Graduate Certificate

Data Science Online Certificate

Thrive as an in-demand statistician, data analyst or business intelligence professional.

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Aligns with M.S. in Data Science coursework (with the option to later pursue that degree)

Learn advanced statistics, modeling and in-depth computational techniques

Excel in a rapidly growing and lucrative field

Data Science Certificate Overview

The University of West Florida’s fully online Data Science Certificate program provides you with the statistical, modeling and computational skills to pursue a career in data or elevate your current position. A wide range of high-paying, in-demand positions will be within reach. In the program, you’ll learn how data impacts society and your particular field. You’ll be able to raise critical questions about and learn methods for optimizing data, its interpretation and its visualization.

Working with data represents one of the most attractive and in-demand skill sets in business. Whether you’re an engineer, investor, mathematician, researcher or business professional looking to enter into or advance your career in data, this online Data Science Certificate program can meet your goals. It’s also versatile in the sense that when you graduate, you’ll have the option to seamlessly move into the master’s program in data science.

Candidates for This Program Include:

Graduate non-degree seeking students or students in a graduate degree program
Those who work in business and are seeking career advancement
Engineers, investors, mathematicians and researchers who use scientific computing or data analytics in their work

You Will Be Able To:

Leverage data and information to help businesses make better strategic choices
Communicate and interpret complex data to varied audiences
Develop data-driven solutions for a business or organization

Refer to UWF Cost of Attendance Estimates and Financial Literacy for more information on UWF costs and financial aid.

Courses and Requirements

UWF’s online Data Science Certificate program includes a total of 12 credit hours. It requires completion of the following courses with a grade of C or higher.

: STA 5126 - Statistics for Data Science I
3 Credit Hours
Statistics for Data Science I
Statistics for Data Science I is the first course in statistics for students in data science. This 8-week asynchronous online course builds the fundamentals of statistics necessary for students to perform and interpret appropriate hypothesis tests using softwares based on the data and research questions at hand. Offered concurrently with STA 4121. Graduate students will be assigned additional work including constructing professional reports.
STA 6232 - Statistics for Data Science II
3 Credit Hours
Statistics for Data Science II
Statistics for Data Science II is a second course in statistics for students in data science. This course covers the application of regression analysis techniques using softwares for statistical analysis. Broadly, students will learn how to construct statistical models and disseminate predictions and results to a wide audience. There will be a focus on choosing the appropriate modeling strategy for the data and research questions at hand. Conclusions will be drawn based on statistical inference and students will be expected to organize and present a project based on the findings. Prerequisite: STA 5126 OR STA 5176
CAP 5775 - Databases for Data Science
3 Credit Hours
Databases for Data Science
Organizations can generate copious amounts of data. Extracting useful knowledge from data warehouses for use in decision making can provide a competitive advantage for the organization by identifying strengths and weaknesses. In this course, students will learn how the data in data warehouses are organized, analyze the data through analytical queries, and apply machine learning algorithms to build predictive models. Offered concurrently with CAP 4774. Graduate students will be assigned additional work.
CAP 5756 - Tools for Data Science
3 Credit Hours
Tools for Data Science
An 8-Week course on tools for data science using R, Python, SQL, and Spark. Throughout the course, there will be hands-on exercises with computing resources. The course will include introductions to several packages in R, particularly Tidyverse, libraries in Python such as Pandas/NumPy/Statsmodels, SQL clauses and summary statistics, and Spark framework for distributed computing. Offered concurrently with CAP 4755. Graduate students will be assigned additional work.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission into the University of West Florida’s online Data Science Certificate program, you must be admitted into the University as a graduate non-degree seeking student. Other requirements include:

Have a B.S. degree with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher
Prior knowledge in statistics and basic programming is recommended for this certificate. If you do not have a strong background in statistics, start with an introductory statistics course, such as STA 2023 Elements of Statistics, before beginning this certificate.

How to Apply

Once accepted as a graduate non-degree seeking student, prospective students for this certificate must contact the graduate advisor from the Department of Mathematics & Statistics to start the Declaration of Certificate process before the drop/add period of the semester of completion, and to complete the online Graduate Certificate Declaration Form on MyUWF.

Have questions about this program or the admissions process? Contact our graduate admissions team at gradadmissions@uwf.edu. If you are a current UWF student, please reach out to the department academic advisor

Costs & Financial Aid

Component	Cost	Total*
In-state Tuition	$384.60 per credit hour	$5,769.00
Out-of-State Tuition	$1,044.24 per credit hour	$15,663.60
90% Out-of-State Tuition Waiver	$478.83 per credit hour	$7,182.45

Tuition waivers cover up to 90 percent of the non-resident portion of your tuition and are available to non-Florida residents (including international students) admitted to online programs and registered for online courses in active pursuit of that degree or certificate. You must pay all other assessed tuition and fees.

Time to completion varies by student, depending on individual progress. Fees are charged per semester unless otherwise noted. This program takes up to 12 months to complete, depending on course availability.

* Tuition and fees are subject to change.

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Alabama Differential Out-of-State Tuition

Residents of Alabama are eligible for Alabama Differential Tuition, a reduced out-of-state tuition rate. For more information and to verify residency status for tuition purposes, new undergraduate students should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and new graduate students should contact the Graduate School. Current enrolled students should contact the Office of the Registrar.

Military Students

UWF is a Military FriendlyⓇ School proudly serving active-duty U.S. military members and veterans. As UWF has been a participant in the Yellow Ribbon Program since 2011, you could be eligible to receive free tuition with your military benefits.

See How We Can Serve You

Financial Aid

Funding your college education should not empty your wallet. We offer various financial aid options for our online students, including loans, scholarships and grants for degree-seeking students.

Learn More About Financial Aid

Frequently Asked Questions

: You may either contact your enrollment counselor or log into your MyUWF account to view the status of your application.
: You must first be admitted to UWF and registered for the course(s). Enrolled students, visit UWF eLearning to access your course.
: Each year, Information Technology Services publishes computer purchase recommendations for students. They are designed to ensure greater product reliability, usability, quality, functionality, and support. Be aware that these recommendations are based on typical computing use.
: Refer to UWF Cost of Attendance Estimates for more information.