6 Popular Data Analytics Certifications: Your 2024 Guide

Data analytics is all about using data to make the right decisions. By collecting, cleaning, and analysing data, you can find the most strategic and optimal course of action to achieve a specific goal. 

As a result, many aspiring and established professionals in data analytics wonder which certification or certificate to choose to achieve their career objectives. Should you get a certificate or a certification? Which ones are the best for your current skill set and work experience?

If these are the questions you’re asking yourself, this article is for you.  Here, you will find a list of six popular data analytic certifications, certificates, and suggested courses to help you get started.

Whether you want to take your first steps into the field or parlay your skill set into a career as a data analyst or data scientist, this article has the data you need to make an informed decision on how to do it. Read on to learn how to find the right one for you.

Read more: Data Analyst vs. Data Scientist: What’s the Difference?

Data analytics certificate vs. certification

Though they sound similar, certificates and certifications are different. 

A certificate proves an individual has completed a specific professional training course, such as Google’s six-month-long Data Analytics Professional Certificate. A certification is proof that an individual has taken and passed a specific exam, such as is required to achieve Microsoft’s Power BI Data Analyst certification. 

Though both can help you achieve your career goals, whether you should get a Professional Certificate or a certification depends on your particular goals. A certificate may prepare some job seekers for specific jobs by providing essential training, such as in SQL. On the other hand, you may find a certification necessary for certain positions that ask for a ‘certified data analyst’ possessing a specific certification. 

You can find certificate and certification courses for data analysts of all levels, including those without prior experience and with several years of work experience.

Is a data analyst certification or certificate worth it?

Professional Certificates or certifications can help early-career professionals enter the field and career veterans boost their job prospects. 

Although Google Career Certificates are relatively new to the UK, with an initial launch in May 2021, data from the United States shows their positive value. According to a 2021 survey, 75 per cent of Google Career Certificate Graduates in the United States report an improvement in their career trajectory within six months of certificate completion [1]. These improvements include everything from a new job or career to a promotion or raise.

These results suggest that obtaining either a certificate, certification, or another credential, such as a licence, can positively impact your career opportunities, salary, and employment.

6 popular data analytics certifications and certificates

Many certificates and certification courses are available to aspiring or established data analysts. Use the list of popular certification and certificate courses below to identify the option best suited to your goals.

1. Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

Google’s Data Analytics Professional Certificate is a flexible online certificate program that provides a comprehensive introduction to data analytics in just six months. Specifically designed for beginners with no prior experience, the course teaches students how to clean, visualise, and analyse data alongside how to use spreadsheets, SQL, and R programming. 

Requirements: No prior experience, knowledge, or training is required to take Google’s Data Analytics Professional certificate.  

Cost: The course costs around £34 by subscription on Coursera. 

2. IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate

The IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate is a flexible online course that prepares those who need experience for entry-level data analyst positions. Through eight courses that take approximately 11 months to complete, learners develop a working knowledge of Python, SQL, Excel, and IBM Cognos analytics, among other programs. 

Requirements: You don’t need prior experience to take the IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate. A basic understanding of computer literacy, math, and a willingness to work with numbers are all you need to get started. 

Cost: The course costs around £34 by subscription on Coursera. 

3. Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate

Microsoft’s Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification indicates the holder’s ability to work with Power BI, an interactive software visualising data for business analytics and intelligence. Designed for subject matter experts who already understand data processes and repositories, the certification is well-suited to those looking to showcase their advanced analytic abilities and the value they can add to businesses. 

Requirements: Those with a confident grasp of data processes and repositories may pursue the Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification. To achieve this certification, you must achieve a passing score of 700 on Exam PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst. 

Cost: Certification training options include free, self-guided courses and instructor-led options from various learning partners. The exam costs £113 [2].

Solve big business problems with big data

Wharton’s online Business Analytics Specialization introduces business professionals to big data analytics. Suitable for those without prior experience, the course equips learners with a data-driven approach to solving business problems and making critical business decisions. 

4. AWS Certified Data Analytics

The AWS Data Analytics certification indicates the holder’s ability to design, build, and maintain analytic solutions using Amazon web services (AWS). It is designed for industry professionals with a recommended five years of work experience. This certificate is best suited to established early career professionals who already know how to implement cloud initiatives and use AWS data lakes to gain insights from data. 

Requirements: To obtain this credential, you must pass Amazon’s DAS-01 certification exam, which consists of 65 questions spread between two multiple-choice and multiple-response sections. Amazon recommends that exam takers have five years of experience with common data analytics technologies and two years of hands-on experience with Amazon web services. 

Cost: The certification exam costs around £263.

5. SAS Statistical Business Analyst Professional Certificate

The SAS Statistical Business Analyst Professional Certificate is for data analysts looking to improve their predictive and statistical modelling abilities in the professional world. Designed for those with prior knowledge of SAS programming, the online certificate takes approximately three months to complete and indicates the holder’s proficiency in modelling and programming for business purposes. 

Requirements: This Professional Certificate’s intent is for those with prior knowledge of and experience with the SAS programming language. Those who do not understand SAS should take the SAS Programmer Professional Certificate first.

Cost: The course costs around £34 by subscription on Coursera. 

6. CompTIA Data Analytics Plus certification

The CompTIA Data+ certification highlights an early career professional’s grasp of data mining,  manipulation, visualisation, and reporting. This certification is for those with one-and-a-half to two years of work experience, and the CompTIA Data+ certification offers the chance for those just starting in the industry to stand out from the crowd. 

Requirements: To achieve this certification, you must pass a 90-question exam with a score of at least 675 on a 100-900 scale. CompTIA recommends that those taking this exam have 18 - 24 months of prior experience in an analyst or reporting position that has exposed them to databases, analytical tools, statistics, and the basics of data visualisation.

Cost: The exam costs £146. [3]

Next steps

A Professional Certificate or certification signals your expertise to current and future employers. You might consider taking a flexible online course through Coursera to hone your analytic skills. 

Google’s Data Analytics Professional Certificate can help prepare course takers without any prior experience or specialised qualifications for entry-level positions in data analytics. The program is offered 100 per cent online and is available to beginners.