BDV100 - Data Visualization and Communication Certificate Program
Course Description
Data visualization skills are becoming increasingly necessary across many career types, regardless of the industry—government, finance, marketing, consumer goods, service, education and more.
The SMU Data Visualization and Communication Certificate program will help you to improve your data visualization skills through introduction of principles and best practices, coupled with hands-on exercises and projects. Gain experience with multiple tools and explore fundamentals of gathering, analyzing and presenting data. Learn how to determine which visualization styles are best suited for different types of information, and how to pair visualizations with storytelling and other communication techniques to create compelling presentations for different audiences.
Why Choose SMU?
- SMU PRO’s certificate is the only program in Texas that combines data visualization and communication into a single program.
- Small class sizes allow for meaningful, individual interactions with instructors who are experts on the subject.
- All instructors are seasoned professionals working in the field.
Course Outline
Students will have a real-time online meeting once a week for 1.5 hours and approximately 3.5 hours of out-of-class videos, activities and reading, which altogether fulfill a total of 5 hours-per-week committed to the program.
Certificate Components
- Foundations of Data Visualization
- Storytelling in Business
- Applying Design Principles to Data Visualization
- Delivering Effective Presentations
- Presenting with Data: Tools and Best Practices
- Infographics: Design and Publishing
- Dashboards: Tools and Best Practices
- Final Project
Learner Outcomes
- Learn to apply data visualization skills with communication techniques
- Understand the possibilities data contain so that you can create a visual story
- Communicate trends, relationships and patterns in multiple formats
- Acquire skills to use data through a variety of visualization tools
- Understand the elements of storytelling and why they matter in business
- Identify the appropriate format for the data you are work with – infographic, graph, chart and so on.
- Complete a capstone project to include in your business portfolio
Notes
Where are these courses offered?
This SMU Data Visualization and Communications Certificate is completely online. You will never be required to attend a brick-and-mortar classroom and you can complete your entire course from the comfort of your own home or office.
Students will meet as a class once a week with the instructors for discussions, review of concepts, and to answer questions. Students also will have reading, videos, activities and quizzes to take on their own time in between real-time, online meetings.
Recommendations
Who should attend?
- Marketing professionals
- Data analysts
- Data scientists
- Mid-level managers who need to review and present data
- Working professionals in a variety of fields who interpret, present and share data with stakeholders of all kinds
Applies Towards the Following Certificates
- Data Visualization and Communication : Required