Professional Certifications

Professional credentials in data science signal to employers your ability to operate at a high professional standard.

Why get a professional certification in data science?

Employers increasingly look for data scientists with both academic backgrounds and industry-recognised professional credentials that demonstrate practical, specialised industry knowledge.
A recent study from Ellucian found that over 85% of employers now expect employees to have credentials in addition to a degree qualification.
"Data science and analytics professionals who possess this powerful combination are prized for their ability to merge scientific thinking with technical skills and knowledge. They apply these skills to data to uncover hidden solutions to business and social science problems across a wide range of sectors and industries.
Source: Ellucain Report 2019: Credentail clout: How higher ed
can prepare for an evolving job market
Degree
Credentials


About the Certifications

Edison Framework

The Data Science Institute’s professional certifications are awarded based on relevant prior academic achievements, professional experience, and successful completion of rigorous exams. These exams test skills and knowledge applicable to professional practice in data science.
Each of the Institute's professional exams is three hours long and consists of 180 multiple-choice questions. These questions are based on the Edison European Data Science Framework’s Body of Knowledge (DS-BoK) and have been developed and approved by highly experienced senior data science academics and professionals.

About the exams

The exams cover areas including:
  • Exploratory Data Analysis
  • Statistical Inference
  • Predictive Modelling
  • Time Series Analysis
  • Unsupervised Methods
  • Machine Learning 
  • Text Mining And Natural Language Processing
R and Python tracks
Candidates can choose either an R or Python track for their exam
Exam preparation portal with practice questions, exam specifications and extra study resources

Eligibility criteria for professional certifications

Certified Professional Data Analyst
 CPDA
Requirements:
1 year minimum relevant professional
experience in data
analytics/data science*
Data Science Institute
Certificate in Data
Science**
OR
Minimum first degree or equivalent in
a related subject from a recognised university, higher education institution or awarding body***
Certified Professional Data Scientist
 CPDS
Requirements:
2 years minimum relevant professional 
experience in data
data science*
Data Science Institute
Postgraduate Diploma in Data
Science**
OR
Postgraduate diploma or higher in
a related subject from a recognised university, higher education institution or awarding body***
Fellow of the Data Science Institute 
FDSI
Requirements:
3 years minimum relevant
professional experience in technical leadership, managerial or strategic roles*
A merit pass in the Data Science Institute's Certified Professional Data Scientist exam
Master's degree or higher in a relevant subject***
* Evidenced by curriculum vitae and/or employer references
** Holders of the Data Science Institute's Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma in Data Science with a merit score or higher are not required to take the certification exam.
*** You will need to submit copies of your degree certificate to the Data Science Institute