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Home > Academics > Non-Degree Programs > Credential Programs > Data Analytics Credential > Program Details

Program Details

  • Curriculum & Faculty
  • Schedule & Format
  • Admissions & Fees
  • By the Numbers
  • Events
  • Alumni Stories
Start your application

Curriculum & Faculty

 

Curriculum

DAC teaches students how to code with R Programming. This is an introductory course in programming and data analysis for students with no prior coding experience. We will walk students through their first step of installing R Studio up to building and running their first regressions and creating informative data visualizations. 

Read our new blog post, an interview with the DAC Faculty Director, Austin Wright.

What You Will Learn
  • How to retrieve, clean, visualize, and analyze data

  • How to write and share code in R Programming

  • How to translate self-contained questions into R

Explore Examples

View some example data visualizations from previous students:

Sean Griffin, DAC 2022

Data visualization from Sean Griffin, DAC 2022

Funke Aderonmu, DAC 2022

Data visualization from Funke Aderonmu, DAC 2022

Sean Griffin, DAC 2022_Clock

Data visualization from Sean Griffin, DAC 2022

Austin Wright

Faculty

Austin Wright

Austin Wright is an Assistant Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy, and faculty affiliate of The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts at the University of Chicago.  

Wright is the DAC Faculty Director, who originated, designed, and teaches the program. Students watch Wright's recorded lectures and engage with him in interactive office hours. 

Credential Award

Participants will receive a Certification of Completion, issued electronically, upon successful completion of the credential program. The Certification of Completion will include the grade earned. The certification can be shared in future job applications, graduate school applications, or share on professional platforms such as LinkedIn. 

Schedule and Format

 

Program Dates
  • April 3 – May 26, 2023 (eight-weeks)
  • Orientation: March 27 (one week before program begins)
Virtual Format

The virtual program allows you to engage with lectures at your own pace and log in for designated office hours with faculty and graduate teaching assistants from anywhere in the world. You will also leverage a virtual discussion board for quick communication with peers and teaching assistants.

Time Commitment

You can anticipate a commitment of approximately 5-10 hours per week. This weekly estimate is based on three-four hours of lecture (viewed at your own pace), two-three hours for assignments, and one-two hours of live office hours with faculty and teaching assistants. 

This part-time format makes the program more compatible for those in full-time jobs or degree programs.

Office Hours and Time Zone

The live office hours accommodate various time zones and occur multiple times throughout the week. You can anticipate live office hours to be held in the evening of Central Standard Time (Chicago Time, UTC-6).

Orientation

Orientation will be held on Monday, March 27, 2023 - one week before the program begins. Orientation is an interactive introduction to your teaching and administrative teams, and how to navigate the virtual learning environment. Orientation, conducted virtually in Zoom, is mandatory for all enrolling students. Details, such as time and registration link, will be sent to enrolling students. 

data thumb

Admissions & Fees

Eligibility

This program is open to the public and UChicago community. This program is available for undergraduate and graduate students, and working professionals. We welcome domestic and international applicants from all around the world. 

To enroll in the program, you must be at least 18 years old and have finished at least one year full-time study in an undergraduate institution one month prior to the start of the program. There are no prerequisites as this program is available for all academic backgrounds. All applicants are required to complete an online application.

Students are expected to have a stable internet connection and computer access to complete the virtual program. 

How to Apply 

The application for the 2023 program has closed

Sign up to receive updates about next years program through this form.

Required Application Materials
  • Motivation statement in English (word limit: 300)
  • Resume (one or two pages is recommended)
  • Academic transcripts
    • Transcripts must clearly state your full name and name of university or academic institution. If your transcripts show your student ID number instead of your name, then please provide supplemental documentation with both your full name and student ID number. 
    • Transcripts detail the course names, dates (term and year), grades and grading scales for each year of postsecondary (college or university) education.
    • Provide a transcript for each degree conferred (undergraduate and graduate).
    • Unofficial transcripts are accepted. You may upload a PDF copy. 
    • An English translation must be submitted for all foreign language transcripts. 
  • English language proficiency 
    • Applicants whose native language is not English are required to meet the English language requirement.

Application Deadlines

 
Application Deadline
Notification
Reply Deadline
Early Action December 6, 2022 mid December January 24, 2023
Priority Deadline January 24, 2023 early February February 28, 2023
Final Deadline* March 7, 2023 mid March March 20, 2023

Admissions notifications are issued approximately two weeks after the deadline. Notifications are issued by email.

We encourage you to apply early to take advantage of the early action discount and longer timeline to confirm acceptance. 

*Please note the Final Deadline has a short timeline for admitted students to confirm acceptance and submit the enrollment deposit. The application may close before this date if space is no longer available. 

Reply deadline is the date for admitted students to confirm their intent to enroll by submitting the Admission Reply Form and non-refundable Enrollment Deposit. Details are noted in the letter of admission. 

Program Fee and Payment

The program fee for the 2023 program is $2,000.

Applicants who apply by the Early Action or Priority Deadline will receive $300 off their program fee. 

Discount

The program offers some discounted program fees. See below for the eligibility and discounted fees: 

  • Applicants who apply by the Early Action or Priority Deadline:  $1,700 
  • Applicants from academic partner programs and referrals:  $1,700
  • UChicago degree students and credential alumni:  $1,500
  • UChicago staff and degree alumni:  $800
  • Employer partners or groups from one workplace: Please contact us at harriscredential@uchicago.edu about a discount for your organization 
Scholarships

There is no scholarship available for the program. 

Deposit & Payment

Admitted students are required to submit a non-refundable $800 USD enrollment deposit to confirm their seat in the program by the deadline listed in their admission letter. The enrollment deposit is applied to the total program fee. Students who fail to submit the deposit by the deadline listed in their admission letter will be viewed as voluntarily giving up the seat to attend the program.

The remaining balance is due March 31, 2023 - before the program begins. Payment for the deposit and remaining balance is submitted by credit card in the application portal. Admitted students will receive details on the payment process.

Tips for Financial Planning

We encourage you to expand and diversify your funding sources. For example, past students received support from their current academic institution or employer. Other students found external scholarships based on their academic study, career goal, citizenship or other affiliations. 

Read our blog post with Tips on Financial Planning.

By the Numbers

Learn more about the Data Analytics Credential  student cohort and outcomes.

90
+

DAC Alums

13

Countries Represented

20

U.S. states Represented


2022 Cohort Demographics

Our 2022 DAC cohort at a glance:

28

Average age of the 2022 cohort

48
%

Balanced a full-time job or internship

60
%

Had no prior experience with R programming

23
%

Completed DAC during their undergraduate study

38
%

Completed DAC during or after their graduate study

44
%

Considered DAC an exploration or preparation for graduate study


Top Undergraduate Majors

The top undergraduate majors of the 2022 cohort include:

  • Economics
  • Philosophy 
  • Political Science
  • Psychology 

Upcoming Events

Visit the events webpage for upcoming events!

Past Event Recordings

Please use the links below to access recordings of our recent webinars. You can request a transcript of the recording by contacting us at harriscredential@uchicago.edu.

  • DAC Roundtable with Austin Wright Austin Professor and DAC-DPSS Faculty Director, January 2023 (20-minutes)
  • DAC Information Session - November 2022 (10-minutes)  
  • DAC Conversation with Austin Wright, Assistant Professor and DAC-DPSS Faculty Director, November 2021 (30-minutes)
  • DAC Roundtable with the Teaching Team - December 2022 (25-minutes)

Alumni Stories

Meet Data Analytic Credential alumni and hear of their experiences. 

Sean Griffin
Sean Griffin
DAC 2022

“I wanted to have something beyond my personal projects,” Griffin said. “They look okay on your resume, but I wanted something with greater visibility. As I was shopping around, I came across Harris’s program and the curriculum drew me in straight away.”

Read more in Sean's profile.


george_sq
George Hunt DAC 2022

“You don’t see it taught very often in programs. A lot of analytical courses I’ve taken in the past drop you straight into the coursework without teaching you about important things like causation and eliminating bias from an experiment. That’s what made this program stand out for me. That and the team-oriented approach to learning and assignment completion.”

Read more in George's Profile


aderonmu_sqare
Funke Aderonmu
DAC 2022

"I really liked the flexibility of the program: the self-paced learning and virtual instruction allowed me to balance work and learning while working full-time.”

Read more in Funke's profile.


Angelo Wijaya
Angelo Wijaya
DAC 2021

“For someone like me—who had no prior experience in coding, stats or econ—the structure and pace of the course still allowed me to understand it all. Professor Austin Wright structured the curriculum well, and he was very patient and supportive. He was willing to review everything over and over again until we got it.”

Read more in Angelo's profile.


ruoxichen_square
Ruoxi Chen
DAC 2021, MPP Class of 2023

” Chen also said many of the skills and concepts she learned in the DAC prepared her well for the Core curriculum of the MPP. “DAC proved to be excellent preparation for the coursework at the beginning of my Harris career.”

Read more in Ruoxi's profile


Jamie Stoik, DAC 2022
Jamie Stoik
DAC 2022

“Short credential programs like this are incredibly valuable and practical. I recommend them to anyone who wants to quickly gain or develop a new skill."

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