What Is a Data Analytics Certification?

A data analytics certification is a credential you can earn to show potential employers that you possess the relevant skills for the job you’re applying for. Earning a data analytics certification might be a good idea if you want to work as a data analyst or data scientist.

You can choose from different certifications and Professional Certificates to enhance your resume in different ways. Certifications demonstrate mastery of a standard skill set determined by a professional or industry organization. In contrast, a Professional Certificate demonstrates you completed a specific course of study or have experience with data analytics or technology. 

Learn more about earning a data analytics certification and explore five options to help you gain a data analytic credential for your resume. 

What is a data analytics certification?

Data analytics certification refers to a credential that shows potential employers that you have passed a standardized exam or achieved a level of experience and education in your field. Depending on your career goals, you may also consider a data analytics certificate, a credential with a smaller scope that demonstrates you’ve completed a course or mastered a specific skill. 

Getting a data analytics certification may help you advance your career or start a new career as a data analyst. Data analysts help companies and organizations gain meaning from complex data in many industries. As a data analyst, you will design and build data models using advanced analytics to understand patterns in data and make recommendations to stakeholders or leadership in your company. 

Who should get data analytics certification?

A data analytics certification might be a good career move if you want to become a data analyst or data scientist. You can find many different job titles for a career as a data analyst, including: 

• Business analyst

• Health data analyst 

• Data architect

• Data visualization analyst

• Analytics officer

• Statistician

• Machine learning engineer

• Data engineer

You may also benefit from a data analytics certification if you work with data in your career or conduct data analysis. 

How to get analytics certification

1. Choose a relevant certification.

Consider your career goals, which can help you choose an appropriate data analytics certification. If you want to work on projects in a certain industry, such as finance or health care, you may find industry-specific certifications to help you get the career you want. 

You should also consider whether you can take your exam online or in person and decide which of these testing situations would be best for you. You can also compare cost and time commitments, which can help you prepare ahead of time and choose a program that fits your needs. 

2. Review certification requirements and exam format.

After you choose the right certification for your career goals, the next step is to review what requirements you’ll need to take the exam as well as the exam format. Some certifications require you to pass an exam and leave it up to you to decide how you prepare. Other certifications symbolize that you have completed a specific program or course. Additionally, some certifications require professional experience or formal education in data analytics, while others have no requirements. 

It’s important to understand the format of the exam and the content the exam will cover so you can decide what material you should take another look at and how to prioritize your study schedule so you’re prepared by exam day. Understanding the test format can also help alleviate testing anxiety because you know what to expect when taking the exam. 

3. Enroll in preparatory courses and create a study plan.

Next, you can consider enrolling in a course to learn new skills and refresh your existing skills before your exam. While some credentials require you to follow a specific course of study, others only list the topics you should be familiar with. Even though many certifications don’t recommend a specific course of study, you can often find resources like study guides and practice tests to help you prepare. 

4. Register for the exam.

You'll be ready to register for the exam after you complete its requirements and prepare for it. In some cases, you will have a time limit between when you register for the exam and when you take the exam.  

Popular analytics certifications and certificates

If you want to pursue a credential in data analytics, you can choose from several different certifications and certificates.

Certifications are often offered by professional associations and other industry groups to set a standard for what a qualified professional should know and be able to accomplish.

Certificates, in comparison, demonstrate that you’ve mastered a specific skill or spent time studying different topics. A certification is more comprehensive, but it may take less time and cost to earn.

Explore three vendor-neutral certifications from professional organizations and two examples of Professional Certificates to advance your career as a data analyst. 

Read more: 7 Popular Data Analytics Certifications: Your Guide

1. CompTIA Data+

CompTIA Data + is a certification for data professionals offered by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). 

• Requirements: CompTIA recommends that you have 18 to 24 months of experience working with business analytics and a knowledge of databases, statistics, and data visualization. 

• Cost (US): $253 [1]

• What to expect on the exam: Data analytics, data mining, visualization, governance, and quality control.

2. Associate Certified Analytics Professional (aCAP)

The Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences offers this entry-level data analytics certification.  

• Requirements: You do not need prior education or experience to take the aCAP. 

• Cost (US): $25 application fee; $150 exam fee for members; $245 exam fee for non-members [2]

• What to expect on the exam: Problem framing (business and analytics), data, methodology selection, model building, deployment, and lifecycle management

3. Certified Analytics Professional (CAP)

Also offered by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, the CAP certification demonstrates that you have formal data analysis education, experience in data analytics, or both. 

• Requirements: To qualify for the CAP, you will need both education and experience, as well as confirmation from your employer that you have a developed set of workplace skills. 

• Cost (US): $55 application fee; $440 exam fee for members; $640 exam fee for non-members [3]

• What to expect on the exam: The CAP certification follows the same seven domains as the aCAP exam: business problem framing, analytics problem framing, data, methodology selection, model building, deployment, and lifecycle management. 

4. Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

The Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate is a credential for data analysts that demonstrates you have the skill set to work as an entry-level data analytics professional. You will complete a self-paced course rather than sit for an exam to earn this Professional Certificate. 

• Requirements: You do not need any required education or experience. 

• Cost (US): $49 per month after a free trial 

• What to expect in the course: Data types and structures, solving problems with data, data analysis, visualizing data, and artificial intelligence.

5. Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Professional Certificate

The Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate is a Professional Certificate offered by Microsoft that demonstrates you have achieved a baseline set of skills using Microsoft Power BI. 

• Requirements: Microsoft does not require specific education or experience to take the exam, but it recommends that you have experience in data analysis and business intelligence. The company designates this exam as an “intermediate” level. 

• Cost (US): $165 [4]

• What to expect on the exam: Preparing, modeling, visualizing, and analyzing data with Power BI 

Build skills and prepare for analytics certification on Coursera

A data analytics certification shows employers that you have job-ready skills for the career you want to pursue. If you want to start preparing for your data analytics certification, you can start today on Coursera. For example, you can enroll in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate course on Coursera. Or, you can enroll in a program to prepare for the Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Professional Certificate, which covers data analysis, visualization, data modeling, and more.