Certifications can help you:

obtain practical, job-related skills or experience with software used in the workplace
stand out from other applicants
provide proof to employers that you possess valuable skills and experience
demonstrate your willingness to invest in your own learning and skills development

About the Certifications Guide

Some of these certifications are tied to resources licensed by the University and require a valid UTORid; others are available through commercial providers or platforms. We have focused on those that come from reputable sources and that align with the needs and interests of UTM students. Because these resources are free, you may not be able to obtain an official certification, badge, or verification of having completed them.
Certifications are not affiliated, associated, or in any way officially connected with the University of Toronto. Links to these certifications are provided for information only and providing these links does not constitute an official endorsement by the University.

Access LinkedIn Learning with a valid library card

UTM students can access LinkedIn Learning courses through the Mississauga Public Library (MPL) or Toronto Public Library (TPL) websites with a valid library card. Digital cards issued by either library do not provide access to this resource.
MPL cards are available to full-time UTM students, Mississauga residents, and those who work in Mississauga. Toronto Public Library cards are available to students who study in Toronto, Toronto residents, and those who work in Toronto. To obtain a Mississauga Public Library or Toronto Public Library card, you must visit a branch in person, and bring your student ID.
For more information about eligibility and requirements: Mississauga Public Library Card Eligibility | Toronto Public Library Card Eligibility
To find a library branch near you, visit: Mississauga Public Library Locations | Toronto Public Library Hours & Locations

FLC Software

Certification	Provider	Description	Time to complete
Bloomberg Market Concepts	Bloomberg	Bloomberg Market Concepts is a self-paced, e-learning course that provides an interactive introduction to capital markets. The certification requires completion of four modules: Economic Indicators, Currencies, Fixed Income, and Equities (there is an optional module that focuses on using the Bloomberg terminal). The program is only available to current UofT students, faculty, and staff.	10-12 hours
FactSet Essentials	FactSet	FactSet's new general certifications are for users who want to become more proficient using FactSet. Under the FactSet Essentials umbrella there are five certifications available: Core Products, Derivative Products, Productivity Suite, Portfolio Analysis, and Universal Screening. These five certificates cover FactSet's products, integrating FactSet with MS Office, portfolio analysis, and universal screening. The program is only available to current UofT students, faculty and staff. A FactSet account is required for access.	4 hours
Tableau ELearning: Consumer Learning Path	Tableau	Learn all the necessary skills to get started with Tableau. The Consumer Learning Path covers Tableau basics such as navigating the interface, foundational data literacy concepts, using Tableau Online and Server, and how different user types engage with web content.	9.5 hours
Power BI Data Analyst Associate	Microsoft Learn	A Microsoft certification in Power BI, covering best practices for data preparation, modeling, visualization, analysis, and secure management of business intelligence solutions	40 hours
Bloomberg ESG Certificate	Bloomberg	The latest certificate offering from Bloomberg, the ESG certificate is a self-paced online course that will introduce you to ESG (environmental, social, and governance) strategies and reporting. In this course you will learn about ESG trends and investment strategies; how asset managers take ESG into consideration when making investment decisions; and how shareholder activism influences corporate behaviour. This interactive course also lets you practices tasks at different points in the investment process. A Bloomberg for Education account is required to access the ESG certificate.	8-10 hours
Data Visualization with Tableau Specialization	UCLA	Learn to transform data into actionable insights using Tableau. Covers data preparation, creating visualizations, interactive dashboards, and storytelling with data through a hands-on Capstone Project.	40 hours
From Excel to Power BI	Coursera	Learn the core skills to transition from Excel to Power BI. This course covers importing and transforming data, building data models, creating visualizations and reports, and publishing dashboards.	3 hours
Get Started with SPSS	Open University	An introductory course to SPSS and basic statistics used in the social sciences. The tutorials will guide you, step-by-step, through the basics of SPSS, as well as how to produce commonly used statistics. No prior experience with SPSS necessary.	3 hours
Alteryx Designer Core	Alteryx	The first in Alteryx's Certification Program, this program covers the "core" toolset including the most used tools and features. To become certified, students need to pass an exam.	2 hours (Exam)
Alteryx Designer Advanced	Alteryx	The second in Alteryx's Certification Program, this program covers higher-level analysis skills such as analytic apps, macros, reporting, data investigation, and more. To become certified, students need to pass an exam.	2 hours (Exam)

Working with Data

Certification	Provider	Description	Time to complete
Intro to Data Science Specialization	Coursera	Learn about data science and machine learning, get hands-on experience with tools like SQL, Python, JupyterLab, and RStudio, for solving data problems.	40 hours
Data for Business Analysts Using Microsoft Excel	Coursera	Learn to analyze and interpret business data using Excel. Covers data cleaning, formulas, pivot tables, and basic visualizations to support decision-making and business insights.	20 hours
Statistics and R	edX	Learn the basics of statistics and how to use R programming to explore, organize, and analyze data.	20 hours
Data Science Ethics	Coursera	Who owns data? How do we value privacy? These and other important ethical considerations are at the core of this course. Explore the impact that data science has on modern society and examine the ethical and privacy implications of collecting and managing big data.	15 hours
Linear Regression for Business Statistics	Coursera	Learn how to use linear regression to analyze business data, interpret results, and make data-driven decisions, using Excel and real-world examples.	30 hours
Business Statistics and Analysis	Coursera	Develops core skills in business data analysis. Covers descriptive statistics, probability, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis, equipping students with practical tools for data-driven decision-making.	120 hours
Linear Regression and Modeling	Coursera	Get started with linear regression models with this Duke University course. Learn about the underlying theory, as well as how to fit, examine, and utilize regression models to analyze the relationship between multiple variables. Apply what you learn to data examples using R and RStudio.	10 hours
Introduction to Data Science in Python	Coursera	Learn how to use Python for data science. This course will cover the basics of the Python programming environment, fundamental Python programming, and data manipulation and cleaning techniques in order to teach you how to use Python to clean tabular data, manipulate tabular data, and run basic inferential statistical analyses.	31 hours
Introduction to Probability and Data with R	Coursera	This beginner level course serves as an introduction to sampling and exploring data, basic probability theory, and Bayes rule. Explore various types of sampling methods and learn exploratory data analysis techniques such as numeric summary statistics and basic data visualization. In addition, you will also learn to use R and RStudio for lab exercises and a final project.	14 hours
Managing Data with MySQL	Coursera	Learn how to use relational databases in business analysis with this introductory course. You will learn how relational databases work, how to use entity-relationship diagrams, and understand how to collect data in different business contexts. This course will ultimately equip you with the skills you need to properly collect data and gain insights into the best ways to improve business performance, as well provide you with hands on practice with real databases and a portfolio you can show future employers.	32 hours
Applied Data Science with Python Specialization	Coursera	Learn to analyze data and build models using Python tools like pandas, Matplotlib, and scikit-learn, with hands-on projects.	160 hours
Python Data Structures	Coursera	Move beyond the basic of programming in Python and explore the built-in core data structures such as lists, dictionaries and tuples for data analysis. This is the follow up course to Programming for Everybody.	19 hours
Data Management and Visualization	Coursera	Learn how to harness data to drive success with this introduction to data visualization. The course will first ask you to consider what data is and what questions can be answered using data, and then moves into how to develop a research question describe variables and relationships between variables, basic statistics, and how to present results. Lastly you will learn how to use SAS or Python to manage and visualize your data.	12 hours
Data Visualization	freeCodeCamp	This intensive certification program covers how create data visualizations in D3, the JSON APIs and Ajax challenges, and data visualization projects to help you practice your skills.	300 hours
Understanding and Visualizing Data with Python	Coursera	Explore how to use Python for statistics and learn about study design, data management, and data visualization. In this course you will learn to determine different types of data, how to visualize, analyze and interpret summaries for univariate and multivariate data, and probability and non-probability sampling. Apply what you learn in Python each week in hands-on, lab-based sessions.	20 hours
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate	Coursera	A beginner-friendly program by Google covering data cleaning, analysis, and visualization using spreadsheets, SQL, R, and Tableau. Includes hands-on projects and a shareable certificate, preparing learners for entry-level data analyst roles.	240 hours
Python Data Visualization	Coursera	Advance your Python skills and learn to apply them to data analysis. In this course you will learn how to install external packages for Python, acquire data sources, and clean, process, analyze, and visualize data.	9 hours
IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate	Coursera	Learn how to organize, study, and present data using tools like Excel, Python, and SQL, with step-by-step practice projects.	160 hours
Excel Skills for Business Specialization	Coursera	Learn to analyze and present data effectively. Covers key topics like data entry, formulas, charts, and basic automation.	120 hours
Business Analytics Specialization	UPenn	Develop skills in analyzing business data, uncovering insights, and applying them to solve real business problems.	40 hours

Coding Skills

Certification	Provider	Description	Time to complete
Learn to Program: The Fundamentals	Coursera	Introduces programming basics like variables, functions, and loops through hands-on exercises and real-world examples.	2o hours
Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python)	Coursera	Get started with Python, with this course for complete beginners. Learn how to construct a Python program using a series of simple instructions. No previous programming experience required and only covers simple mathematics.	19 hours
R Programming	Coursera	Teaches you how to program in R, covering topics like reading data, writing functions, debugging, and organizing code for effective data analysis.	60 hours
Developing with GitHub Copilot and VS Code	Coursera	Learn how to use GitHub Copilot with Visual Studio Code to write code more efficiently, with hands-on exercises like creating and improving a Pomodoro timer app.	2 hours
Visual Studio Code (VS Code) for Beginners	freeCodeCamp	Teaches how to set up and use Visual Studio Code efficiently, covering customization, shortcuts, Git integration, and coding in multiple languages.	5 hours
Introduction to Programming with MATLAB	Coursera	Introduces programming concepts using MATLAB, covering topics like variables, functions, and control flow through hands-on exercises.	120 hours
CS50's Introduction to Computer Science	edX	An introductory course that teaches the core concepts of computer science and programming, including algorithms, data structures, software engineering, and web development, with the option to audit individual modules.	220 hours

BIGDataAIHub

Certification	Provider	Description	Time to complete
A Mind Map of Core Machine Learning Concepts	Ruslan Diachenko	This blog post provides a visual mind map outlining core machine learning concepts, including supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning. It serves as a beginner-friendly roadmap that connects key topics, methods, and tools like scikit-learn, TensorFlow, and PyTorch.	blog
AI Applications and Prompt Engineering	edX	Teaches how to build AI tools and write effective prompts for AI systems.
AI Applications and Prompt Engineering	edX	Teaches how to build AI tools and write effective prompts for AI systems.
AI for Beginners	Microsoft Learn	Modules on cloud computing, AI, and data science for university students to gain hands-on experience.	30 hours
AI Infrastructure and Operations Fundamentals	Coursera	Introduces AI concepts, explores data center and cloud infrastructures, and prepares learners for the NVIDIA-Certified Associate certification.	10 hours
AI, ML, DL and Data Science		A video by Simplilearn breaking down and distinguishing artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, and data science.
Augment your LLM with Retrieval Augmented Generation		A workshop covering foundational tools, libraries, and techniques for AI/graphics development, delivered over multiple sessions.
Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Ethics	Coursera	Learn about the ethical challenges of AI and big data through case studies, NLP applications, and examining their impact on society.	9 hours
Building a Brain in 10 Minutes		A six-session workshop that teaches foundational techniques and tools for AI/training workflows, aimed at intermediate learners.
Building RAG Agents with LLMs	Nvidia	A six-session course covering advanced AI/graphics tools and techniques.	8 hours
ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers	DeepLearning	Teaches effective prompt creation to get better results from ChatGPT for coding, writing, and problem solving.	2 hours
CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python	edX	Teaches Python programming fundamentals, including functions, conditionals, loops, object-oriented programming, and file handling, through hands-on projects.	90 hours
Data Analysis with Pandas	Codeacademy	Teaches how to clean, analyze, aggregate, and visualize tabular data using Python’s Pandas library.
Data Manipulation with Pandas	DataCamp	Teaches how to import, clean, and analyze data using pandas DataFrames, covering tasks like filtering, aggregating, and visualizing real-world datasets.	4 hours
Deep Learning System with MiniTorch	MiniTorch	MiniTorch is an open-source educational framework for learning deep learning concepts by building neural networks from scratch in Python.
Developing AI Applications	DataCamp	Build practical AI applications using Python through this 10-part Skill Track, which combines guided courses and hands-on projects covering data preparation, model development, evaluation, and deployment for real-world use.
Developing Applications with LangChain	DataCamp	Learn to create applications using LangChain across 4 focused courses and projects. Learn integrate language models into workflows, manage prompts, work with agents, and build scalable LLM-powered apps.
Difference Between Big Data and Data Science	GeeksforGeeks	The article explains how Big Data involves the management and processing of vast datasets, while Data Science focuses on analyzing these datasets to extract meaningful insights and inform decision-making.	Article
Feature Engineering, Supervised and Unsupervised Learning		A video from IMI/Parsa Vafaie covering how to prepare data (feature engineering) and contrasting supervised vs. unsupervised machine learning methods.
Generative AI Explained	Nvidia	Learn advanced tools and techniques used in AI and graphics development with NVIDIA’s software and frameworks.	2 hours
Intermediate Python	DataCamp	A 4-hour course designed to enhance your Python skills by teaching data visualization with Matplotlib and data manipulation using pandas DataFrames.	4 hours
Intro to SQL: Querying and managing data	Khan Academy	Teaches you how to use SQL to store, query, and manipulate data in relational databases.
Introduction to Networking	Coursera	Covers networking fundamentals, including the OSI model, TCP/IP protocols, Ethernet technology, and data center requirements.
Introduction to Python	Kaggle	A course that introduces Python syntax, functions, conditionals, loops, and data structures like lists and dictionaries, with hands-on exercises tailored for data science applications.	5 hours
Learn Data Analysis with Pandas	Codeacademy	A course that covers tabular data manipulation and analysis using Python's Pandas library, covering data ingestion, cleaning, aggregation, and integration with Scipy and Matplotlib.
Learn Python 3	Codeacademy	Introduces Python fundamentals like variables, loops, functions, and data structures through structured lessons and practical exercises.	25 hours
LLMOps	DeepLearning	Teaches how to fine-tune, deploy, and manage large language models using open-source tools and best practices.	2 hours
Machine Learning Mastery	Jason Brownlee	Learn practical machine learning with Python and scikit-learn, progressing from basics to advanced topics through modules tailored to your interests.	eBook
Mastering Recommender Systems	Class Central	A Class Central video teaching Kaggle Grandmaster strategies for building high-performing recommendation systems.
Pandas Advanced Data	IMIBigDataHub	A video from UTM faculty introducing variables and basic Python programming concepts.	2 hours
Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT	Coursera	Learn to create effective prompts for generative AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance applications in business, education, and everyday tasks.
Python and Pandas Fundamentals	IMIBigDataHub	A video from UTM faculty teaching Python basics, including syntax, data types, control structures, and functions	2 hours
Python Data Science Handbook	Jake VanderPlas	A guide for data analysis using Python, covering essential libraries such as IPython, NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, and Scikit-Learn, and offering practical guidance through Jupyter notebooks.	eBook
Python for Data Analysis	Wes McKinney	A guide to using Python for data analysis, covering topics such as data wrangling with pandas, numerical computing with NumPy, and data visualization with matplotlib.	eBook
Python Pandas Tutorial (Part 2): DataFrame and Series Basics - Selecting Rows and Columns	IMIBigDataHub	A video from Corey Schafer that provides an introduction to the fundamental data structures in the Pandas library	35 mins
Supervised Learning with scikit-learn		Teaches how to build predictive models using real-world datasets, covering classification, regression, and model evaluation techniques.	4 hours
Transform your business with Microsoft AI	Microsoft Learn	Learn how businesses can use AI responsibly and effectively, exploring strategy and Microsoft tools like Azure OpenAI Service.	3 hours
Unsupervised learning in Python	DataCamp	Teaches how to identify natural groupings within data using methods like K-Means and hierarchical clustering.	4 hours

Professional Skills

Certification	Provider	Description	Time to complete
Academic Listening and Note Taking	Coursera	This course is specifically geared to help non-native English speakers improve their listening and note-taking skills when attending academic lectures. Learn how to take better lecture notes, techniques for improving your understanding, and how to give an effective academic presentation.	32 hours
Communication in the 21st Century Workplace	Coursera	This course aims to equip students with the communication skills necessary to succeed in the workplace, taking into account how rapidly workplaces are changing in the 21st century. Topics covered include: the process and functions of communication, behavioural patterns, verbal and nonverbal cues, conflict resolution, communicating more effectively with technology, and more.	6 hours
Communication Strategies for a Virtual Age	Coursera	Communicating in a virtual medium brings different challenges than in-person communication. This U of T School of Continuing Studies course will teach you how to apply communication techniques and principles for in-person and virtual teams and refine your communication style to better persuade and influence others.	7 hours
Design and Make Infographics	Coursera	Get a hands-on introduction with this course, in which you will create an original infographic to visually represent data from your chosen field to explain a trend or theme of your choosing. In creating an infographic, you will also learn: what makes a good infographic, why they are effective, steps for planning an effective infographic, and more.	9 hours
Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace	Coursera	Diversity can be a tricky topic - we need to be able to recognize the differences among people, but recognizing these difference may at the same time contribute to discrimination. This course will help you understand this inherent paradox at the heart of diversity in the workplace, understand the dynamics this paradox creates, and ways to manage it in order to foster innovation.	9 hours
Excel Skills for Business	Coursera	Upgrade your Excel skills and become a spreadsheet pro with this specialization. Start with the essentials, like navigating the Excel interface, perform basic calculations, and format professionally and move to more advanced skills such as automation and conditional formatting that help forecast and model data.	110 hours
Grammar and Punctuation	Coursera	A refresher course on the mechanics of good writing. Consisting of short video lectures, practice exercises, and discussion, this course will help you remember how to identify the correct verb tenses, use commas effectively, use different sentence types, and write more effectively in English.	17 hours
Leading Teams	Coursera	Learn how to build your team, improve teamwork and collaboration, and sustain team performance. This course covers best practices around composing a team and aligning goals, as well as managing conflict and building trust.	10 hours
Learn to Program	Coursera	This U of T course teaches you the basics of programming using Python. Learn about core concepts such as variables, mathematical expressions, and functions, and move into more complicated concepts such as Booleans, loops, tuples and dictionaries. No prior programming experience necessary.	25 hours
Negotiation Skills: Negotiate and resolve conflict	Coursera	This course aims to help you develop negotiation and conflict resolution skills so you can become a positive influence in your organization. The course consists of structured learning activities such as video lectures, quizzes, discussion prompts, and written assessments to help conceptualize and measure power and politics, analyze and develop strategies for influencing stakeholders, and learn how to act with integrity and purpose in your interactions at work.	14 hours
Personality Types at Work	Coursera	Enhance your employability and learn how to use your soft skill to excel in your work. This course is geared to 3 types of situations at work: the job seeker, the team member, and the manager, and will help you identify your strengths and weakness and how to leverage your personality for success.	21 hours
Presentations: Speaking so that People Listen	Coursera	Learn how to organize a presentation, ways to make it memorable, how to communicate your message clearly, and general tips and tricks for producing effective speeches and delivering them well.	25 hours
Project Management Principles and Practices	Coursera	Develop your project management skills with this beginner level specialization. The 4 courses will teach you the basics of project management such as managing a project scope, creating a plan and budget, allocating resources and more. Put your new skills to the test at the end with a capstone project.	26 hours

Marketing

Certification	Provider	Description	Time to complete
Email Marketing	HubSpot Academy	Boost your email marketing skills and learn contact management and segmentation, email deliverability, email campaign analysis, and ultimately how to build an email marketing strategy that helps grow your business and connect with your audience.	3 hours
Fundamentals for Digital Marketing	Google	Learn the fundamentals of digital marketing from Google. This certification includes practical exercises and real world examples to help you put your knowledge into action. Accredited by the Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe and The Open University.	40 hours
Google Analytics Academy	Google	Become a Google Analytics pro! Sign up for Google Analytics Academy. The Academy offers a suite of courses for all skill levels starting from beginner, then moving on to advanced topics, Google Analytics for power users, as well as Google Analytics 360 features. Each of the four courses takes approximately 4-6 hours to complete.	16-24 hours
Inbound Marketing	HubSpot Academy	Discover the foundations of inbound marketing. This certification covers inbound marketing techniques, core tactics, conversion, and nurturing leads.	4 hours
Learn What Content Marketing Is and How to Do It	HubSpot Academy	Get an introduction to content marketing. Learn how to create a content creation framework, create and repurpose content that is successful both with your audience and search engines, and tips and tricks to become a better marketer.	6 hours
Social Media Marketing	HubSpot Academy	Described by HubSpot as the "only social media training you will ever need", this certification covers creating a social media strategy, building brand awareness, and integrating social media into other inbound marketing efforts.	4 hours

FLC Certification Guide

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