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Academic Advising Centre

Data Analysis Post-baccalaureate certificate

This guide has been prepared with the information you need to successfully register for your first year at UFV. Please review the information provided on this page thoroughly before contacting your academic advisor with questions.

 

Overview

Data analysis is the science of correctly collecting data, assessing it for trustworthiness, extracting information from it, and presenting it in a comprehensible informative way. These skills are vital to institutions such as government, business, or health care where sound decisions must be made based on data and the way it is interpreted.

Students will acquire the skills needed to extract reliable information from large data sets. With carefully designed courses taken in both computing and statistics, students will gain the data-base skills needed to house, extract, manipulate, and maintain data, and will learn the statistical techniques needed to collect data correctly, assess its quality, analyze it, and present the information effectively to decision makers. The industry standard statistical software environments SAS and R will be used throughout.

 

Options

Co-operative education is an option within the Data Analysis Post-baccalaureate certificate. Combining academic studies with paid work terms related to your major and is a valuable addition to your program of study and an effective form of professional preparation.

Co-op students within the Data Analysis Post-baccalaureate certificate must complete 11 courses as well as a four-month Co-op work term in the Summer semester directly before their final (fulltime) academic semester. The certificate with Co-op option can be earned in about 18 months, beginning in July and finishing in December of the following year.

Typical program plan (Co-op option)

Semester I: Summer (May–August)
Early Summer session (May–June)

  • COMP 150 (if necessary)

Late Summer session (July–August)

  • STAT 106 (if necessary)

Semester II: Fall (September–December)

  • STAT 271
  • STAT 272
  • COMP 230

Semester III: Winter (January–April)

  • STAT 307
  • STAT 315
  • COMP 331/STAT 331

Semester IV: Summer (May–August)

  • Co-op work term

Semester V: Fall (September–December)

  • STAT 350 or STAT 330
  • One of STAT 402, STAT 430, or STAT 470
  • STAT 431/COMP 431 or COMP 381

 

Program structure and requirements

Students must complete 11 courses, for a total of 34 or 35 credits. The certificate can be earned in 14 months, beginning in May and finishing at the end of June the following year. Those students who begin the program with credit for COMP 120, COMP 150, COMP 152, or COMP 155 and either STAT 106 or MATH 270/STAT 270 can earn the certificate in about 10 months, beginning in September and finishing at the end of the following June.

Students planning to complete the DAC within 12 months may need a B or better in STAT 106 in order to have the prerequisites in place for all of their Fall courses.

Where can I find a list of courses for the program?

You can access a list of all approved and required courses for your program in two ways:

 

First time using MyGRADplan?

Visit MyGRADplan website to get login instructions and review tutorials. Specifically, you will want to learn about the 'What if' and 'Look ahead' features as they will be most helpful in your course planning.

 

Workload

Given that 3 classes correspond to approximately 20+ hours/week of school work both in and out of the classroom, it is very important that you consider your workload capacity carefully.

It is much better to start with less and add more coursework in future semesters than to start out feeling overloaded in your first semester.

Ultimately, the number of courses you take each semester is up to you, but here is what we recommend for first-year students:

 

Pick
3-5 courses per semester

 

Expect
9-18 hours per week in class

 

And at least
9-18 hours per week
for homework

 

Science courses can be a heavy course load. If you are working, you want to make sure to keep a good balance between work and school:

  • Working 10hrs/week > 12 credits max. recommended
  • Working 20hrs/week > 9 credits max. recommended

 

Suggested course plan (first and second semester)

 

Typical program plan

Semester I: Summer (May–August)
Early Summer session (May–June)

  • COMP 150 (if necessary)

Late Summer session (July–August)

  • STAT 106 (if necessary)
  • Note: Students planning to complete the DAC within 12 months may need a B or better in STAT 106 in order to have the prerequisites in place for all of their Fall courses.

Semester II: Fall (September–December)

  • STAT 271
  • STAT 272
  • COMP 230
  • STAT 350 or STAT 330

Semester III: Winter (January–April)

  • STAT 307
  • STAT 315
  • COMP 331/STAT 331
  • One of STAT 402, STAT 430, or STAT 470

Semester IV: Early Summer session (May–June)

  • COMP 381 or STAT 431/COMP 431

 

Next steps

Prepare for registration

Watch tutorials, review information on fee payment, important dates, and more.

Explore courses of interest

Find official course descriptions and outlines in the Academic Calendar.

Track your degree progress

Access your program audit & identify the requirements that are needed for graduation.

 

 
Still have questions?

Book an appointment with an academic advisor or email your questions to advising@ufv.ca.