Research on IT Certifications

Top IT management certifications

The most valuable certifications for 2021

  • Google Certified Professional Data Engineer
  • Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect
  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate
  • Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC)
  • Project Management Professional (PMP)

Top agile certifications

  • PMI-ACP

Top 15 data science certifications

  • Certified Analytics Professional (CAP)
  • Cloudera Certified Associate (CCA) Data Analyst
  • Cloudera Certified Professional (CCP) Data Engineer
  • Data Science Council of America (DASCA) Senior Data Scientist (SDS)
  • Data Science Council of America (DASCA) Principle Data Scientist (PDS)
  • Dell EMC Data Science Track (EMCDS)
  • Google Professional Data Engineer Certification
  • IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate
  • Open Certified Data Scientist (Open CDS)
  • SAS Certified AI & Machine Learning Professional
  • SAS Certified Big Data Professional
  • SAS Certified Data Scientist
  • Tensorflow Developer Certificate
  • Mining Massive Data Sets Graduate Certificate by Stanford

Top 10 business analyst certifications

  • Certified Analytics Professional (CAP)
  • IIBA Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA)
  • IIBA Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA)
  • IIBA Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP)
  • IIBA Agile Analysis Certification (AAC)
  • IIBA Certification in Business Data Analytics (CBDA)
  • IQBBA Certified Foundation Level Business Analyst (CFLBA)
  • IREB Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering (CPRE)
  • PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PBA)
  • SimpliLearn Business Analyst Masters Program

The top 11 data analytics and big data certifications

  • Associate Certified Analytics Professional (aCAP)
  • Certification of Professional Achievement in Data Sciences
  • Certified Analytics Professional
  • Cloudera Data Platform Generalist
  • EMC Proven Professional Data Scientist Associate (EMCDSA)
  • IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
  • Microsoft Certified Azure Data Scientist Associate
  • Microsoft Certified Data Analyst Associate
  • Open Certified Data Scientist
  • SAS Certified Advanced Analytics Professional Using SAS 9
  • SAS Certified Data Scientist

Chartered Data ScientistTM

This distinction is provided by the Association of Data Scientists (ADaSci). This designation is awarded to those candidates who pass the CDS exam and hold a minimum of two years of work experience as a data scientist. However, the candidates who do not have experience can also take the exam and carry the results. But their charter, in this case, is put on hold until they attain the two years of experience. There is no training or course required to earn this award. The cost of taking this exam is 250 US Dollar. This charter has lifetime validity and hence it does not expire. 

Chartered Financial Data Scientist

The Chartered Financial Data Scientist program is organized by the Society of Investment Professionals in Germany. They first provide a training course conducted by the Swiss Training Centre for Investment Professionals. After completing this training, the candidates are allowed to earn this designation. It costs around 8,690 Euro. 

Certified Analytics Professional

This professional certification is offered by INFORMS. It is supported by the Canadian Operational Research Society and 3 more professional societies. There are various levels of certification. Each level has different eligibility requirements, from graduate to postgraduate etc. To earn this certification, the cost starts from 495 US Dollar. To take this exam, the candidate needs to be available in-person in the designated test centres. It is valid for three years only.

Cloudera Certified Associate Data Analyst

This certification program is organized by Cloudera. It is more specific towards SQL and databases and more suitable for Data Analysts. It costs around 295 US Dollar and there is no any specific eligibility requirement for this certification. This certification is valid only for two years.

EMC Proven Professional Data Scientist Associate

This certification program is organized by Dell EMC. To earn this distinction, it is mandatory to attend a training program, either in-class or online. It costs around 230 US Dollar. To take this exam, the candidate needs to be available in-person in the designated test centres.

Open Certified Data Scientist

It is organized by the Open Group. The members of the Open Group include HCL, Huawei, IBM, Oracle etc. There are 3 levels of this certification. Require to have a different level of experience for each level of certification. The cost for this certification starts from 295 US Dollar. To take this exam, the candidate needs to be available in-person at the specified place.

Senior Data Scientist

This certification program is provided by the Data Science Council of America (DASCA). It requires 6+ years of experience of Big Data Analytics / Big Data Engineering. It costs around 650 US Dollar. This certification has 5 years of validity. 

Principal Data Scientist

This certification program is provided by the Data Science Council of America (DASCA). It requires 10+ years of experience of Big Data Analytics / Big Data Engineering. There are various tracks of this exam. It costs between 850-950 US Dollar depending on the track.

SAS Certified Data Scientist

It is organized by SAS. To get this certification, you need to pass two more exams first SAS Big Data Professional and SAS Advanced Analytics Professional. Along with this, you need to take 18 courses as well. It costs around 4,400 US Dollar.

Financial Data Professional 

Financial Data Professional program is organized by Financial Data Professional Institute (FDPI). It is more suitable for financial professionals who apply AI and data science in finance. It opens the exam window with a fixed registration period. The cost of the FDP exam is 1350 US Dollar. To take this exam, the candidate needs to be available in-person in the designated test centres.

So, here we have listed the top certification exams in data science across the world. To choose from the list, a candidate should analyze the requirements in the coming future, the suitability of certification, contents covered in the exam so that it can meet the job requirements, exam cost, exam dates and time flexibility etc. The candidate should take one such certification which meets all their expectations instead of taking multiple certification exams. 


Also there are many more certifications provided by insurance bodies

IFoA and CAS which are in development but need strong insurance domain knowledge

If you are a member of Pega Academy - then Pega has their own Data Science Program