Introduction to Data Science Certification

Each second we are just proliferating data, collecting it to manage certain aspects of business or society on a large scale. Businesses are getting helped by turning towards expert Data Scientists who know how to extract meaning from raw data through quantitative analysis, for the onset of quick decision making & action planning.
“If Data Science can power driverless cars, human-like robots, IoT devices, imagine what value it can add to your tech career.”
Data Science is the planet’s best Big Data job that you can ever chase & enjoy the highest of employability perks with. Why? Because the world needs 11.5 million Data Scientists by 2026 (at the sky-high average salary between $95,000 - $130,000 p.a), who are skilled, certified, and carry the tremendous potential to mine & process critical data for enterprise’s effective operability.
What is Data Science Certification Online?
Data Science Certifications are the benchmarks that anyone of you can achieve and validate your true comprehension of Data Science’s fundamentals, philosophies, methods & absolute solutions.
Data Science Certifications are the most effective way to get a competitive edge and hatch a profound career before the competition gets fierce. Recruiters from top establishments are reluctantly looking for skilled & certified Data Scientists because they don’t want to hire someone who possesses just textbook knowledge. And certifications help to showcase your knowledge beyond textbooks for real-time problem statements.
Hiring Managers are serious about employing the Data Science Certification achievers only. If you are a graduate or any professional technologist who is serious about making a career in Data Science, here in the following guide, you will have all your answers regarding:
- Top Data Science Certification Online with complete details.
- Which data science certification is the best?
- Best Data Science certification for beginners, advanced professionals.
- Top Benefits of Data Science Certifications.
- Who all can take Data Science Certifications?
- How to prepare for the important Data Science Certifications?
14 Best Data Science Certification Online --- Worth Applying
- Dell EMC Data Science Track (EMCDS)
- Data Science Council of America (DASCA) Principle Data Scientist (PDS)
- Data Science Council of America (DASCA) Senior Data Scientist (SDS)
- Certified Analytics Professional (CAP)
- Google Professional Data Engineer Certification
- Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate
- IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
- Open Certified Data Scientist (Open CDS)
- SAS Certified Big Data Professional
- SAS Certified AI & Machine Learning Professional
- SAS Certified Data Scientist
- Tensorflow Developer Certificate
- Amazon AWS Big Data Certification
Best Data Science Certifications Online
|
Data Science Certifications |
Cost of the Exam |
Time Duration |
Location |
Expiry |
Skills Tested |
|
$230/exam |
Self-paced |
Offline & Online |
None |
|
|
Track 1 - $850, track 2- $850, track 3- $300, Track 4- $950 |
Self-paced |
Online |
None |
|
|
$650 |
Self-paced |
Online |
Expires in 5 years |
|
|
CAP exam is $495 ( for INFORMS members), for non-members, it is $695. aCAP exam is $200 (for INFORMS Members), for non-members, price is $300. |
Self-paced |
Offline |
Expires in 3 years |
|
|
$200 |
2 Hours |
Online |
None |
|
|
$99 |
self-paced |
Online |
None |
|
|
$165 |
self-paced |
Online |
None |
|
|
Free |
Self-paced |
Online |
None |
|
|
N/A |
Varies for each level |
on-site |
None |
|
|
$180/exam |
Varies for each level |
Online |
None |
|
|
$180/exam |
self-paced |
Online |
None |
|
|
$180/exam |
self-paced |
online |
None |
|
|
$100/exam |
self-paced |
online |
None |
|
|
$300 |
170 minutes |
Online |
Valid for 3 years |
|
1. Dell EMC Data Science Track (EMCDS)
Dell EMC Data Science Track (EMCDS) has two broad certifications:
- Data Science Associate v2 (DCS-DS) certification - This hones your knowledge around the basics of Data Science & big data analytics.
- Data Science Specialist (DCS-DS) certification - This is further pursued after completing the Data Science Associate certification level one and covers knowledge around the topics as NLP (natural language processing), big data Hadoop, advanced analytical methods, Pig, HBase, Hive, and some visualization methods.
- Cost of the Exam - It’s $230/exam
- Exam Duration - No time bar, self-paced
- Where to take - You can take it physically or online by Pearson VUE
- Does it expire? No!
2. Data Science Council of America (DASCA) Principle Data Scientist (PDS)
This Data Science Council of America (DASCA) offers PDS (Principal Data Scientist) exam in 4 stages or tracks, which covers basics to advanced Data Science concepts such as:
- Big Data best practices
- Building cross-organizational support
- Business strategies for data,
- Machine Learning
- NLP - natural language processing
- Scholastic modeling and more
And the exams are well-suited for professionals with quite a decade long experience in Data Science & Big Data.
- Cost of the Exam - Track 1 - $850, Track 2- $850, Track 3- $300, Track 4- $950
- Exam Duration - No time bar, self-paced
- Where to take - You can take it online
- Does it expire? No!
3. Data Science Council of America (DASCA) Senior Data Scientist (SDS)
This SDS (Senior Data Science) exam by DASCA tests the knowledge of aspirants around:
- Databases
- Spreadsheets
- SPSS/SAS
- Statistical analytics
- R programming
- Quantitative methods
- Fundamentals of object-oriented programming
- RDBMS - Relational Database management systems
This exam particularly has 5 tracks and is highly recommended for professionals with around 5 years of experience in data analytics & research work. Each track has different levels of prerequisite, experience & degree requirements. To take each track, you need to at least hold a graduate degree for sure. While advanced tracks will even require a post-graduation degree & some Data Science training.
- Cost of the Exam - It costs $650
- Exam Duration - No time bar, self-paced
- Where to take - Can be taken online
- Does it expire? Yes, it expires in 5 years!
4. Certified Analytics Professional (CAP)
This CAP (Certified Analytics Professional) is a vendor-neutral certification for analytics practitioners, that measures your ability to understand data and convert that complex data into meaningful information or conclusions for the understanding of the stakeholders.
Prerequisites to take the exam:
- You need to have a bachelor's degree with around 5 years of experience in performing analytics.
- Or if you have a master’s degree, you need to have 3 years of experience in performing analytics.
- Cost of the Exam - CAP exam is $495 ( for INFORMS members), for non-members, it is $695.
- aCAP exam is $200 (for INFORMS Members), for non-members, the price is $300.
- (aCAP is Associate Certified Analytics Professional) is for entry-level analytics professionals who have education in the analytics process, but haven’t started the practice yet)
- Exam Duration - No time bar, self-paced
- Where to take - Can be taken at designated test centers
- Does it expire? Yes, it expires in 3 years!
5. Google Professional Data Engineer Certification
This Professional Data Engineer Certification by Google Cloud is suitable for individuals who have knowledge of:
- Basic knowledge of GC (Google Cloud) platform
- Designing & managing solutions by leveraging Google Cloud Solutions
This exam examines & verifies your knowledge of designing, architecting, and managing data processing systems & machine learning models.
It’s recommended to have at least 3-4 years of experience designing & managing solutions using Google Cloud in real-time industry.
- Cost of the Exam - It costs $200
- Exam Duration - Of 2 Hours
- Where to take - Can be taken online
- Does it expire? No!
6. Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals is a good certification to start if you are willing to hone AI skills over Azure cloud. It sets you up for the knowledge needed to apply the AI & Machine Learning skills around Microsoft Azure. It’s a very basic exam, so there are no hard & fast rules to take it.
- Cost of the Exam - It costs $99
- Exam Duration - Self-paced
- Where to take - Can be taken online
- Does it expire? No!
7. Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate
This Azure Data Scientist Associate Exam by Microsoft is made to test your skills around managing & implementing Machine Learning workloads over Azure architecture.
To take this certification exam, you need to be skilled in:
- ML & AI solutions
- NLP
- Computer Vision
- Predictive Analytics
- Deploying & managing resources
- Implementing & maintaining resources
- Managing identities & governance
- Configuring virtual networks
- Cost of the Exam - It costs $165
- Exam Duration - Self-paced
- Where to take - Can be taken online
- Does it expire? No!
8. IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
This IBM Data Science Professional Certificate is ideal for aspirants who are interested in making a career in Data Science. This certificate builds & validates your knowledge around:
- Data Science Open-source tools & methodologies
- Python, SQL
- Databases
- Data Analysis
- Data Virtualization
- Machine Learning
This certification helps to add to building a stronger portfolio for representing it to the hiring managers.
- Cost of the Exam - Free
- Exam Duration - Self-paced
- Where to take - Can be taken online
- Does it expire? - No!
9. Open Certified Data Scientist (Open CDS)
The Open CDS (Open Certified Data Scientist) is a globally recognized independent certification that validates the skills, knowledge, and experience of Data Scientists. Open CDS certification clarifies that the Data Scientist professionals contain all the qualities & capabilities that are needed to perform effective analysis of data for the organization’s overall improvement.
This exam has 3 levels, each level is supposed to graduate you to the next & final level:
- The first level is a Certified Data Scientist
- The second level is a Master Certified Data Scientist
- The third level is the Distinguished Certified Data Scientist
- Cost of the Exam - Not specified
- Exam Duration - Varies for each level
- Where to take - On-site
- Does it expire? - No!
10. SAS Certified Big Data Professional
This SAS Certified Big Data professional certification has two exams to clear, that evaluates your knowledge and skills of:
- How to work with data
- Programming languages
- How to ensure & improve data quality
- Data Visualization methods
- Statistics & analytics fundamentals
- Data Analysis tools as - Pig, Hadoop, Hive, SAS
To appear eligible for the exam, you need to gather at least 6 months of experience in programming skills in either SAS or any other language feasible.
- Cost of the Exam - $180/exam
- Exam Duration - Depends on each level
- Where to take - Taken online
- Does it expire? - No!
11. SAS Certified AI & Machine Learning Professional
This AI & Machine Learning Professional Certification by SAS concretes your understanding around how to use open-source tools to extract meaning from data, via analytics & AI skills.
The exam aims to text & validates your independent learning around the concepts as:
- AI & Machine Learning
- NLP (Natural language processing)
- Computer Vision
- Model Forecasting & optimization
- Cost of the Exam - $180/exam
- Exam Duration - self-paced
- Where to take - Taken Online
- Does it expire? - No!
12. SAS Certified Data Scientist
This SAS Certified Data Scientist exam is designed for practitioners who can manipulate big data & gain insights from it with a variety of SAS & open source tools to make outright business supporting recommendations.
This exam tests your knowledge around:
- Programming skills
- Data managing & improving
- Data accessing, transforming & manipulating
- Methods to work with data manipulation tools
- Cost of the Exam - $180/exam
- Exam Duration - self-paced
- Where to take - Taken Online
- Does it expire? - No!
13. Tensorflow Developer Certificate
This Tensorflow Developer Certificate exam aims to test your ability & understanding to integrate machine learning concepts into various tools & applications. This exam aims to test your knowledge of building & training models by using TensorFlow. You will require to have an exceptional understanding of concepts as:
- ML (Machine Learning)
- Deep learning
- NLP (Natural Language Processing)
- ML Models building & managing
- Deep neural networks
- Image recognition algorithms
- Cost of the Exam - $100/exam
- Exam Duration - self-paced
- Where to take - Taken Online
- Does it expire? - No!
14. Amazon AWS Certified Data Analytics- Specialty
AWS Certified Data Analytics- Specialty is an advanced level of Big Data Certification that requires 5 years of experience in data analytics & research. The exam evaluates & validates your skills around concepts as:
- AWS Big Data Services
- How to design & maintain Data with AWS?
- How to automate data analysis in AWS?
- Cost of the Exam - $300
- Exam Duration - 170 minutes
- Where to take - Taken Online
- Does it expire? - Valid for 3 years!
Why Owning Data Science Certifications is so Important?
Check out some quick facts before finding the benefits of Data Science certifications:
- 72% of employers think IT certifications as the requirement for jobs.
- 90% of the employers believe that only IT certified professionals do better & get promoted than non-certified ones.
- Nearly 85% of IT professionals have 1 certification, while 66% are in the process to hatch one (are you one of these?)
The Data Science ecosystem & its contributors are realizing the worth & potential of holding at least one accredited certification as benefits of Data Science Certifications are just as many as follow.

1. Showcasing your Relevant Skills & Potential
Data Science certification exams test your practical approaches for handling a business’s real-time problems. Once you procure the best Data Science certification online, you prove your capabilities in applying the great skill set & caliber to solve any realistic data complexity with ease.
2. Highest Market Value
Data Science certification adds a positive weightage to your resume. It adds credibility to your candidature and establishes a repo that the hiring manager can trust. The best Data Science certification online makes your portfolio strong & highlights you as an ideal fit, before the non-certified candidates. Thereby, increasing your employability within any data-concentric company.
3. Sets You up with the Highest of Knowledge
When you decide to prepare for the best Data Science certification online, you put a lot of effort to gain the best of knowledge by taking classes, reading study guides, taking mock exams or so. Which makes you highly-knowledgeable about Data Science technology. Also, Data Science certifications keep on getting renewed as per latest innovations, so can keep taking them or other variety of other certifications, which impacts positively on your growth opportunities.
4. Job Promotions are Not a Dream Anymore
If you are currently working as a technologist in a different or similar technology, you can easily apply for Data Science certifications to get desired promotion opportunities. With the best Data Science certification online, you can easily convince the recruiters about the highest of knowledge you hold & the potential you can bring to the table, to draw out data-driven complexities.
5. Juicy Paycheck from the Start Level
According to the survey, skilled technologists earn nearly “$5,439 (equals 9% more)” than non-certified professionals. That means you are bound to get a higher package than the non-certified ones if you hold the best Data Science Certification online. Currency, in the USA, the average salary for certified & skilled Data Scientists is US$113,000, claims Glassdoor.
6. Cost-Cutting Won’t Necessarily Impact You
You know how volatile the tech or any job environment is due to seasonal spikes in an economic downturn. And the fact is, companies cut loose the employees in such severity who don’t possess the highest of knowledge & appear to be a wasteful investment. But you are lucky if you hold the best Data Science certification online, as your valuable skills will be much-needed by any organization to hold against the tides.
7. You Feel Content & Accomplished
Other than receiving the highest paychecks or job safety, by owning recognized & best Data Science Certifications online, you will feel self-accomplished.
You will feel as if you have hit the milestone. Your treasure of knowledge will make you approach any gig or job with so much confidence. You will feel empowered to learn & grow each day. You will just feel limitless.
8. You Can Pursue Your Own Gig
Who said you can only pursue Data Science Certification for any big job? Why not make use of talent, acquired knowledge to lay the foundation of something of your own? You can start a firm, work as a self-owned or as a freelancer. A certification, you have no idea, how it can help you believe in your skills & knowledge and put it to great use to build a viable career or business.
Who All Can Apply for Data Science Certification Programs?
Anyone can apply for the Data Science Certification Program, who has:
1.Completed graduation or master’s in disciplines in computer science, operation research, mathematics, statistics, economics, engineering. Being a graduate or postgraduate in Computer science or technical field is not a necessity.
What if I haven’t pursued my degree from technical disciplines?
If you haven’t done your degree in a technical discipline, don’t worry, you can still think of becoming a certified Data Analyst or Scientist. Doesn’t matter if you are a technical person or a non-technical one, an effective Data Science Certification Training online can help you obtain the right skills & knowledge.
2. Deep interest in working around data, applying great intuition & acumen to treat business complexities within.
3.Completed their Data Science Certification program/training from a recognized online platform.
4. Is an already working technologist in a similar or distinct field & is looking for more earning & job growth opportunities.

Why Hiring Managers Prefer Certified Data Scientists?
Let’s finally debunk the broad reasons why small to big enterprises prefer the candidates with the best Data Science Certification online.
Companies prefer certified Data Scientists over non-certified ones because:
- They don’t have to invest in onboarding training & its pertinent costs - A certified professional will already know the real-time data mining & cleaning job that he/she has to perform, which in turn will save businesses precious time & cost of training or shadowing about the job roles.
- They hire you as a high-level resource to train others - They hire you because they want you to get on board & train the business team & refine the upcoming professionals with applicable skills.
- They can rely on you for righteous solutions - They hire you so that they can trust your visions, solutions, and deliverables without a blink.
- To set a benchmark for other professionals - They hire you so that you can create a benchmark for other employees & inspire them to take their certifications for higher efficacies.
- To get full return from what they invest - When they hire a truly skilled & trained professional, they know they can get sure of the value returns from such a dedicated & certified professional.
The Best Tips to Pass Your Next Data Science Certification Exam
Are you considering taking the Data Science Certification online? That's a smart move! For that smart move, are you prepared enough? Don’t worry, here we will walk you through some effective tips that will help you pass your upcoming Data Science Certification exam with flying colours. Best of luck with your Data Science certification preparation.
1. Understand the Chosen Certification Exam Objective & Detail
Get time to first understand the best Data Science Certification online you have chosen, its:
- Objective
- Syllabus, concepts, topics
- Prerequisites
- Professional experience
- Current exam version name & details
- Exam format, question types, duration, passing score, delivery mode, etc
You will easily find this information on official websites, through peers, colleagues, forums, etc.
This will help you make up your mind for what broad picture you need to foresee & get prepared for.
2. Identify the Mode of Learning & Study Materials
Select any one learning style - Self-study or Data Science Certification Course Online.
Some prefer self-study, while some prefer Data Science Certification Course Online. If you go for the second option, you will have easy access to:
- Video training via real-field experts
- Access to eBooks, study guides, labs (offline or online) to practice, frequent practice tests from actual dumps
Going for a Data science certification course online is actually important, especially if you are going for these certs the first time, as beginner levels are quite tricky to get through & often require expert help.
Getting hands-on the right study material is important. If you would study alone, ensure you have access to the best guides, books & study materials. If you plan to get prepared with these training platforms online, you will have accurate study materials, which actually encircles the concepts often asked in the certification exam of your choice.
If you plan to take our accredited Data Science certification training, along with nurturing right job skills, we will help you with professional resume feedback & interview preparation too.
3. Make a Dedicated Study Timetable
Irrespective of whether you choose to study yourself or via some training platform, you do need to have a dedicated learning timetable. Identify the hours, days & time limit you will study.
If you are taking the online classes, make sure you do have time to revise & learn separately, as this will help you learn concepts more effectively.
4. Keep on Taking the Real Data Science Certification Dumps
Just practice, and apply your gathered knowledge over the previous exam dumps, which you can easily get online. And if you are studying online, your trainers will conduct the mock tests timely to examine your knowledge.
You know the best part about learning online is, they conduct mock tests, just like real certification exams. Types of questions, mode of exam, time duration are all quite similar to real ones. This makes you head-on prepared for the real-time exam, which is quite not possible when you are self-studying (isn't it so?).
Some Other Tips to Prepare for the Data Science Certification Exams!
- Make study groups, study with friends, colleagues (if working) - Study says, you learn faster when you teach others & study together.
- Join networks of certified Data Analysts & Scientists over social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook or so - this will help in knowledge-sharing & gaining that confidence.
- Take adequate amounts of sleep, have a balanced diet, keep your body active. All this will help keep your brain cells & body charged for more focus & retention.
- Don’t get hard on yourself - It’s fine, don’t take it as a life battle. Just don’t fret & keep your spirits high. Learn as per your capacity, and hope for achieving the best.
Hey, if it’s getting quite hard to put your best self in the Data Science career, talk to our career counselors for free. They will help you fight the odds of choosing & doing well in this career. Or could help you suggest the next best career options in IT & Management.
Frequently Asked Questions on Best Data Science Certification Online
Check out these few questions that are often put by netizens around the Data Science Certification Program!
1. What jobs can you do after the Data Science Certification programs?
After qualifying for the Data Science certification programs/tracks, you can become:
- Data Scientists
- Data Engineer
- Data Analyst
- Machine Data Engineer
2. Is the Data Science Certification program worth it?
With the rapid evolution of data, every nanosecond, the world needs the supply of 11.5 million skilled Data Scientists, Analysts, Big Data Experts in the next 2-3 years. In such evolution, it is needless to say, the need for skilled & certified Data Scientists is just huge & ongoing and is never suppressing as long as data is growing.
By adding Data Science Certification to your resume, you will see a positive impact on your candidature.
3. What is Data Science Certification?
Data Science Certifications are the benchmarks that define your aptitude & understanding towards the realistic concepts of Data Science & Analytics. It validates your highest professional knowledge of translating complex data into meaningful information for the business’s understanding.
Data Science Certifications make your resumes & portfolio look bright & gives you higher recruitment and earning opportunities than non-certified candidates.
4. Do employers care about certifications?
Do you know 60% of hiring managers consider certifications as a benchmark to evaluate your subject matter expertise? While 72% of recruiters require accredited certifications for certain job openings. Data Science being a very quantitative role requires someone who possesses a strong skillet & certification. So don’t strike your chances & better grab that Data Science Certification program now.
5. Which is the best Data Science Certification for Beginners?
If you are new in Data Science, you can start with these credentials:
- Data Science Associate v2 (DCS-DS) Certification by DELL
- Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate
- IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
- Open Certified Data Scientist - First Level
- SAS Certified Big Data Professional
- SAS Certified AI & Machine Learning Professional
- AWS Certified Data Analytics- Specialty
- Tensorflow Developer Certificate
- SAS Certified Data Scientist
Take an accredited Data Science Training to get prepared for any best Data Science Certification for Beginners!
6. What is the best certification for Data Science today?
Looking for the best Data Science Certification online? Here are the 14 best certifications that you can apply for, after preparing with a professional Data Science Certification Course online.
- Dell EMC Data Science Track (EMCDS)
- Data Science Council of America (DASCA) Principle Data Scientist (PDS)
- Data Science Council of America (DASCA) Senior Data Scientist (SDS)
- Certified Analytics Professional (CAP)
- Google Professional Data Engineer Certification
- Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate
- IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
- Open Certified Data Scientist (Open CDS)
- SAS Certified Big Data Professional
- SAS Certified AI & Machine Learning Professional
- SAS Certified Data Scientist
- Tableau Data Scientist | Desktop Specialist
- Amazon AWS Big Data Certification
7. How to Pass Data Science Certifications?
To pass the Data Science certifications exam:
- Analyze Preferred Data Science Certification Exam Objective & Details
- Discover the Mode of Learning & Study Materials
- Prepare a Dedicated Study Timetable
- Keep on Taking the Data Science Certification Dumps
- Join Study Groups or Official Data Science Communities
- Take good nutrients & sleep
- Believe in yourself & your learnings
Closing Words on Best Data Science Certification Online!
Data Science is one of the best tech jobs you can ever chase & make a desired career with. Data Scientists are the need of the hour, especially the skilled & certified ones. Hiring managers are obsessed with recruiting certified Data experts. If you add any one of the above certifications to your resume, you will:
- Get higher recognition than non-certified ones
- Feel content & confident in pursuing a job or any career-related endeavour
- Have a high scope of winning the desired remuneration from start-level
- Experience job promotions & growth opportunities in an existing establishment
Don’t just think, start acting. Get the required Data Science Certification Training online and become fully prepared for these prominent Data Science Certifications online, as discussed above.
Also, if you have any query related to the above certifications, eligibility, or preparation related doubt, feel free to pique our interests in the comments section below.