Graduate Certificate in Data Science
Postgraduate
ECU-DSC-GCE 2025Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Get creative with solutions using data
Draw on your talents in maths, statistics and computer science to carve out an exciting, in-demand career. In data science, you’ll gather data and analyse it before creating recommendations using new-found knowledge. Growth is tipped for this field.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 6 months full time or part time equivalent
- Total subjects
- 3
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
Graduate Certificate in Data Science
About this degree
At the end of the program, students of the Graduate Certificate in Data Science can:
- Communicate specialised knowledge, concepts and skills to a variety of audiences in the field of data science.
- Analyse and evaluate complex problems to generate creative solutions.
- Demonstrate management skills by initiating, planning, implementing and evaluating data science tasks.
Data Science is an inter-disciplinary field, drawing on mathematics, statistics, and computer science, that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms and systems to extract knowledge and insights from structured and unstructured data. Data Science is a significant area of growth and potential employment in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. This course provides the necessary foundations in the disciplines of mathematics, statistics and computer science, and develops student knowledge and skills in some of the key tools and techniques relevant to data science. This course is focused on establishing a solid foundation in mathematics, statistics and computer science/programming methods/tools that are central to data science. Students who complete this course will be able to articulate directly into the second semester of the Master of Data Science course.
You have the option of studying this program online or on-campus.
Recommended study pattern
As a guide, core subjects in this degree can include:
- Programming Principles
- Biostatistics
- Mathematical Fundamentals.
As part of your application, you’ll be guided through how to get the right degree structure in place for you.
Award requirements
Student are required to completed 60 credit points.
Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.
Indicative total fee $16,900
The amount shown here is indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.
Fees may vary depending on:
- the subjects you choose
- credit from previous work experience
- your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.
To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.
ECU is ranked one of the world’s best young universities and Australia’s best public university for teaching quality. That quality extends to more than 30,000 students, many studying online through Open Universities Australia. ECU offers the same quality of teaching to you, regardless of where you’re studying in the world. Their flexible study solutions include a huge range of online courses, recognising your need to juggle work, family or other commitments.
Learn more about ECU.
Explore ECU courses.
- QS Ranking 2024:
- 28
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 25
How to apply
Edith Cowan University manages enquiries and applications for this degree.
Complete your details and we'll make sure your enquiry is sent to Edith Cowan University who will contact you to discuss this degree.
Don't worry, we're still here to help you - you'll receive a personalised follow-up from an Open Universities Australia student advisor to make sure you have found the right degree for you.
Entry requirements
Academic admission requirements (Band 6) may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:
- Bachelor degree; or
- Equivalent prior learning including at least five years relevant professional experience.
English competency requirements may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:
- IELTS Academic Overall band minimum score of 6.5 (no individual band less than 6.0);
- Bachelor degree from a country specified on the English Proficiency Bands page for Band 4;
- Successfully completed 0.375 EFTSL of study at postgraduate level or higher at an Australian higher education provider (or equivalent);
- Where accepted, equivalent prior learning, including at least five years relevant professional experience; or
- Other tests, courses or programs defined on the English Proficiency Bands page for Band 4.
If you have completed units of study in another Postgraduate course or have relevant professional experience, you may be eligible for Credit and Recognition of Prior Learning (CRPL).
To assess your eligibility for credit, we first need you to apply for and accept an offer in your course of interest with us. You can then submit an Application for Credit and Recognition of Prior Learning via your Student Portal.
Career opportunities
Career pathways available to data science graduates include data scientist, data analyst, machine learning scientist, statistician, informatician, computational scientist.
Possible future job titles:
Data Scientist, Computational Scientist, Data Analyst, Informatician.
Australian job snapshots
Data sourced from Australian Jobs 2023.
Role | Earnings | Employment change |
---|---|---|
ICT Business and Systems Analysts | Over $120K | Up 62.5% |
Intelligence and Policy Analysts | $93K to $120K | Up 22.6% |
Intelligence Officers | $93K to $120K | N/A^ |
Software and Applications Programmers | $93K to $120K | Up 38.1% |
Software Engineers | N/A^ | N/A^ |
^ There is no data available