Study Big Data Through Online Learning

In the 21st-century workforce, knowledge of big data is useful in virtually any industry, experts say. It was the desire for a degree in the field that drove John Cook, an analyst at Marriott International, to online education about two years ago.

The 32-year-old Maryland resident wanted to gain a more in-depth knowledge of data analytics and decided to pursue his master's online through the University of Maryland University College. The flexibility of online learning, Cook says, allows him to balance work and family responsibilities with an education that can ultimately boost his career.

"Data analytics was a field that I enjoyed, it's a field that I found interesting, it's a field that I found challenging," says Cook, who is in his final semester.

Cook is one of many online learners studying the evolving field of big data. While the meaning of the term can vary, "big data" usually refers to data sets that are too large and complex to be processed by traditional types of software.

As technology advances and more and more data are collected and used each day to drive business decisions and strategies, there's an increasing demand for employees who are educated in this area, says Daphne Koller, president and co-founder of Coursera, a major provider of massive open online courses, or MOOCs.

"What you do with all of that data, how you make use of it, is an opportunity that everyone is excited about," says Koller, "but yet there's not nearly enough qualified people to actually live up to that promise right now."

[Understand how big data is being used by education and health care startups.]

With this growing demand for talent, the U.S. alone by 2018 could see a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 workers with "deep analytical skills," according to a 2011 report by the McKinsey Global Institute.

"I think that there's definitely been an explosion in online courses focused on big data that is disproportionate to online courses focusing on other things," says Stuart Frye, vice president of content for Udacity, which offers online technology and programming courses, including on data science. "I believe it might be the single most important skills gap we have right now across all industries."

When it comes to online education, there are options for learning about big data beyond just degree programs, ranging from standalone courses to one-on-one live instruction.

-- Free course options: There are numerous free online courses that provide insight into the basics of data analytics and related skills. In addition to MOOCs offered through companies like edX and Coursera in partnership with universities, websites such as Big Data University, MapR Academy and Udemy also provide free content in the discipline.

Through Big Data University, an initiative of IBM, students can take classes in a number of data-related categories such as the R data science programming language and the OpenRefine data mining tool. Students can earn digital badges after completing all course activities and passing a test.

"We don't promise to people that you can go get yourself a full-fledged degree or the same skill that you would get from getting a formal education. That was not our goal," says Leon Katsnelson, director and chief technology officer for analytic platform emerging technologies at IBM. "Our goal is to supplement and to enhance what different universities and other academic institutions provide."

-- Paid MOOC certificates, series and specializations: Online learners completing edX and Coursera MOOCs can earn smaller credentials in big data by paying for verified certificates, which indicate successful completion, confirm a student's identity and typically cost anywhere from $30 to $150.

[Learn five reasons to consider paying for a MOOC verified certificate.]

Coursera also offers what it refers to as "specializations" in data science and analysis, enabling learners to receive a certificate after completing a series of MOOCs and an applied component such as a capstone project. edX has a similar XSeries program option.

-- Training sessions and other paid options: Several companies also provide the option to enroll in online training classes or multi-session programs in big data at a cost.

Cloudera, which offers data management and analytics software and training, provides online training in Hadoop and Spark big data technologies, for example. These classes, with many costing a few thousand dollars, are typically built with specific job skill sets in mind and can last for a few days, says Mark Morrissey, Cloudera's senior director of education programs.

Udacity also offers a "nanodegree" -- a credential students can earn in around six to 12 months -- in data science and analysis, in addition to other fields. For about $200 a month, students complete around five to eight projects to showcase their skills after watching video lectures and have access to coaches for live feedback.

[Discover how online degrees can help adults switch careers.]

-- Certificates and degrees: Students looking to make more of a commitment to a formal online education offered through a college or university may choose to pursue either an online certificate or a degree, both of which are options at UMUC, for instance. Just this week, Coursera also launched a MOOC-based master's degree in data science with the University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign.

In comparison with certificates, experts say, degree programs often have more class requirements than certificate programs, focus more broadly on fields of study and are more of a commitment.

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Jordan Friedman is an online education editor at U.S. News. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at jfriedman@usnews.com.