Graduate Data Science Certificate Program

Note: we are revising academic requirements. New information will be available at the end of September, 2022.

The overarching goal of the Graduate Data Science Certificate Program is to train a cadre of skillful data scientists with significant multidisciplinary knowledge, broad analytical skills and agile technological abilities. The program emphasizes the practice of modeling using modern technology to handle large, incongruent, and heterogeneous collections of data. The Graduate Certificate for Data Science is approved by the Rackham School for Graduate Studies.

The program provides interactive data-centered training and involves 9 credits of courses and 3 credits of experiential training that require a written report on data analytics. MIDAS faculty from different disciplines provide mentorship and advising and the Institute offers merit-based top-off scholarships for graduate students enrolled in the certificate program. The Graduate Data Science Certificate Program is open for enrollment on a rolling basis. U-M graduate students from any field are eligible to enroll. Minority and underrepresented students are strongly encouraged to enroll and complete the program.

Students are encouraged to take classes outside the student’s core degree program/department. Completion of the program can be done in 2-4 semesters; but the students may complete the program anytime before they graduate from U-M. The Graduate Data Science Certificate Program aims to provide core experiences in:

• Analysis Methods (AM): Understanding of core Data Science principles, assumptions & applications
• Data Management (DM): Data management, computation, information extraction & exploratory analytics
• Algorithms and Applications (AA): Hands-on experience with modeling tools and technology using real data

Graduate students interested in enrolling in the MIDAS Data Science Graduate Certificate Program are encouraged to review the Prerequisites and complete the Graduate Data Science Readiness Self-Assessment Pretest. Please note that your first semester grades must be posted before applying for this certificate.

NOTE: The Graduate Data Science Certificate Program is only open to U-M students currently enrolled in a graduate degree-granting program.

For questions, contact Ivo D. Dinov (dinov@umich.edu).