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Your online big data certificate can mean big opportunities

We have access to more information than ever before, and data informs how businesses and organizations across industries and around the world operate. With cloud computing, the Internet of Things, smartphones, and the growth of websites, social media platforms and apps that gather data, this trend will only increase.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in computer and information technology occupations is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2023 to 2033.1

At Maryville, we offer a 100% online Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Big Data to help you upskill, reskill or retool as you prepare for what’s next in your career. If you already have a STEM-related bachelor’s degree or background in data or computer science, your professional certificate can help you expand your understanding of this future-focused field. Learn the skills to become the expert your organization needs to make raw data usable utilizing data wrangling, understand data mining practices, apply machine learning to data sets and navigate the booming field of big data. Prepare to build a bright future for yourself.

Want a more in-depth look at our online big data certificate program?

Get curriculum details

Apply with no application fees or entrance exams, and choose from 3 start dates

Learn from a dynamic curriculum that is regularly updated to reflect emerging trends and technologies

Earn your certificate in less than half the time as a master’s degree

Access 100% online coursework with no campus visits required

Develop critical, in-demand skills in machine learning, computer programming, and big data analytics

Earn a project-driven certificate and learn from industry leaders

Who should earn a certificate in big data online?

If you have a professional background in a field like computer science, data science or cybersecurity, or if you’ve already earned a bachelor’s degree in a STEM-related field, undergoing big data training through our online program might be for you.

Our online big data certificate is a post-baccalaureate credential designed to help you take your existing knowledge of science, technology and computers one step further. Our program is flexible and streamlined, so you can upskill for your current career or reskill to pursue new opportunities without having to commit to earning a full master’s degree.

As more and more companies across industries adopt big data practices, employers need a qualified analytics professional to help them create, manage, and interpret these operations. Whether you’re looking to advance or grow in your current position or find a new passion in a future-focused field, your online certificate in big data can be the first step toward accomplishing your goals.

Why earn your online certificate in big data?

The data we deal with is no longer just measured in megabytes or gigabytes. The total amount of data created globally is projected to grow to more than 394 zettabytes — that’s 394 trillion gigabytes — by 2028,2 thanks to fast-growing technologies like AI, machine learning and the IoT.

With your big data certification, you can build the skills to mine this data to help your organization maximize operations. Regardless of your career field, big data experts are in demand, so you can thrive almost anywhere.

At Maryville, we designed our big data certificate program to be accessible, dynamic and quick. In just five courses, you can begin to build a graduate-level understanding of issues, techniques and opportunities in big data. That means your post-bachelor’s certificate can help prepare you to thrive in this field in less than half the time as earning a master’s degree.

Dynamic, affordable, and highly streamlined

Get personalized support. Benefit from a dedicated student support team who can assist you from application through graduation.

Learn from a streamlined curriculum. Study the most important topics in big data and earn your certificate in just five courses.

Prepare for further credentials. Complete coursework that you can apply toward a master’s degree in data science, or earn a future professional certificate in machine learning with just three additional courses.

Gain real-world experience. Learn from a practical, experiential data science program that helps you build skills you can apply in your career immediately.

Learn from leaders in data science. Engage with dedicated faculty and industry experts.

Study on your schedule. Access 100% online coursework with no campus visits required.

What can you do with your online big data certificate?

Big data is big business, and that means organizations are willing to pay top dollar for top talent. When you earn your Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Big Data, you can gain a graduate-level understanding of how to analyze and utilize data to increase efficiency and optimize operations.

Your post-bachelor’s certificate in big data can enhance your skills in high-demand, high-growth areas like machine learning, computer programming, text mining, deep learning and big data analytics. You can also benefit from flexible curriculum choices to maximize your educational experience.

Wherever you want to go in your career, we can help you become the data science authority your organization needs to lead on the digital frontier.

What types of careers can I pursue with an online certificate in big data analytics?

Businesses and organizations of all types use data analytics, meaning you can use your big data certificate to pursue a career in nearly any industry or setting. Want to work in the nonprofit sector? Your understanding of big data can help you determine the best targets for soliciting donations or the best use of resources to maximize reach. Want to work for a tech startup? Big data can help determine likely users and clients, so you can focus on their needs and improve their user experience.

Data can give insights into advertisement effectiveness, customer preference and opinion, client acquisition and retention, and operational efficiency. All it takes is a qualified expert to help analyze and interpret it. That could be you.

Put your online big data certificate to work in a variety of settings, including:

  • Advertising and communication agencies
  • Banks and credit unions
  • Financial services firms
  • Higher Education
  • Hospitals and clinics
  • Insurance companies
  • Local, state, and government offices
  • Manufacturing plants
  • Marketing firms
  • Nonprofit organizations
  • Supply chain operations
  • Travel agencies
  • Tech startups

Career opportunities in big data include:

  • Big Data Analyst
  • Big Data Scientist
  • Business Intelligence Analyst
  • Database Architect
  • Data Engineer
  • Database Administrator
  • Data Mining Analyst

Where can your online big data certificate take you?

Pursue high-salary careers

Businesses and organizations are increasingly recognizing the benefits of including big data in their operations. That means they’ll need qualified experts to help them take advantage of the opportunities yet to be discovered in data. While salaries vary based on factors like experience, location and education, your big data certificate can help you qualify for high-paying jobs like data scientist ($108,020 median annual pay),3 database administrator ($101,510 median annual pay), or database architect ($134,700 median annual pay).4

Find a career in a growing field

Employment in data-related occupations in the United States is projected to grow faster than the 5% average for all occupations over the decade between 2021 and 2031.5 Of these careers, data scientists are projected to demonstrate the fastest employment growth (36%) from 2023 to 2033, though above-average growth is also expected in careers like operations research analysts (23%)6 and database architects (9%).7

Be part of the big data revolution

Did you know bad or faulty data can accrue significant financial losses for organizations around the world? 

There’s a huge incentive for businesses to invest in big data to gain back some of that lost revenue. With your online post-bachelor’s certificate in big data, you can position yourself as a leader to help eliminate waste and discover new opportunities based on empirical, data-focused information.

Why choose Maryville Online’s post-bachelor’s big data certificate?

Build a dynamic education

Our Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Big Data is unique in its focus on experiential, real-world learning and flexible curriculum structure that accommodates your current knowledge to make sure you get the most benefit. With project-based courses informed by actual issues in modern data science, you can employ the skills and info you learn in your big data certificate program to your career in real time.

Maximize your education investment

When you earn your post-bachelor’s certificate from Maryville, you can apply coursework toward a future professional certificate in machine learning (up to 6 credits) or your master’s degree in data science from Maryville Online (up to 15 credits). That means once you earn your certificate, you’re already well on the way toward completing your master’s degree.

Put our reputation to work

Maryville University was founded in 1872 and has been helping brave, motivated professionals launch or enhance their careers with industry expertise ever since. Ninety percent of our full-time faculty holds a doctorate or terminal degree, and our software development and computer science faculty comprise experienced practitioners and experts in the field.

We’re proud of our reputation for quality academics, accelerated growth, and affordability, because it demonstrates our commitment to excellence.

Online certificate in big data curriculum*

We designed our big data certificate program to give you a streamlined path toward a strong foundation in graduate-level concepts like big data analytics, deep learning, and computer programming languages. Our curriculum features core coursework that can help you build and refine the skills employers demand, so you can prepare to begin a new career in big data — or advance in your current role.

Focus on issues important to big data

Build a high-level base in key, in-demand concepts like computer programming languages, text mining, big data analytics, machine learning and deep learning.

A curriculum tailored to your skills

Do you already have master’s-level credits in big data? Our program gives you the opportunity to transfer in up to two graduate-level courses (6 credits), shortening your time to completion.

Expand your career potential with a second certificate

Want to build your skills with an additional post-bachelor’s certificate? We also offer an online certificate in machine learning. If you choose to pursue both certificates, you can apply your big data coursework and earn your machine learning certificate in just three additional courses. That means you can earn both credentials in only eight total courses.

Core Courses (15 credit hours)

  • This course covers data types, statements, expressions, control flow, top Python core libraries (NumPy, SciPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, and Seaborn) and modeling libraries (Statsmodels and Scikit-learn). Project-based learning is used to help students develop effective problem-solving skills and effective collaboration skills. Note: This course is for graduate students only. Related courses: DSCI 303

  • This course provides an introduction to machine learning. Topics include: supervised learning; machine learning algorithms; learning theory; reinforcement learning and adaptive control; neural networks, and applications of machine learning to data mining, autonomous navigation and web data processing. Note: This course is for graduate students only. Related courses: DSCI 408

  • This course covers text analytics, the practice of extracting useful information hidden in unstructured text such as social media, emails and web pages using Python. Topics include working with corpora, transformations, metadata management, term document matrices, word clouds and topic models. Project-based learning is used to help students develop effective problem-solving skills and effective collaboration skills. Related courses: DSCI 314

  • This course targets data scientists and data engineers. It covers programming with RDDs, tuning and debugging Spark applications, Spark SQL, Spark streaming, and machine learning with MLlib. It provides students the tools to quickly tackle big data analysis problems on one machine or hundreds. Project-based learning is used to help students develop effective problem-solving skills and effective collaboration skills. Related courses: DSCI 417

  • This course is an introduction to deep learning with an emphasis on the development and application of advanced neural networks. It covers convolutional neural networks, recurrent neural networks, generative adversarial networks and deep reinforcement learning. Project-based learning is used to help students develop effective problem-solving skills and effective collaboration skills. Related courses: DSCI 419

Do you already have master’s-level credits in big data? Our program gives you the opportunity to transfer in up to two graduate-level courses (6 credits), shortening your time to completion.

*No electives are required to complete the online certificate in big data. To ensure the best possible educational experience for our students, we may update our curriculum to reflect emerging and changing employer and industry trends. Undergraduate programs and certificates are designed to be taken at a part-time pace. Please speak to your advisor for more details.

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Take your education further with your Master of Science in Data Science

While your post-bachelor’s certificate can help you qualify for a great career in big data, a master’s in data science can establish you as a true leader in the field. If you choose to take your data science education further, we can help you maximize your time with an accelerated path toward your master’s degree.

When you earn your big data certificate from Maryville Online, your classes will count toward your master’s degree as well. That means once you earn your certificate, you’re already well on your way toward your data science master’s.

Want to learn more about how your Master of Science in Data Science can help you take your Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Big Data further? Schedule a call with an advisor and discuss the benefits for your career.

Learn more about the online big data certificate at Maryville University.

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Be Brave

Bring us your ambition and we’ll guide you along a personalized path to a quality education that’s designed to change your life.

  1. Computer and Information Technology Occupations. (2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved December 6, 2024. ↩︎
  2. Amount of Data Created, Consumed, and Stored 2010–2023, With Forecasts to 2028. (2024). Statista. Retrieved December 6, 2024.  ↩︎
  3. Occupational Outlook Handbook, Data Scientists. (2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved December 6, 2024. ↩︎
  4. Occupational Outlook Handbook, Database Administrators and Architects. (2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved
    December 6, 2024. ↩︎
  5. Data Occupations With Rapid Employment Growth, Projected 2021–2031. (2023). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved December 6, 2024. ↩︎
  6. Fastest Growing Occupations. (2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved January 6, 2025. ↩︎
  7. Data Administrators and Architects. (2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved January 6, 2025. ↩︎