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CAREER ADVICE

Become a Data Scientist

As a data scientist, you’ll analyse raw data to form insights and solve problems like creating products or updating software. Get the key skills and qualifications now by taking online data science courses from top UK universities and institutions.

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  • Job score 4 / 5
  • Job satisfaction 3.6 / 5
  • Median base salary £45,000
  • UK job openings/month 578
Source: Glassdoor's Best Jobs (2018)

What skills do you need to become a data scientist?

  • Analytical skills

    Data scientists know what data is and isn’t useful, using their insights to solve wider business problems such as conversion and customer retention using the trends they find.

  • Programming languages

    Whether you’re a data scientist, analyst or working in infrastructure, you’ll need an understanding of the industry’s basic programming languages, and how to use frameworks such as Hadoop.

  • Maths & statistics

    A background in mathematics and stats is vital, especially when building or managing databases. It’ll also help with data modelling, the process of knowing which data requirements a business needs for its problems.

  • Presentation & communication

    Professional data scientists are adept at presenting their findings to the rest of their teams. You’ll need to know the best ways to visualise and communicate insights in formats that every team can use.

Develop these skills. Take an online data science course

The Open University

Learn to Code for Data Analysis

Learn to code in Python using Jupyter Notebook. Use your new programming skills to analyse and visualise open data.
4 weeks
5 hrs per week
The University of Sheffield

Making Sense of Data in the Media

Learn what numbers reveal, when and why they mislead, and how to spot fake news.
3 weeks
3 hrs per week
The University of Waikato

Data Mining with Weka

Discover practical data mining and learn to mine your own data using the popular Weka workbench.
5 weeks
3 hrs per week
The University of Auckland

Data to Insight: An Introduction to Data Analysis and Visualisation

A hands-on introduction emphasizing key ideas, computer software and statistical thinking.
8 weeks
3 hrs per week
UNESCO UNITWIN Complex Systems Digital Campus

First Steps in Data Science with Google Analytics: Bridging Business to Technical Experts

Get started in data science by learning how to use Google Analytics to analyse user behaviour and website performance.
2 weeks
2 hrs per week
The University of Waikato

Advanced Data Mining with Weka

Learn how to use popular packages that extend Weka's functionality and areas of application. Use them to mine your own data!
5 weeks
4 hrs per week
Purdue University

Introduction to R for Data Science

Discover big data: work with airline data to learn the fundamentals of the R platform.
4 weeks
4 hrs per week
University of Reading

Big Data and the Environment

From sources such as satellites, sensors and social media, how can environmental data analytics benefit business and research?
3 weeks
3 hrs per week

Browse more courses in Science, Engineering & Maths and Tech & Coding

What do people say about these data science courses?

Excellent course, being a data scientist for a number of years it gave me insight into manipulating large sets of data and as I am taking other courses related to data visualization I am looking forward to new technologies. Thanks!

Goran Papic
Learner on Learn to Code for Data Analysis

A great introduction to forecasting. The training and validation periods were a bit of an eye-opener. Thank you for putting this course online.

Jonty Pearce
Learner on Business Analytics Using Forecasting

The benefits of taking data science courses online

Learn flexibly online, for free

Develop valuable skills with a short, online data science course. Start learning for free, on desktop, tablet or mobile.

Upgrade for tests and Certificates

Upgrade your course to get unlimited access, take tests and prove what you’ve learnt with a Certificate of Achievement.

Meet development experts

Learn with experts from top universities and business schools. Network with data scientists all over the world.

Contact FutureLearn for Support