Overview

Data Science is continually ranked as one of the most in-demand professions. The need for professionals who can manage and leverage insights from data is clearer than ever before. The curriculum taught in this program is designed to meet the expanding multi-disciplinary needs for data professionals. By covering a wide array of topics, the program addresses the wide variety of skills needed to work on successful data-based projects. Topics covered include data-driven discovery and prediction, data engineering at scale (inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data), structured and unstructured data, computational statistics, pattern recognition, data mining, data visualization, databases, SQL, Python programming, and machine learning.

UC Irvine’s 3-month post-graduate level Accelerated Certificate Program (ACP) in Data Science covers a wide array of topics in data science including data-driven discovery and prediction, data engineering at scale (inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data), structured and unstructured data, computational statistics, pattern recognition, data mining, data visualization, databases, SQL, Python, and machine learning.

Benefits

  • Utilize technical techniques to deliver insight and business intelligence
  • Apply mathematical concepts including probability, inference, and modeling to practical data project application
  • Describe and use industry-standard tools and technologies required to model and analyze big datasets
  • Utilize the data modeling approach to make optimal business decision
  • Implement machine learning algorithms
  • Apply text analytics tools to unstructured and structured data sets
  • Develop and implement a data warehouse plan
  • Gain a competitive edge in the global job market through an internship in a U.S. company

Who Should Attend

This program is intended for professionals in a variety of industries and job functions who are looking to help their organization understand and leverage the massive amounts of diverse data they collect. Others who would benefit from this program include: data engineers, data analysts, computer scientists, business analysts, database administrators, researchers, and statisticians.

Certificate Requirements

To earn a certificate at UCI Division of Continuing Education, students must complete all required courses with a grade of “C” or better.

Curriculum

Practical Math and Statistics for Data ScienceExpand
Practical Math and Statistics are the foundation of the fields of Data Science and Predictive Analytics. Statistics are used in every part of business, science, and institutional data processing. This course covers fundamental statistical skills needed for Data Science and Predictive Analytics. This is an application-oriented course and the approach is practical. Students will take a look at several statistical techniques and discuss situations in which one would use each technique, the assumptions made by each method, how to set up the analysis, as well as how to interpret the results. This course starts with an introduction to data analysis. Next the course covers the fundamental concepts of descriptive statistics, probability, and inferential statistics, which include the central limit theorem, and hypothesis testing. From there the course will focus on various statistical tests, including the Chi-Square test of independence, t-tests, correlation, ANOVA, linear regression, time series, and applying previously learned techniques in new situations.

Introduction to Python ProgrammingExpand

Introduction to Python is a beginner introduction to programming using Python. This course is designed for those who have no programming experience and do not have a technical background. It is for those who want a gentle introduction. After this course, students may want to take a more intermediate or advanced Python course. Or, they may feel confident enough to start learning on their own. If you do not have a background in Python, but you do have a good background in Java, C, or another language, this course could feel slow for you. Students will learn the following: how to use variable types, flow control, and functions, how to interact with the system via Python, how to write simple scripts to process text, and how to use Jupyter, a popular development tool for Python.

Fundamentals of Data ScienceExpand

The goal of this course is to demystify data science and to familiarize students with key data scientist skills, techniques, and concepts. Starting with foundational concepts like analytics taxonomy, the Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining, and data diagnostics, the course will then move on to compare data science with classical statistical techniques. An overview of the most common techniques used in data science, including data analysis, statistical modeling, data engineering, relational databases, SQL and NoSQL, manipulation of data at scale (big data), algorithms for data mining, data quality, remediation and consistency operations will be covered.


Data EngineeringExpand

This course is designed to enhance student proficiency in data design, data management, data warehouse, data modeling, and query manipulation skills. Topics include techniques and methods for identification, extraction, and preparation of data for processing with database software. Gain an overview of the basic techniques of data engineering, including data normalization, data engineering, relational and non-relational databases, SQL and NoSQL, manipulation of data at scale (big data), algorithms for data operations. Students will work in teams on a final project to explore, analyze, summarize and present findings in a real-world big data set.

Advanced VisualizationExpand

Visualization plays a fundamental role in understanding properties and relationships in data to extract insights and communicate results. Whether the analytics is descriptive, diagnostic, prescriptive, or proscriptive, visualization is essential throughout any analytics cycle. This course will focus on applying various methods and techniques to different stages of the analytics cycle such as during data preparation, modeling, and reporting. Students will learn techniques for visualizing univariate, multivariate, temporal, text-based, hierarchical, and network/graph-based data both in ad hoc analysis as well as in automated generation.

Big Data AnalysisExpand

Enterprises are using technologies such as MapReduce, Hadoop, Yarn, and Apache Spark to extract value from Big Data. This course provides an in-depth overview of Hadoop and Spark, the cornerstones of big data processing. To crystalize the concepts behind Hadoop and Spark, students will work through a series of short, focused exercises. Concepts covered include Hadoop architecture, the Apache Spark Big Data Framework, data ingestion, distributed processing, and functional programming. Additionally, students will learn how to configure and install a Hadoop cluster, write basic MapReduce programs, utilize advanced MapReduce programming practices, and utilize interfaces such as Pig and Hive to interact with Hadoop.

Internships

As an optional last course and for an additional fee of $2,900, you have the opportunity to apply academic theory and gain practical experience in a variety of businesses and industries for 10 weeks. A research project provides additional training. Also included in the internship are the Resume Development and Interviewing Skills workshops.
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Frequently Asked Questions

What time are ACPs offered?Expand
Classes are scheduled variously between 09:00 and 17:00 (California time).  Students will learn their specific class times when they enroll.

Is part-time study available?Expand
All ACP students must study full-time only.

What are the visa requirements of the program?Expand
An F-1 student visa is required for full-time, on-campus study.

Are there internship opportunities available after ACP study? Expand
Yes.  ACP programs offer internship opportunities at Southern California companies. 

Can ACP students apply for an OPT after their program?Expand
F-1 students who maintained their F-1 status for one full academic year (3 consecutive quarters) may apply for an OPT.  Contact an international student advisor at immigrationofficials@ce.uci.edu for more information.

Program Cost

Certificate Tuition: $7,900
Approximate Total Cost: $14,100 USD

Amount shown above is an approximation for tuition plus living expenses (housing, transportation, meals, books, etc.) This amount is before any discounts applied and excludes airfare.

You can view all the tuition and fees rates on our Tuition and Fees page

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Admissions Requirements

UPCOMING PROGRAM DATES

Fall 2023Sep 28 - Dec 15
Spring 2024Apr 1 - Jun 14
Fall 2024Sep 23 - Dec 12