Harvard Online · delivered by SkillsPro360

Certificate in
Data Science & AI Principles

A nearly code- and mathematics-free introduction to data science and AI.

What you study: Prediction, causality, visualization, data wrangling, privacy and ethics — and how these provide the building blocks for AI, machine learning and large language models.
Who it is for: Professionals who work alongside data scientists as managers and decision-makers, rather than building models themselves.
Also included: Three months of Voca — AI-powered practice for interviews, presentations and CV review.

Course fee

USD 1,200

Single course enrollment

Duration

5 weeks

4–5 hrs/week

Certificate of Completion fromHarvard Online

Reserve your seat Get more information

Request a call Get it for your team

What you receive

Earn a Certificate of Completion from Harvard Online.

Complete the course and Harvard Online issues your Certificate of Completion.

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Designed and taught by Harvard faculty

Curriculum developed and delivered by Dustin Tingley of the Harvard Kennedy School, with industry experts bringing real cases into the course.

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A credential you can verify and share

Issued in your legal name as a Certified Electronic Credential you can add to your resume and LinkedIn profile.

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Counts toward an Executive Program

Stack this course with others to earn a Certificate of Specialization from Harvard Online.

Sample Harvard Online Certificate of Completion

Sample certificate issued by Harvard Online. Certificate design subject to change by Harvard Online.

Course syllabus

What you study.

Nine topics, each built around a real case, prompting you to think critically about applying these ideas in your own workplace.

Topics covered

Data 101 — why data collection matters, what affects data quality, and judging whether data is high-quality. Case: flu detection
Predictions and recommendations — the structure of a predictive algorithm and where human decisions shape it. Case: predicting sepsis
Cause and effect — classifying relationships by correlation or causation, and the limits of randomization. Case: the Google Tax
Data governance and privacy — formulating privacy guidelines and evaluating existing policies for ethics. Case: privacy and facial recognition
Beyond the spreadsheet — sentiment analysis, supervised versus unsupervised learning, neural networks. Case: Burning Glass and text data
Introduction to algorithms — evaluating algorithm performance and selecting the right one. Case: reducing food waste with Shelf Engine
Data science ecosystems — the lifecycle of data, cloud infrastructure and where bottlenecks appear. Case: Harvard Link
Data science and AI — mapping AI capabilities to business tasks, assessing data readiness, and treating adoption as a leadership challenge. Case: AXA Insurance
The road ahead — auditing the data science process and recognizing how algorithms reinforce bias. Case: health care prioritization

Learning outcomes

Understand core data science and AI concepts

Explain foundational ideas such as prediction, causality, and data privacy in clear terms, and how they underpin AI, machine learning, and large language models
Recognize how data science and AI fundamentals apply across industries and roles

Evaluate and interpret data quality, algorithms, and AI systems

Identify high-quality versus low-quality data, common sources of bias, and their impact on AI and machine learning models
Assess the strengths and limitations of predictive systems, AI-powered recommendations, and other algorithmic tools

Apply data science and AI principles to real-world problems

Use frameworks to classify data relationships, spot opportunities, uncover causal insights, and determine when AI approaches are appropriate versus traditional analytics
Develop guidelines for ethical data and AI use and for making effective, responsible decisions in your work environment

Format: self-paced within cohort deadlinesAssessment: topics with quizzes

Syllabus topics are set by Harvard Online and may be revised between cohorts.

Who it is for

Built for decision-makers, not data scientists.

Harvard describes this course as particularly suited to people who are not data scientists but who work alongside them as managers and decision-makers.

Functional managers and heads of departmentLeaders who receive data-driven reports and must judge whether to act on them.
Professionals moving into data-adjacent rolesThose whose responsibilities now include data and AI decisions.
Founders and business ownersLeaders deciding where to invest in data, analytics and AI capability.
Consultants and advisorsProfessionals who must interpret client data credibly.

No mathematics, programming or technical background required. Taught in English; participants should be 18 or over.

At work

Ask better questions of the data and AI in front of you.

You do not need to code to be the person in the meeting who spots a weak analysis. This course builds that judgment through real cases.

Challenge a forecastAsk how a prediction was built, what data trained it and where it is likely to be wrong.
Separate cause from coincidenceRecognize when a correlation is being sold as proof, and know what evidence would settle it.
Work well with data teamsBrief analysts and data scientists in terms they respect, and understand what they need from you.
Govern data responsiblyWeigh privacy, fairness and governance before a data project starts, not after a problem surfaces.

Who teaches you

Learn from Harvard faculty.

Your coursework is designed and delivered by Harvard faculty, with industry experts bringing real cases into each topic.

Dustin Tingley

Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Government Department

A data scientist at Harvard and Deputy Vice Provost for Advances in Learning, Professor Tingley helps direct Harvard's education-focused data science and technology team and has helped organizations across sectors apply data science in practice.

Executive Program in Data & AI for Business

Three Harvard Online modules on data, business decisions and privacy — with live sessions, app access and Voca practice.

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Go further with the Executive Program

This course is one module of the Executive Program in Data & AI for Business, which adds two further Harvard Online modules, 36 hours of live sessions with industry experts, twelve months of app access and Voca practice — earning a Certificate of Specialization from Harvard Online.

Three Harvard Online modules

Including this course

36 hours of live sessions

Fortnightly, with industry experts

App access and Voca practice

Included throughout

View the Executive Program

Course fee

What is included.

One fee covering the full Harvard Online course, your Certificate of Completion, and three months of Voca practice access.

USD1,200

per participant · complete course

The complete Harvard Online course, all nine topics
Certificate of Completion from Harvard Online
A Certified Electronic Credential for LinkedIn
Three months of Voca — AI-powered practice for interviews, presentations and CV review
Cohort-based study with a global peer group
Advisor support from enrollment to completion

Reserve your seat

Enrolling a team?

Organizations are invoiced directly, and multi-seat rates apply from ten participants.

Fees are quoted in US dollars and paid by international card or bank transfer; your bank applies its own conversion rate. We can also provide a scope document for employer-funded participants.

Request a proposal

Enrollment

From inquiry to first day.

Four steps, usually completed within a week.

Step one

Book a call

A twenty-minute conversation with an advisor to check the course fits your role and goals. No obligation.

Step two

Choose your cohort

We confirm the upcoming start dates that suit your schedule.

Step three

Reserve your seat

Confirm your place, then complete payment by international card or bank transfer.

Step four

Begin

We enroll you directly with Harvard Online. Your access details arrive by email before your start date.

Common questions

Everything you might be wondering.

Do I really need no mathematics or coding?

Correct. Harvard designed this course to be nearly code- and mathematics-free. It teaches the concepts and judgment behind data science and AI, not the technical execution.

What will I study in Data Science & AI Principles?

Nine topics, each built around a real case: Data 101; predictions and recommendations; cause and effect; data governance and privacy; going beyond the spreadsheet; an introduction to algorithms; data science ecosystems; data science and AI; and the road ahead.

How much time will it take?

The course runs five weeks at roughly four to five hours a week, completed on your own schedule within weekly deadlines.

What does it cost?

USD 1,200 for the complete course, covering the full Harvard Online course, your Certificate of Completion and three months of Voca practice access.

What is Voca, and how do I use it?

Voca is SkillsPro360's AI-powered practice tool. You can rehearse a presentation, run a mock interview, or have your CV reviewed — privately, on demand, as many times as you like. Three months of access are included with this course, and your advisor will help you time it for when it is most useful.

Who awards the certificate?

Harvard Online. On successful completion you receive a Certificate of Completion issued directly by Harvard Online. SkillsPro360 is an authorized delivery partner — we are not Harvard University.

Does this course count toward the Executive Program in Data & AI for Business?

Yes. It is one of the three modules of the Executive Program in Data & AI for Business. If you go on to complete the other two, this course counts toward your Certificate of Specialization. Speak to an advisor before enrolling so we can map the route with you.

Certificate in
Data Science & AI Principles

Study with a global cohort.