By Mike Scott
Summary
Combine mathematics with analytics, mix in programming skills, and add a dash of artificial intelligence, and you have the recipe for creating a data scientist. These professionals use complex technical skills to parse, analyze, and draw insights from complex datasets, enabling more accurate decision-making in the process.
As companies gather more data than ever before (both about their customers and themselves), these skills are in increasingly high demand. That’s demonstrated by data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which says that the number of data science jobs in the U.S. alone looks set to increase by 36% between 2021 and 2031.
That higher-than-average growth rate creates an opportunity for students, though grasping that opportunity requires a dedication to learning. This article explores the question of what is data science course material and highlights a selection of courses that set you on a data-propelled career path.
Answering the question of “what is data science course?” starts with examining the components of the typical course. Bear in mind that these components vary in nature and complexity depending on the specific course you take, though all are usually present.
The content of a data science course is usually split into four core categories:
If you had the desire, you could read pages and pages on how to tune a car’s engine. But without practical and real-world wrench-in-hand experience working on an engine, you’ll never figure out how what you learn from books applies in the field.
The same line of thinking applies to data science, which is often so technically complex that it’s difficult to see how what you learn applies in the real world. A good data science course incorporates a real-world component through projects and exposure to faculty members who have direct experience in using the skills they teach.
What is data science course for if not to learn how to become a data scientist? While learning the technical side is crucial, of course, a good course also puts you in contact with like-minded individuals who have the same (or similar) goals as you.
That contact helps you to build the collaborative skills you’ll need when you enter the workforce. But perhaps more importantly, it aids you in creating a network of peers who could lead you to job opportunities or work with you on entrepreneurial ventures.
With the components of a data science course established, you have a vital question to answer – what data science course should you take? The following are four suggestions (two online courses and two university courses) that give you a solid grounding in the subject.
Taking a data science course online gives you flexibility, though you may miss out on some of the collaborative and networking aspects that university-led courses provide.
Coming with the stamp of approval from IBM, a leading name in the computer science field, this nine-hour course is suitable for beginners who want a self-paced learning approach. It’s part of a multi-part program (the IBM Data Science Professional Certificate) that’s designed to give you an industry-recognized qualification that could fast-track your entry into the field.
As for the course itself, it’s split into three parts, each containing multiple instructor-led videos and quizzes to test what you’ve learned. By the end, you’ll understand what data scientists do, build a basic understanding of various data science-related topics, and see how the profession relates to the modern business world. Granted, the course offers a surface-level understanding of the subject, with more complex topics examined in other classes. But it’s a superb tool for developing the foundation on which you can build with other courses.
Where IBM’s course equips you with general knowledge, Harvard’s online offering digs into the practical side of data science. Specifically, it focuses on using Python (and its many libraries) to solve data science problems drawn from real-world examples.
The course takes eight weeks, with study time between three and four hours per week. Ultimately, this class helps you build on your established programming skills and shows you how to apply them in a data science context.
As you may have guessed, that mention of building on existing skills means you’ll need a solid understanding of Python to participate in this free course. But assuming you have that, Harvard’s class is ideal for showing you just how flexible the language can be, especially when developing machine learning algorithms. Furthermore, simply having the word “Harvard” on your online certification adds credibility to your CV when you start applying for jobs.
University programs demand a larger time (and monetary) commitment than purely online programs, though the upside is that you get a more prestigious qualification at the end. These two courses are ideal, with one even being a hybrid of online and university-level courses.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first – you’ll need a BSc degree, or an equivalent, in a computer science or mathematical subject to take OPIT’s data science Master’s degree course.
Assuming you meet that prerequisite, this course comes in 18 and 12-month varieties, with the latter being a fast-tracked version that delivers the same content while asking you to dedicate more time to studying. It costs €6,500 to take, though early bird discounts are available, and an EU-accredited university delivers it.
The course eschews traditional exams by taking a progressive assessment approach to determine how well you’re absorbing the materials. It’s also focused on the practical side of things, with the application of data science in business problem-solving and communication being core modules.
As the world’s leading university for seven consecutive years, according to Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, the University of Oxford has outstanding credentials. And its MSc in Social Data Science is an interesting course to take because it specializes in a specific subject area – human behavior.
The degree stands on the precipice of an emerging field as it focuses on using data science to analyze, critique, and reevaluate existing social processes. It combines general machine learning models with more specialized data science tools, such as natural language processing and computer vision, to equip students with a high degree of technical knowledge.
That knowledge doesn’t come cheap, either in time or monetary commitment. The University of Oxford expects students to devote 40 hours per week to study, with overseas students having to pay £30,910 (approx. €35,795) to participate. While these investments are naturally intimidating, the university’s prestige makes the time and money you spend worthwhile when you start speaking to employers.
The four courses presented here each offer something different in terms of delivery and the expertise required of the student to participate. When choosing between them (and any other courses you find), you should consider the following questions:
Given the technical nature of the subject, you may be asking yourself what is data science course content going to deliver in terms of benefits to your life. The answers are as follows:
Let’s conclude by reiterating something mentioned at the start of the article – the data science sector will grow by 36% over the next decade or so.
That growth alone demonstrates the importance of data science, as well as why choosing the right course is so critical to your future success. With the right course, you make yourself a desirable candidate to organizations that are quickly accepting that they need data scientists to help them make decisions for the future.
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