Business analysts are in high demand, and with the right training and skill set, this field provides exciting opportunities for achieving rapid and meaningful career growth.
Although there is no one path to success in business analytics, many ambitious professionals rely on certifications from SAS (previously standing for “Statistical Analysis System”) to give them a head start. However, the path to getting certified requires hard work, so extra support is always appreciated.
Are you ready to advance your business analytics career but not sure which steps to take next? You could be a wonderful candidate for enrolling in an SAS-aligned graduate certificate program. There are many types of certificates worth seeking, but UTC’s Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics is an especially compelling option.
There’s a lot to consider before you seek a business analytics certificate and prepare for your SAS exam. To clarify this process, we explain what UTC’s Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics involves and how it could be leveraged to elevate your career. As you delve into the details, you will discover how this graduate certificate can play into your academic training and your professional future.
What Is a Business Analytics Certification?
First things first: understanding the difference between a certificate and a certification in business analytics. The former references an academic program that can be completed in as little as two semesters. Its targeted curriculum centers on advanced data analysis techniques. Certificate programs provide a comprehensive introduction to the tools and techniques that extract business insights in today’s data-driven market.
Certification in business data analytics provides recognition and evidence of skill mastery. It’s typically preceded by a challenging exam. Upon passing this test, you can gain the status of certified business analyst or programming professional. There are numerous sources of certification for aspiring business analysts, but it is common to seek credentials from the highly respected SAS.
Is a Business Analytics Certification the Same as a Business Analyst Certification?
At first glance, certificates for ‘business analytics’ and ‘business analysts’ may seem similar. There is some common ground: the intersection between business and data analytics. With a business analyst certification, though, there is a greater focus on facilitating communication between stakeholders while also ensuring the goals, priorities, and strategies of management and technology teams are aligned.
Analytics professionals work closely with raw data. They collect and synthesize business insights but ultimately pass this information on to management professionals, who can then build actionable data into their decision-making processes. Analytics training is highly valued among business analysts, and an analytics-oriented certification is worthwhile for future analysts and many aspiring analytics professionals.
Why Earn a Certificate in Data Analytics Before Certification?
One of the primary goals of the certificate in data analytics is to provide in-depth preparation for two important certification exams: the SAS Base Programmer and the SAS Advanced Programmer. Offered through analytics leader SAS, these certifications verify mastery of essential analytics skills and concepts.
There are many ways to study for these exams, but a certificate program brings much-needed structure to the process, along with an additional credential to add to your resume. Other reasons to complete this program prior to certification are outlined below:
Foundational Knowledge
The SAS Base Programmer and SAS Advanced Programmer certification exams cover a range of advanced concepts that can be difficult for test-takers to study on their own. Certificate programs can provide valuable guidance, making it easier to form a strong foundation in data analytics. This foundation must be developed, to some extent, before even entering the program, as prerequisites include business statistics.
Skill Development
UTC’s certificate program emphasizes technical skill development in the context of critical thinking and problem-solving. Skills obtained through this curated coursework translate directly to those referenced in the SAS Base Programmer and SAS Advanced Programmer exams. This deep dive into technical skills includes a thorough overview of the following:
- Frameworks such as Hadoop
- HDFS file system
- Text mining algorithms
- Operationalization of analytics
Certificate coursework emphasizes practical applications through real-life data projects and other hands-on learning opportunities. The goal is not only to understand concepts related to data management and analytics but also to seamlessly apply these in the real world.
Eligibility and Prerequisites
Not just any student is an ideal candidate for pursuing a certificate in data analytics. First, several requirements must be fulfilled, including prerequisite coursework (business statistics or equivalent classes – UTC offers an online statistics module to help complete this requirement if necessary) and a bachelor’s degree. The program itself does not have any graduate exam requirements but rather is designed to prepare students for future certification exams.
These modest eligibility standards bring training opportunities to a wider variety of students, particularly compared to similar certifications. With some programs, for example, it is necessary to obtain industry experience before getting certified. UTC’s certificate, however, opens doors to those with limited experience but a clear drive to learn and practice new skills.
Career Entry
Upon completing UTC’s data analytics certificate, graduates should be prepared to take certification exams and promptly enter the field of business analytics. Promising findings from SAS indicate that 81 percent of candidates feel more confident about exploring job opportunities after they’ve obtained certification and, with the right skills and credentials, these opportunities should be plentiful.
Confidence and Readiness
Seeking a professional certification can be nerve-wracking, especially when a rigorous exam is involved. Such is the case with the SAS Base Programmer and SAS Advanced Programmer certifications, which call for months or even years of targeted preparation.
This process is worth the effort, and as mentioned, SAS findings reveal greater job-hunting confidence among candidates equipped with SAS certifications. Beyond this, certification boosts general confidence on the job, with 92 percent of certified individuals expressing “greater confidence in their abilities.”
Career Advancement
There is no denying the power of certification to boost your career, but certificate programs can also contribute to career prospects. Elite certifications such as the SAS Advanced Programmer stand out, of course, but the process of earning the certificate matters, too. This means developing analytics skills that are in high demand among today’s top employers, who are quicker to promote well-educated and certified candidates to senior-level positions.
Testing the Waters
If you find the idea of working in data analytics compelling but are not entirely sure this is the right field, you could benefit significantly from in-depth exposure to this career track. Through applied coursework, you will quickly discover whether your interest in analytics is enough to sustain you through the challenges this field may involve.
Should you eventually choose to take your career in a different direction, you can still draw on your enhanced data skills to impress employers and achieve great things in other sectors. After all, data literacy is universally appreciated and relevant across all fields.
Professional Development
Professional development is a must in the fast-paced world of data analytics. With new tools, technologies, and methodologies emerging all the time, it can be easy for analysts to fall behind. That’s why a certificate program provides an excellent solution for getting caught up, plus a wealth of networking opportunities as you work closely with similarly passionate professionals.
Benefits of Obtaining a Business Analytics Certification After Graduation
There are a number of potential benefits associated with data analytics certificates, particularly when these lead to certification from SAS. Below, we explain why certification exams are worth taking and how becoming certified makes a difference.
Enhanced Skill Set
No matter which direction your career takes, your in-depth understanding of data analytics will prove beneficial as you seek new professional opportunities and make your mark in today’s data-driven economy. There are many ways to boost your skill set, but certificate programs and prepping for certification exams should take your analytics competencies to a whole new level.
Validation of Expertise
Knowing that you have a comprehensive, data-oriented skillet can be personally gratifying, but what if you want to convey this expertise to potential employers? While you can list newly developed skills individually on your resume or LinkedIn page, the right certificate provides instant insight into your data analytics capabilities.
Career Advancement
Are you ready to take your analytics career to the next level? An in-demand degree is a must, but this may not be sufficient if you want to stand out amid so many resumes and applications. A certification can reveal why you’re ready to make the leap beyond entry-level work and move into senior-level positions.
Salary Increase
As you climb the career ladder, you may discover new opportunities to boost your salary. These may be aided by your data analytics certificate and your ensuing certification. According to SAS, nearly one-third of certified professionals secure salary increases within just three months of earning their certifications.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics cites a median annual income of $95,290 for management analysts, but those working in specialties such as “professional, scientific, and technical services” can earn even more. The right certificates and certifications can increase the likelihood of landing these higher-paying, niche roles.
Competitive Edge
Data analytics may be a growing field, but professionals still clamor for senior positions that offer prestige, autonomy, and high pay. If you are determined to score the best jobs in business analytics, you’ll need extra credentials that help you stand out. This is where higher-level options such as the SAS Advanced Programmer can prove especially valuable.
Career Flexibility
Business analytics is an increasingly diverse field, with new opportunities continually emerging across a variety of sectors and niches. Because data analytics skills are both technical and transferable, they can promote career growth in numerous areas. As you discover new interests or passions, you can leverage your analytics skills to make the most of available opportunities.
What Certification Exams Does the UTC Certificate Prepare You For?
For many aspiring business analysts, a graduate certificate represents an essential step on the path to the ultimate goal: business analytics certification.
UTC’s graduate certificate is co-sponsored by SAS, so it is uniquely positioned to prepare aspiring analysts to pass the exam and enjoy the full benefits of certification. Specifically, UTC’s analytics certificate strives to prepare students for two main exams and certification opportunities:
SAS Base Programmer
Reflecting a foundational understanding of SAS, the Base Programmer certification provides an excellent chance to break into an exciting field. Key skills to master before earning this certification include:
- Base SAS procedure for creating summary reports
- Correcting errors in programming logic
- Programmatic library investigation
- Merging data sets one-to-one or one-to-many
Upon developing these skills and obtaining a data analytics certificate, the next step is to sit for the exam, which is administered by SAS and Pearson VUE. Consisting of at least forty short-answer and multiple-choice questions, this exam revolves around data structure creation, error handling, and generating reports.
SAS Advanced Programmer
Ready to take the next step in your data analytics career journey? Look to the SAS Advanced Programmer certification to verify your high-level skills. This performance-based exam provides access to an SAS environment, complete with challenges that call for the seamless execution of SAS code. Prior to taking this exam, it’s key to understand how to:
- Create SAS macros
- Interpret SQL code
- Solve problems via DATA step programming statements
An SAS scoring macro is used to assess up to fifteen programming projects. The exam takes at least two hours to complete and is only available to those who have already earned the SAS Base Programmer credential.
Advance Your Business Analytics Career with a Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics
Are you searching for a reliable path to advancement in your business analytics career? The right certificate could provide powerful preparation, not only for your future work in business analytics but also for the rigorous exams and certification process that could expedite your progress on the analytics career ladder.If you plan to seek certification through SAS, your best bet may be the co-sponsored program through UTC. Reach out today to get started with your application. In addition, you are welcome to discuss this graduate certificate and learn how it can play into your efforts to seek certification as an SAS Base Programmer or an SAS Advanced Programmer.
