The Applied Data Science Lab is a credentialed offering where students tackle real-world, meaningful, and complex problems.
Our application process is designed for those who are ready to build their future, today. Start your studies as soon as you are accepted.
Learn the fundamentals of data science, tuition-free.
By completing a series of end-to-end data science projects, students build the wrangling, analysis, model-building, and communication skills to prepare for success in data-centric careers in both the private and public sectors.
Leverage Real-World Data
From their first day in the Lab, students will write their own code and explore real-world datasets. During this self-paced course, students complete 8 projects that range from exploring housing prices in Mexico to predicting air quality in Kenya. They will work with publicly available datasets, upon which they can develop larger portfolio projects.
Access All the Tools You Need
Students will work and complete projects in the same environment and with the same tools that professionals use everyday. They’ll gain access to a ready-to-use Python environment, pandas, and Jupyter Notebooks; and, there are no preexisting system requirements.
Guides by Your Side
Our instructor-guided projects offer students a two-way, focused learning experience to develop the professional skills data scientists use day-in and day-out in demanding, real-world settings. Each student will gain access to a learning environment in which they will receive real-time feedback on their progress, collaborate with their peers, and attend live sessions with an instructor.
Develop the Skills to Build a Professional Portfolio
We designed our Lab so that students not only apply their skills to real-life problems, but also leave with the skills to build a professional portfolio they can take into professional settings and interviews. Upon completion, students will be able to query different types of databases, clean messy data, build predictive models for regression and classification, create compelling visualizations for project stakeholders — all while considering the ethical, social, and environmental impact of their work.
Familiarity with basic statistics
Passing score on Admissions Quiz (66% or higher)
The Applied Data Science Lab is delivered online to enable students to participate in a flexible yet rigorous continuing education offering to amplify their skills and knowledge. To apply, applicants must complete a profile on their background and pass an Admissions Quiz with a minimum score of 66%. These activities should take no more than an hour to complete.
What You Will Learn
In this dynamic learning environment, students get real-time feedback as well as opportunities to collaborate with their peers and participate in live office hours with their instructor.
After successfully completing the Lab, students earn an easily shareable badge from Credly.
From a recent Applied Data Science Lab Graduate: “WQU helped me massively in my ML/AI journey. It gave me all the fundamental knowledge I needed in my career. From WQU, I had more confidence in taking on ML projects. It was a lot easier to continue studying myself as well, and I also got a few decent roles due to the knowledge I gained here.”
Skills Gained During the Lab
DATABASE MANAGEMENT
Extract data from SQL and NoSQL databases
DATA CLEANING & PREPROCESSING
Clean authentic, messy datasets
REGRESSION & CLASSIFICATION MODELING
Build predictive models for regression and classification
DATA VISUALIZATION
Create compelling visualizations to explain data characteristics and model performance
ETHICS IN MACHINE LEARNING
Discuss the ethical implications of deploying models in the real world and the environmental impact of machine learning models
BUSINESS INSIGHT & INTELLIGENCE
Learn how to apply machine learning to business problems
Lab Projects
Build illustrative models to:
- Explore the Mexican real estate market to determine whether location or home size is more important in determining price
- Predict apartment prices in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Determine air quality in Nairobi, Kenya
- Assess building damage following the 2018 earthquake in Nepal
- And more!
Which offering is right for me?
Master of Science in Financial Engineering
Proof of English proficiency
Passing score on Quantitative Proficiency Test (75% or higher)
Shareable Credly Certification
Applied Data Science Lab
Familiarity with basic statistics
Passing score on Admissions Quiz (66% or higher)
Program Requirements
The Applied Data Science Lab is a hands-on learning experience that accommodates learners with the right amount of foundational knowledge and a commitment to success.
The Lab runs continuously, so you can start as soon as your application is accepted.
- Beginner-level Python skills
- Familiarity with basic statistics
- Between lecture videos, assignments, office hours, and individual study, students should expect to commit roughly 10 to 15 hours per week
- This professional development opportunity does not require any prior degrees or credentials
