UC Irvine Extension Launches New Online Data Science Certificate Program -- IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- University of California, Irvine Extension. PRNewsFoto/UC Irvine Extension IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Designed to meet the need for a new breed of employees who are skilled at using a blend of science, art and business to leverage the ever expanding amount of data from a variety of sources into a competitive advantage, the University of California, Irvine Extension is offering a new data science certificate program online for winter quarter 2014. The program provides the skills required to become a data scientist and provides existing data analysts with the opportunities to broaden skills. A course titled, "Introduction to Data Science" will be offered from Jan. 13 through March 9 and will provide an overview of basic techniques required in the field of data science. For those interested in learning more about the certificate program and how to plan an educational path in this field, a webinar titled, "Data Science: Educational Planning Session" will take place on Thursday, Dec. 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130215/LA60869LOGO "With recent mention from USA Today indicating that there are only 20 percent of data scientists available to meet the unprecedented demand, there is a great advantage for those interested in shifting gears to join this growing career field," said Dr. Dave Dimas, director of engineering, sciences and information technology at UC Irvine Extension. Offering a complete certificate program online helps fill the void as it is not easy to obtain the knowledge and skills needed under a single traditional undergraduate or graduate degree. Program participants will stay ahead of the competition and gain that competitive advantage needed to help impact the success of businesses in various industries. As a required course for program participants, "Introduction to Data Science" will allow course participants to learn about data design, management and manipulation tools and processes commonly used by data scientists. Course content will include data analysis, statistical modeling, data engineering, relational databases, SQL and NoSQL, manipulation of data at scale (big data), algorithms for data mining, data quality, remediation and consistency operations. The online course will run from Jan. 13 through March 9. To learn more about the certificate program or to register for the course, visit http://unex.uci.edu/areas/it/data_science/ . About UC Irvine Extension: University of California, Irvine Extension is the continuing education arm of UC Irvine, serving nearly 40,000 students globally and offering more than 3,200 classes annually on the UC Irvine campus, online and at employer sites throughout California and worldwide. Since 1962, UC Irvine Extension has served Orange County with programs and classes to help adult learners reach their career advancement and personal enrichment goals, and remains dedicated to providing broad access to the resources of the University for the benefit of the public, both through University Extension certificate and specialized studies programs and a broad range of free and open educational resources including UC Irvine OpenCourseWare. Learn more at http://extension.uci.edu, or join us on YouTube or Facebook. About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UC Irvine is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with nearly 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,000 staff. Orange County's largest employer, UC Irvine contributes an annual economic impact of $4.2 billion. For more UC Irvine news, visit today.uci.edu. CONTACT: Vivian Chan-Slater 714-573-0899 x235, Vivian@echomediapr.com SOURCE UC Irvine Extension RELATED LINKS http://www.extension.uci.edu