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Harvard Online
Harvard Online · delivered by SkillsPro360

Certificate in
Data Science for Business

Move beyond the spreadsheet and become a more conscientious consumer of information.
  • What you study: Translating business problems into data hypotheses, wrangling and visualizing data, forecasting, regression and machine learning — taught as management tools rather than mathematics.
  • Who it is for: Managers who commission analysis, act on it, and answer for the decisions it drives.
  • Also included: Three months of Voca — AI-powered practice for interviews, presentations and CV review.
Course fee
USD 1,600
Single course enrollment
Duration
4 weeks
4–5 hrs/week
Certificate of Completion fromHarvard Online
Duration
4 weeks
Six topics
Effort
4–5 hrs/week
Self-paced within deadlines
Format
Cohort-based online
New cohorts start regularly
Prerequisites
None
No coding required
Credential
Harvard Online
Certificate of Completion
How you learn

Study with a global cohort.

Work through the Harvard Online course on your own schedule within weekly deadlines, alongside professionals from around the world, with three months of Voca practice to apply what you learn.

A team working with data
What you receive

Earn a Certificate of Completion from Harvard Online.

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

✓

Designed and taught by Harvard faculty

Curriculum developed and delivered by Yael Grushka-Cockayne of Harvard Business School, with industry cases throughout.

✓

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.

✓

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.

Six topics, each built around a real business case, starting with the questions you need to ask before you trust any analysis.

Topics covered
  1. The data science shift — applying the Data Driven Decision Framework and translating business problems into data hypotheses. Case: Carvana, good data and bad buys
  2. Data wrangling — assessing data quality, designing table joins and managing missing data. Case: Fannie Mae, identifying investments
  3. Visualization — critiquing charts, generating insight with graphs and designing for maximal impact. Case: StockX, drawing demand
  4. Time series forecasting — matching the time scale to the business problem and selecting smoothing techniques. Case: NICU beds, creating capacity
  5. Linear regressions — interactions, dummy variables and interpreting results. Cases: Bark Gift Shop, ATO Pictures
  6. Logistic regressions and machine learning — confusion matrices, CART, random forest, lasso and neural networks. Cases: Carvana, Fannie Mae
Learning outcomes

Build a data-driven decision framework

  • Use business analytics and data science tools to develop structured approaches that drive organizational success
  • Create and apply data-driven frameworks to develop hypotheses, identify trends, and guide strategy

Build competence in core business data science techniques

  • Apply methods such as data curation, regression models, predictive analytics, and data visualization
  • Assess and select appropriate methodologies in statistics and data analytics for business contexts

Strengthen data literacy and interpretation skills

  • Read and interpret datasets, metrics, visualizations, and basic code to inform decision making
  • Recognize and avoid common pitfalls when analyzing data and communicating insights
Format: self-paced within cohort deadlinesAssessment: six topics with quizzes

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

Who it is for

For managers who decide with data.

If you commission analysis, act on it, or answer for the decisions it drives, this course is designed for you.

No coding required. Taught in English; participants should be 18 or over.

At work

Make decisions with data, not just reports about it.

Most managers receive more dashboards than they can use. This course helps you turn that data into decisions, one business case at a time.

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.

Yael Grushka-Cockayne

Yael Grushka-Cockayne

Visiting Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Professor Grushka-Cockayne's research and teaching focus on data science, forecasting, project management and behavioral decision-making. In 2014 she was named one of twenty-one thought-leader professors in data science.

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.

★
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.

USD1,600
per participant · complete course
  • The complete Harvard Online course
  • 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.

Will I need to write code?

No coding is required. The course starts with the questions you need to ask before you trust any analysis, and builds enough understanding of each method for you to make decisions with it.

What will I study in Data Science for Business?

Six topics, each built around a real business case: the data science shift; data wrangling; visualization; time series forecasting; linear regressions; and logistic regressions and machine learning.

Who is it for?

Department and functional heads, strategy and planning professionals, founders and business owners, and consultants and advisors.

How much time will it take?

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

What does it cost?

USD 1,600 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.

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.

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.

Lead with evidence. Prove it with Harvard Online.

Reserve your seat in the next cohort, or book a call to check the course fits your role.

Reserve your seat