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Important business decisions require justification, and while we often have data that can help us make those decisions, the skill with which we analyze the data can make the difference between a good and bad outcome. This course, developed by Professor Chris Anderson, is designed to move learners beyond making decisions focused solely on averages. In this course, you will develop a working familiarity with the grounding principles of data analysis. You will learn to derive the greatest benefit possible from the data available to you while ensuring that the conclusions you draw remain valid. You will apply a decision-making framework within which you'll interact with the data to achieve the best outcome.

This course includes valuable tools and help sheets for data handlers along with the insight and perspective you need as a data consumer. While this course is not a replacement for a full-length statistics course, you will have a basic grounding in many statistics concepts by the time the course is over. You should be able to complete this course without any prior knowledge of statistics.

Project Management Institute (PMI®) Continuing Certification: Participants who successfully complete this course will receive 6 Professional Development Units (PDUs) from PMI®. Please contact PMI ® for details about professional project management certification or recertification. PMI is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

  • May 13, 2026
  • Jun 3, 2026
  • Jun 24, 2026
  • Jul 15, 2026
  • Aug 5, 2026
  • Aug 26, 2026
  • Sep 16, 2026

Summary statistics are one way to forecast uncertain outcomes, and the statistical results can be used to make decisions or guide strategy. Since summary statistics are based on a data sample, they typically inform intuitive decision-making. That is, the model requires interpretation which relies on the business intuition of the person using it.

You'll learn how to examine sample data scientifically to limit any generalizations to only the patterns that have the strongest statistical support. As always, intuition and business knowledge play an important role in the process, but this course will prepare you to apply a level of scientific rigor that will lead to better results. 

You are required to have completed the following course or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

  • Understanding and Visualizing Data
  • Apr 22, 2026
  • May 13, 2026
  • Jun 3, 2026
  • Jun 24, 2026
  • Jul 15, 2026
  • Aug 5, 2026
  • Aug 26, 2026

The sheer variety of sources and types of data that can aid in decision making are almost overwhelming. The key to making good use of the data lies in knowing what specifically to pay attention to, understanding the relationships and variables among the data, and making the right connections. 

Experience is essential to knowing and making educated guesses about what to pay attention to. Familiarity with statistical methods will provide you with a significant advantage over relying on gut instinct alone.

In this course you will learn to identify uncertainty in a business decision, and to choose variables that help reduce uncertainty. By the end of this course, you will have a robust decision model that you can use to make predictions related to your decision. Along the way, you will clarify and enhance your understanding of the factors that influence possible outcomes from the decision.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

  • Understanding and Visualizing Data
  • Implementing Scientific Decision Making
  • Apr 22, 2026
  • May 13, 2026
  • Jun 3, 2026
  • Jun 24, 2026
  • Jul 15, 2026
  • Aug 5, 2026
  • Aug 26, 2026

eCornell Online Workshops are live, interactive 3-hour learning experiences led by Cornell faculty experts. These premium short-format sessions focus on AI topics and are designed for busy professionals who want to gain immediately applicable skills and strategic perspectives. Workshops include faculty presentations, breakout discussions, guided hands-on practice, and downloadable resources.

The AI Workshops All-Access Pass provides you with unlimited participation for 6 months from your date of purchase. Whether you choose to attend one workshop per month, or several per week, the All-Access Pass will allow you to customize your AI journey and stay on top of the latest AI trends.

Workshops cover a range of cutting-edge AI topics applicable across industries, hosted by Cornell faculty at the forefront of their fields. Whether you are just getting started with AI, seeking to build your AI skillset, or exploring advanced applications of AI, Workshops will provide you with an action-oriented learning experience for immediate application in your career. Sample Workshops include:

  • Work Smarter with AI Agents: Individual and Team Effectiveness
  • Leading AI Transformation: Bigger Than You Imagine, Harder Than You Expect
  • Using AI at Work: Practical Choices and Better Results
  • Search & Discoverability in the Era of AI
  • Don't Just Prompt AI - Govern it
  • AI-Powered Product Manager
  • Leverage AI and Human Connection to Lead through Uncertainty

How It Works

“
I like to think outside of the box, and this program from eCornell helped me conceptualize how I want to approach data problems going forward. I was able to actually apply new course concepts to my work, rather than simply repeat steps with different values.
‐ Mark T.
Mark T.

Frequently Asked Questions

Data-driven decisions are now expected in nearly every function, but many professionals are asked to defend conclusions without a clear, repeatable method for gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data. Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate helps you build that method so you can move beyond “the average” and make recommendations that hold up under scrutiny. In this certificate program, authored by faculty from the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, you will learn how to qualify and visualize data, test business questions with scientific rigor, and build predictive models that reduce uncertainty. You’ll practice working with key performance indicators (KPIs), confidence intervals and hypothesis tests, and regression models so you can explain not just what happened but also why it likely happened and what is likely to happen next. You will apply what you learn through structured, multi-part projects, exercises, quizzes, and discussions, with guidance and feedback from an expert facilitator. If you want practical analytics fluency, a structured way to make evidence-based decisions, and confidence in communicating insights to stakeholders, you should choose Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate.
Many online analytics courses focus on passive content or isolated techniques. Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate is built to help you practice an end-to-end decision workflow that mirrors how analytics is used on the job, from defining the decision and choosing the right data to testing claims and building predictive models you can defend. You learn in a small cohort with an expert facilitator who guides discussion and provides feedback on your project work so you are not left to interpret results alone. Across the program, you repeatedly apply a consistent framework: Qualify data and reduce bias, select appropriate visualizations and summary statistics, use hypothesis testing and confidence intervals to judge whether a pattern is meaningful, and build and refine regression models to reduce uncertainty and improve predictions. The experience also emphasizes practical tools and templates that support your day-to-day work, including downloadable checklists, Excel-based resources, and guided workflows for selecting and running common statistical tests and regressions. The result is a structured learning experience designed for real decisions, not just textbook exercises. Enrolling in this certificate also provides you with a 6-month All-Access Pass to eCornell's live online AI Workshops, interactive sessions led by world-class Cornell faculty that combine Ivy League insight with practical applications for busy professionals. Each 3-hour Workshop features structured instruction, guided practice, and real tools to build competitive AI capabilities, plus the opportunity to connect with a global cohort of growth-oriented peers. While AI Workshops are not required, they enhance certificate programs through: * Integrating AI perspectives across most curricula * Responding to emerging AI developments and trends * Offering direct engagement with Cornell faculty at the forefront of AI research
Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate is designed for professionals who need to make and justify better business decisions with data, whether you work directly with datasets or you rely on analysis produced by others. The program is a strong fit if you are: * An analyst or analytics-adjacent professional who wants a clearer, more defensible approach to visualization, hypothesis testing, and predictive modeling * A functional manager or executive who needs to evaluate analyses, ask better questions about data quality and bias, and communicate decisions using KPIs * A consultant or project lead who must translate data into stakeholder-ready recommendations and practical next steps Because the coursework is spreadsheet friendly and moves from foundations to more advanced decision modeling, learners with familiarity in statistics and Excel tend to be most successful.
Project work in Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate is designed to be practical and decision focused. You will build your skills through multi-part assignments that progress from defining a decision and gathering appropriate data, to analyzing and visualizing patterns, to testing claims and building predictive models that support a recommendation. Examples of projects learners have completed include: * Building a model that links blood bank inventory levels and exchange scheduling to short-dated and expired antigen-negative red blood cell units, helping to reduce waste while protecting patient supply * Forecasting daily urgent care visit volume by quantifying how seasonal illness trends and staffing capacity drive demand, improving scheduling and reducing patient wait times * Creating a retirement “readiness ratio” model using log-log regression to show how starting balance and years to retirement most strongly predict whether a 401(k) trajectory stays on track * Developing an employee turnover model that ties engagement, tenure, and pay competitiveness to attrition risk, informing practical retention and compensation strategies * Predicting whether new banking customers adopt additional products within six months by analyzing initial product choice and credit profile, helping to target cross-selling efforts more effectively You can often tailor your project topic to your role, using your own workplace context while protecting confidential information, so the work you submit is closely aligned with the decisions you actually need to make.
Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate equips you to bring more rigor, clarity, and credibility to the decisions you influence with data. After completing the Data Analytics Certificate, you will have the skills to: * Create and interpret statistical summaries and data visualizations that support understanding and guide decision making * Use data and key performance indicators to build a dashboard that uses visuals to improve your understanding of complex business situations * Formulate a business question as a scientific hypothesis that can be tested using statistical methods * Create and validate regression models that can be used to determine the effect of attributes on a decision and predict likely outcomes * Use data to describe and reduce uncertainty in decision making Students in Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate often report that the program helps them build practical, work-ready analytics skills they can use immediately, while feeling structured and manageable alongside full-time work. Learners commonly highlight the real-world emphasis on evidence-based decision making, hands-on visualization practice to reduce bias in interpretation, and spreadsheet-friendly templates and workbooks that make it easier to apply what they learn at work. Many also point to projects they can tailor to their job, clear examples that translate concepts into repeatable workflows, and personalized, timely feedback that helps them improve quickly and communicate insights more effectively. What truly sets eCornell apart is how our programs unlock genuine career transformation. Learners earn promotions to senior positions, enjoy meaningful salary growth, build valuable professional networks, and navigate successful career transitions.
Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate, which consists of 3 short courses, is designed to be completed in 9 weeks. Each course in this certificate runs for 3 weeks, with a typical weekly time commitment of 3 to 5 hours. The schedule is flexible in practice because most coursework is asynchronous, so you can complete readings, short video lessons, quizzes, and project work when it fits your week. You also get structured deadlines and an active cohort experience that helps you maintain momentum, along with opportunities to join live sessions focused on applying concepts and getting questions answered.
Students in Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate often say the program gives them practical, work-ready analytics skills they can use immediately, with a learning experience that feels structured, supportive, and manageable alongside a full-time schedule. Many highlight how the curriculum connects data collection, analysis, and visualization into a clear, end-to-end approach that builds confidence quickly. What students commonly emphasize includes: * Strong focus on real-world data problems, including hypothesis testing and evidence-based decision making * Practical training in data visualization to communicate insights clearly and reduce bias in interpretation * Hands-on, spreadsheet-friendly resources such as downloadable templates and workbooks that support analysis * Projects that can be tailored to a learner’s job, making the coursework directly relevant to their role * Clear examples that help translate analytics concepts into repeatable workflows at work * Well-organized modules and an intuitive platform that make it easy to stay on track * Short, visual lessons that are easy to revisit and fit into busy weeks * Engaging exercises, quizzes, and discussions that reinforce key concepts * Personalized, timely feedback from facilitators that helps learners improve quickly * A flexible, self-paced format that supports consistent progress without disrupting work and life responsibilities Overall, students describe Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate as a focused, efficient way to build analytics capability, strengthen confidence with data, and bring more structure and rigor to everyday reporting, interpretation, and decision making.
Preparation for Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate is straightforward, but the program moves quickly into applied analysis. Familiarity with basic statistics and comfort working in Excel will help you get more out of the projects and templates. The coursework is designed to be accessible even if you have not taken a full statistics sequence, and it builds your confidence step by step through short lessons, practice questions, and applied assignments. If you regularly work with reports, metrics, or spreadsheets and want a more rigorous approach to interpreting data and making predictions, Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate is a practical next step.
Most of the hands-on work in Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate is designed to be spreadsheet friendly, with many demonstrations and practice activities built around Excel workflows. You will use practical resources such as charting and visualization guides, step-by-step Excel instructions, and templates for common statistical tests and regression tasks. Because the focus is on decision making with real business data, you will spend time producing and interpreting visualizations, calculating confidence intervals and p-values, and building regression models you can explain to stakeholders, using tools that translate well to everyday analytics work.
Hands-on application is central to Cornell’s Data Analytics Certificate. You will work through business scenarios and case examples that show how sampling choices, bias, and visualization decisions can change conclusions, then apply the same methods to your own project. Across the program, you will practice turning a real decision into a measurable question, choosing appropriate data and KPIs, and using statistical tools to evaluate claims and predict outcomes. Expect frequent knowledge checks (i.e., quizzes), practical exercises in analysis and modeling, and discussions where you explain your reasoning and consider how others approach similar decisions.

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