Data science skills are in high demand across virtually every sector—but what sets JMU's certificate apart is its emphasis on application to society. Our curriculum grounds technical training in the real problems facing communities, organizations, and the environment.

• Applied Data Science Skills: From machine learning to geospatial analysis, you'll build an understanding and broadly-relevant toolkit of data science techniques and tools. The certificate program will help you develop skills in data visualization, exploratory data analysis, applied machine learning, and geospatial network analysis.
• Societal Context: Coursework is grounded in applications to the environmental, climate, and social sciences—giving your technical skills real-world context and purpose.
• Open to Multiple BackgroundsNo single undergraduate major is required. STEM graduates, social scientists, and working professionals are all welcomed.
• Flexible Online FormatTake 3 or 6 credits per semester and complete the certificate in one or two years—on a schedule that fits your life.

This certificate is designed for three distinct audiences—all united by a desire to work more effectively with data.

Data science for society applies computational and statistical methods to problems that relating to climate, health equity, social networks, and community resources. This certificate prepares you not just to work with data, but to use it in service of better decisions and better outcomes.

Students in this program develop skills across the full data science pipeline, with particular emphasis on applications drawn from the environmental, climate, and social sciences.

• Exploratory data analysis (EDA) and advanced data visualization
• Building and delivering data models and insights
• Machine learning techniques and statistical analysis
• Querying and working with diverse database types
• Large-scale data sets and high-performance computation
• Graph and network data analysis
• Geospatial data analysis and geographic information systems (GIS)
• Application to environmental, climate, and social science problems

For full program requirements and course listings, see the official JMU Graduate Catalog.