April 4, 2022
Beginning on April 1st, the Applied Data-Driven Methods (ADDM) graduate certificate entered its third year of operation.
The ADDM graduate certificate program allows students to explore and gain expertise in the style of data analysis that supports key decision-making in the workforce. With a focus on educating students in the fundamentals of data analysis within the professional world of statistics, ADDM allows students to utilize the knowledge gained in this program to guide data-based decision-making relevant to a variety of fields, including research and marketing.
“ADDM is an effective tool to get started in the field of machine learning and data mining with little or no prior knowledge,” said Mona Abdelgaid, a graduate student researcher in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. “Through ADDM classes, I mastered the skills needed to build machine learning models which I further applied to my research.”
At the forefront of the 12-credit certificate program is a required introductory course that familiarizes students with Python programming skills with a focus on data analytics, key statistical concepts, and real-world application.
The four-course class structure is designed to allow students to pursue skills in certain areas after the initial introductory course. After completing the introductory course, students can choose two of three offered electives to expand their studies on topics including exploratory data analysis, finding patterns in data, interpreting reduction models, and prioritizing the information and performance of data. To conclude the program, an additional graduate-level elective can be taken from outside of the ADDM courses offered to allow additional specialization.
“To make a better decision, we need to make data-driven decisions. To do that, we have to get the right data to the right people at the right time,” said ADDM professor Dr. Joseph Yurko. “Key decision-makers need to have all of the information at their disposal when they need to do so.”
The ADDM certificate is available to anyone with a four-year bachelor’s degree in any field and can be completed in one year of part-time study. With hybrid classes offered in the evenings, the program is taught with a hands-on approach encouraging active engagement, allowing students to interact with examples and applicable programming problem-solving, and to demonstrate their knowledge in a cumulative final project.
“I worked both independently and in groups to solve real-world problems,” said Mona Abdelgaid. “The ADDM professors were highly prepared for every topic and their support has been outstanding.”
To learn more, visit the ADDM Certificate Website.