An estimated 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are produced every single day, and it’s been fueled by cloud computing, social media, and the rising number of IoT devices connected to the Internet.
Businesses that want to stay ahead of customer demands hire skilled professionals who know how to uncover patterns in any data set. The job title Data Scientist has skyrocketed as one of the most in-demand careers in the past decade. In 2021, Glassdoor ranked it as second only to Java Developer as one of the best jobs in the U.S.
Data scientists can be found in almost every business sector — from entertainment and sports to the financial and healthcare industries. Their mathematics, statistics, computer science, and engineering skills help businesses leverage Big Data in order to create new products and services that have the opportunity to change the world. In the healthcare industry alone, Data Scientists have helped make microscopic deformities more detectable on MRIs, X-rays, and CT scans. These technologies have the potential to save lives.
At the University of North Florida’s Data Science Bootcamp, you will work through technical units that will equip you with the skills needed to launch a successful career in data science. You’ll learn all aspects of the Data Science Method (DSM) through a curriculum built by subject matter experts then test your learning in a hands-on manner through case studies and two Capstone projects that you can showcase to potential employers. You won’t just learn — you’ll participate in solving real-world business problems.
In addition, you’ll have the option to go through career units that will guide you through a proven job search strategy and empower you to secure a data science job.
Data Scientist is not the only title you can hold after finishing this program. Depending on your level of experience, your specialty, and where you want to take your career, you can consider the following positions:
Data Scientist: $112,384
Data Science Manager: $126,150
Data Engineer: $105,344
Machine Learning Engineer: $129,024
Annual Median Advertised Salary in Florida. Source: Lightcast; Oct 2022 - Sep 2023; 0-3 years minimum experience required.
The Data Science Bootcamp is divided into two parts: Foundations and Core. Not all students will start at Foundations. During your application, you’ll take a Technical Skills Survey to determine your starting line. Preview the core technical units below.
This unit acquaints you with the field of data science by explaining what it is and what it isn’t. It also introduces you to Python and what makes it so popular. You will also learn some basic Python skills by working through mini-courses hosted on our partner coding platform.
In this unit, you’ll:
Become familiar with the field of data science, its applications, larger impact, and limitations
Start building Python programming skills
Learn how to use computational thinking to solve problems
Get comfortable with basic statistical concepts
This brief unit is intended to welcome you to the world of data science. You’ll learn the ins and outs of the data science world and will become familiar with the ways that data science impacts the world around them. You’ll also be introduced to the Data Science Method (DSM), the structured approach you’ll use to solve data science problems throughout this course.
In this unit, you’ll:
Become familiar with the field of data science, as well as the skills that data scientists rely on for success
Learn about the Data Science Method, the series of steps that your mentee will follow to complete any data science project
This unit is all about problem identification, which is the process of defining a problem you want to solve and identifying what you want to accomplish by solving that problem. It also happens to be the first step of the Data Science Method. You will learn how to create a problem statement to define a problem and form a hypothesis.
In this unit, you’ll:
Learn how to identify a problem, the first step in the Data Science Method
Develop the ability to craft nuanced problem statements
The Python data science stack refers to the ecosystem within which Python exists. This unit focuses on two of the major players in this ecosystem: Python and pandas. This unit will equip you with an understanding of all the most essential Python concepts as they relate to data science, including how to use functions and libraries to solve data science problems.
In this unit, you’ll:
Learn Python data types, foundations, and standard libraries
Learn pandas techniques and practice manipulating and merging dataframes with pandas
Be able to write code with minimal hints in Jupyter Notebook
Supervised Learning is the bread and butter of machine learning.
In this unit, you’ll:
Develop an understanding of supervised learning and its common applications
Be able to perform regression and classification techniques to solve real-world problems
Unsupervised learning, as the name implies, requires a minimum amount of human supervision. It is a type of machine learning where the machine looks for patterns in a dataset with no pre-existing labels or classifications — the machine acts on this information without guidance. Typified by the clustering method, unsupervised learning is an efficient way to spot patterns in your data when you don't know in advance what you're looking for — a situation that is increasingly common as the quantity of our data increases. Clustering is a technique that involves grouping together different data points. Unsupervised learning is a great way to do exploratory data analysis and dimensionality reduction.
In this unit, you will learn about clustering types, distance calculations and similarity measures, and principal component analysis and SVD.
After the core units are completed, you’ll then have the option to choose a specialization track, which will teach you unique skills that are intended to help you stand out from other data scientists. Choose from one of the following:
The Business Insider track focuses on developing your data visualization and business analytics skills.
The Generalist track offers a mix of technical skills, business skills, and mathematical knowledge.
The Advanced Machine Learning track focuses on the deployment of machine learning models.
Each career unit is interspersed between the technical units and follows the progression of a job search. You’ll learn how to:
Create a job search strategy
Create an elevator pitch and LinkedIn profile
Conduct an informational interview
Find the right job titles and companies
Prepare for and get interviews
Interview Effectively
Negotiate Salary
The best way to learn data science is by working on projects. During this bootcamp, in addition to small projects designed to reinforce specific technical concepts, you’ll complete two capstone projects focused on realistic data science scenarios that you can show to future employers.
For this project, you’ll be given a lightweight introduction to each step of the Data Science Method. You’ll then be guided through each of those steps with helpful tips and instructions. This first capstone is designed to build your foundational understanding of each of these important steps, while also giving you an opportunity to practice each step before applying your knowledge to their second capstone.
Your second capstone project follows the same Data Science Method steps as the first capstone, but this time with less guidance. Each of these project ’s steps will be their own submission and are interwoven throughout the core units of the course.
In this 100% online program, you study remotely on your own terms with the help of an expert mentor, student advisor, and career coach—all of whom are invested in your success.
Learn on your own time: No need to quit your job. View lessons and work on projects on your schedule.
Get 1:1 mentor support: Meet regularly with your personal mentor, with as many additional calls as you need.
Build study plans that work for you: Complete the course sooner by putting in more hours per week.
Having a personal mentor will help you build your skills faster and advance your personal growth.
Regular 1:1 video calls: Get feedback on projects, discuss blockers, and refine your career strategy.
Accountability: Your mentor will help you stay on track so you can achieve your learning goals.
Dedicated mentor calls: Get additional 1:1 help from other mentors in our community, at no extra cost.
This data science bootcamp was designed for those with prior experience in statistics and programming, such as software developers, analysts, and finance professionals. All professional and academic backgrounds are welcome.
Prerequisites:
No prior coding experience is required, but, to be successful, we recommend that students are already proficient in high-school-level mathematics and are eager to learn more advanced concepts where necessary.
Data science is an interdisciplinary field concerned with extracting valuable insights from structured and unstructured data. It involves preparing data, cleaning, aggregating, and manipulating data for analysis.
Data scientists use statistics, mathematics, and computer science to perform a variety of tasks, including cleaning data, creating models and algorithms, and extracting patterns in large data sets.
Depending on your level of experience, your specialty, and where you want to take your career, you can consider the following positions:
Data Scientist: $112,384
Data Science Manager: $126,150
Data Engineer: $105,344
Machine Learning Engineer: $129,024
Annual Median Advertised Salary in Florida. Source: Lightcast; Oct 2022 - Sep 2023; 0-3 years minimum experience required.
According to Data Science Nerd, it takes about 6–7 months to become proficient. Our Data Science Bootcamp will not only teach you the fundamentals but help you apply what you learned by solving real-world business problems through two Capstone projects.
According to Lightcast, data scientists in Florida with 0 to 3 years experience have a median advertised salary of $112,384.
Source: Lightcast; Oct 2022 - Sep 2023; 0-3 years minimum experience required.
Yes! It’s second only to Java Developer as the most in-demand job in 2021 according to Glassdoor.
Yes, we’ll give you access not only to a robust curriculum but 1:1 mentorship support, a student advisor, and a Slack community so you will always have a helping hand to guide you through the course material and your Capstones.
University of North Florida’s Division of Continuing Education is the premier provider of lifelong learning, workforce development and transformative enrichment experiences for the northeast Florida region and beyond. Every year more than 6,000 students take advantage of our variety of offerings.
In our 100% online, mentor-led bootcamps, you will learn on your own time, from the comfort of your home. Finish early by putting in more time per week, without being tied down by class schedules. You will receive a certificate of completion from UNF on graduating.
Schedule a call with our Enrollment team or email Carolina, our Enrollment Advisor, who will help you think through the decision. See more FAQs about the program here.
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