17 Data Science Certifications for Your Career in 2024

Career development

17 Data Science Certifications for Your Career in 2024

Updated December 20, 2023

Analyzing, visualizing and interpreting data is an increasing need throughout the modern workplace.
Businesses rely on the insight data scientists provide to drive decisions from daily operations to large-scale
processes. If you're a data scientist or you want to become one, learning more about data science
certifications can help you advance your career.

In this article, we explain which certifications can help a data scientist increase their industry knowledge,
gain experience and add value to their skill set.

Benefits of getting certifications in data science

Certifications from industry-leading organizations or commercial businesses are widely recognized and
valued. When you pursue certification, you:

Show potential employers your desire for continued learning and professional development

Stay up-to-date on current industry practices, which gives you an advantage when you apply for jobs

Have specific, employer-desired certifications on your resume

You may find some certifications are more useful at certain stages in your career, and some may also
require you to have at least five, 10 and 15 years of professional experience to complete the certification.
Also, many certifications expire after a period of three to five years and require recertification.

Related: How To Become a Data Scientist (With Skills and Salary)

Best data science certifications to boost your career

Data scientists can earn certifications from professional organizations or businesses that focus on certain
computer platforms. Members of The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
(INFORMS), a professional data science network, may receive discounts on certain training. Most training
programs are online with a few hosted at in-person testing sites.

Here is a list of the top certifications you can earn as a data scientist to improve your industry knowledge
and validate your technical skills:

1. Certified Analytics Professional (CAP)

The Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) certification allows you to gain insights from big data but does
not focus on a specific commercial platform. You must pass the Associate Certified Analytics Professional
exam before you can earn a CAP certification. The certification cost for a CAP is discounted for INFORMS
members. A CAP certification is valid for three years.

Related: What Are Certificate Programs? (Plus Types To Consider)

2. Data Science Council of America (DASCA) Senior Data Scientist (SDS)

The SDS certification is broken into five tracks that require different levels of experience. To begin earning
this certification, you first need a bachelor's degree and at least five years of experience working in data
science to complete the first track. Other tracks require a master's degree along with other certifications,
so be sure to check specific program prerequisites. The SDS is a multifaceted program that covers a wide
range of professional knowledge. The certification is valid for five years.

Related: What Are Certifications? Definition, Benefits, Types and Examples

3. Data Science Council of America (DASCA) Principle Data Scientist (PDS)

DASCA's Principle Data Scientist certification has four tracks, each requiring at least 10 years of
experience working in data science or technology. Tracks focus on advanced topics for high-level analysis
and technology. You need a master's degree to complete three of the four tracks. This certification does not
expire, but the cost of each track is higher than most exams.

Related: 12 Data Science Careers To Pursue (Plus Salaries and Duties)

4. Open Certified Data Scientist (Open CDS)

You complete an Open CDS certification via an application and board review instead of traditional
coursework and exams. Your certification is based on experience as you progress through three levels of
certification: Certified Data Scientist, Master Certified Data Scientist and Distinguished Certified Data
Scientist. The Open CDS certificate does not expire.

5. SAS Certified Big Data Professional

Participants in the SAS Big Data Professional certification program have experience in programming and
SAS or another computer language. There are nine courses within this certification that cover the basics of
statistics and data analysis, popular data tools, programming and communication. This certification does
not expire.

Related: Learn About Being a Data Scientist

6. Microsoft Certified Azure Data Scientist Associate

The Microsoft Certified Azure Data Scientist Associate certification is for data scientists to use machine
learning to "train, evaluate and deploy models that solve business problems." This exam covers data
science skills like predictive analytics, AI solutions and natural language processing along with a focus on
defining and preparing the development environment through engineering and modeling. This
certification does not expire.

Related: How To List Certifications on Your Resume in 5 Steps

7. SAS Certified Advanced Analytics Professional

The SAS Certified Advanced Analytics Professional certification offers training in predictive modeling,
time series forecasting, machine learning and data optimization techniques. In this program, pass nine
courses and three exams to achieve the certification. You also need at least six months of programming
experience in either SAS or another computer language. This course is recommended for those who have
at least six months of data science experience for businesses. There is no expiration for this certification.

Related: 21 Types of Certifications for Jobs (With Benefits)

8. IBM Data Science Professional Certificate

The IBM Data Science Professional Certificate covers:

Data analysis and visualization

Data science methodology

Databases, Python and SQL

Machine learning

Open source tools

A capstone in applied data science

For this program, sign up for an online subscription and finish courses at your own pace. After finishing
the training, add the portfolio of projects to your resume. The recommended pacing for this program is
about three months, and the certification does not expire.

9. Google Data Machine Learning

Certification in Google Data Machine Learning takes you through three tracks that have a heavy focus on
data analysis through the Google Cloud Platform. It also offers modules focused on data engineering and
machine learning for data scientists. There is no expiration for this certification.

Related: How To Learn Data Science (Plus 5 Jobs To Consider)

10. SAS Certified Data Scientist

The SAS Data Science Certification course combines with the previous SAS certifications to give you an
additional distinction. You pass the previous courses to qualify for this program, which offers training in
data management and improvement, including how to access and manipulate data. You also learn how to
work with data visualization tools. As with the other SAS programs, the SAS Data Scientist certificate does
not expire.

11. Dell EMC Data Science Track (Data Science Associate and Data Science Specialist)

A Dell EMC certification takes you through two levels of training. First, you earn an associate certificate in
big data analysis and data science foundations. Next, you complete courses for the specialist program,
which cover visualization methods, platforms including Hive, Hadoop, HBase and Pig, advanced analysis
methods and natural language processing.

Related: How To Become a Data Scientist (With Common Qualifications)

12. Cloudera Certified Associate Data Analyst

The Cloudera Certified Associate Data Analyst certification examines your knowledge specific to
Cloudera's enterprise software. The exam focuses on your expertise in analyzing, programming and
administrating in the Cloudera platform. These are basic skills for a data scientist, which makes this
certification good for those just starting out in the field of data science. This certification expires after two
years.

13. Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate

The Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification from Microsoft shows your expertise in the BI data
analyst role. To be eligible for this certification, you're proficient in power query, writing expression and
using data analysis. You also understand data security and data sensitivity.

Related: A Definitive Guide on Changing Your Career to Data Science

14. Oracle Business Intelligence

Oracle owns some of the most widely used database software and computer languages in the world,
including MySQL and Java. Many companies use Oracle's business intelligence (BI) tools, so earning one
of Oracle's Business Intelligence certifications can help you advance your career. Oracle offers a variety of
online and in-person exams to validate your technical knowledge.

15. MongoDB Associate Developer

Data scientists are increasingly using the NoSQL database for business analytics. MongoDB offers some of
the only NoSQl credentials, the MongoDB Associate Developer and MongoDB Database Administrator
certifications. Training is free through online courses. MongoDB certifications do not expire.

Related: 10 In-Demand Career Certifications (And How To Achieve Them)

16. Google Certified Professional Data Engineer

The Google Certified Professional Data Engineer certification includes an exam designed to certify your
knowledge. You'll be tested on your GCP knowledge of machine learning models, from design to operation
and security. Your credentials for this certification will not expire.

Related: 11 Types of Data Science Jobs (With Responsibilities)

17. Cloudera Certified Professional Data Engineer

To earn the Cloudera Certified Professional Data Engineer certification, you first pass the Cloudera
Associate Data Analyst exam. Cloudera calls the CCP Data Engineer program a rigorous and demanding
performance-based certification that requires deep data engineering mastery.

This certification is helpful for data scientists who design and develop for production environments.
During this four-hour exam, you solve a series of customer issues using the Cloudera Enterprise cluster.
CCP credentials are valid for three years.

Please note that none of the companies mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.

 

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