This 9-credit professional graduate certificate is a container credential, offered as a direct pathway and aligned to the online Master of Engineering in Applied Data Science (MEADS). Learners complete any three (3) graduate Applied Data Science courses, drawn from the MEADS curriculum, for a total of 9 credits. The certificate is positioned as a stackable on-ramp into the Online MEADS degree: all 9 credits earned in the certificate apply directly toward the 30 credit MEADS degree upon admission. Recommended pathways are provided for learners targeting machine learning, generative AI, business analytics, data visualization, big data technologies, data engineering, or applied AI applications. Course offerings, eligibility, prerequisites, and minimum-grade policy follow the official MEADS curriculum maintained by the participating academic units in collaboration with the College of Professional Education.

The certificate inherits and prepares learners for a selected subset of the parent MEADS Program Objectives:

1. Develop the ability to analyze and interpret data using modern statistical, machine learning, and AI-driven techniques through completion of three graduate Applied Data Science courses drawn from the MEADS curriculum.

2. Build the ability to apply data science, machine learning, and AI methods toward informed decision-making and real-world organizational problems.

3. Develop working knowledge of the technical and operational phases of Applied Data Science workflows, including data preparation, modeling, visualization, and deployment concepts.

4. Practice effective collaboration and communication within graduate-level project, assignment, and assessment work.

5. Establish credit-bearing momentum toward the full MEADS degree through a stackable pathway in which all 9 certificate credits transfer into the parent program upon admission.