Students in most employer- and government-sponsored payment programs, such as workforce development, as well as international students on F-1 visas, need to maintain a B average to meet their requirements. Personal Financial Planning students have additional grade requirements for individual courses to attain a certificate.
See Grading and Credits Policy for further information.