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Data Engineering Graduate Certificate

12
Credits to Earn Your Certificate
95%
CSU Online Grad Students Secured Plans Related to Their Career
93%
Grad Students Would Choose CSU Online Again
$498M
In research expenditures in FY23
Certificate Overview Open Accordion

Earn your data engineering certificate online

The field of data engineering is essential to virtually every major industry, from agriculture to healthcare to telecommunications.

Today’s data engineers are responsible for collecting, storing, manipulating, and protecting vast amounts of valuable information using a combination of interconnected software and hardware systems. Without these professionals, many organizations could no longer function, let alone grow.

This certificate will provide you with both the theoretical knowledge and applied data engineering skills to excel in a wide range of careers.

What you will learn

Developed by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), this online certificate program leverages CSU’s cross-disciplinary strengths in systems engineering, biomedical engineering, and atmospheric science.

Learn to apply comprehensive engineering principles that yield meaningful data and shape future business strategies. Discover how to effectively capture, model, manage, and extract meaning from large data sets so you can drive strategic decision-making at every stage of the engineering process.

After successfully completing this program, you will:

  • Understand how to apply end-to-end engineering principles that produce reliable, meaningful data sets and actionable insights
  • Know how to set up effective data collection processes and experiments, and asses the physical engineering processes that govern the generation of that data
  • Gain the knowledge to select and apply the most suitable mathematical tools for data modeling and interpretation to drive strategic decision-making
  • Expand your analytical thinking as you learn to command algorithmic toolsets, design comprehensive experiments, develop new engineering systems, and efficiently manage data

Customize your plan of study to suit your career goals

This program’s flexible curriculum incorporates mathematics, statistics, computing, and engineering in a format that is accessible to a wide range of students, from current graduate students to mid-career engineers. When building your individual plan of study, select from four unique domains:

  1. Signal and image processing
  2. Biomedical engineering
  3. Computer engineering
  4. Systems engineering

Gain the skills to meet industry demand

Rather than just studying how to gather, interpret, and report on data, this program will give you the skills to engineer experiments that give rise to highly organized and deeply informative data sets. Doing this effectively requires an understanding of how to correctly set up experiments and the physical processes that govern the generation of data. Go beyond the fundamentals and dive into the specialized knowledge you need to thrive as a data engineering specialist.

Running the numbers: Career opportunities are on the rise

Demand is growing for highly qualified data engineers. This field spans disciplines and has become an invaluable tool for every major industry, from transportation to manufacturing to national defense. According to the recent State of Software Engineers report from Hired, demand for data engineers rose by 45 percent in 2019. A 2020 report on technology jobs by DICE also shows that “data engineer” was the fastest-growing job role in 2019, with a growth rate of 50 percent.

Curriculum Open Accordion

To earn your graduate certificate, you must successfully complete 12 credits from the following courses:

Theoretical Foundations (TF)

Select a minimum of 6 credits from the following:



Applications (AP)

Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following list of courses for specific engineering application domains:

AP: Signal and Image Processing
AP: Biomedical Engineering
AP: Computer Engineering
AP: Systems Engineering

Total Credits: 12

Note: This certificate may have courses in common with other graduate certificates. A student may earn more than one certificate, but a given course may be counted toward only one certificate.

Note: Additional coursework may be required due to prerequisites.

Note: ECE 520 and ENGR 510 cannot be both taken to satisfy this requirement.

How to Apply Open Accordion

Application Deadlines

Fall semester July 1
Spring semester December 1

Start your application online and upload materials directly into the online system. You can save your progress and return any time.

Apply Now

1Review Admission Requirements

This graduate certificate requires applicants to have the following, at a minimum:

  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering or science from a regionally accredited, four-year institution.
  • A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher from your most recent degree completed
  • At least two semesters of calculus

Note that meeting the minimum department standards does not ensure admission to the program. Admission to Colorado State University graduate programs is based on several factors, including prior academic and professional experience.

2 Complete Online Application

Complete the online graduate application and pay the nonrefundable application processing fee (payable online). As soon as you have completed the required information, please submit your application. Your application will not be reviewed until it is complete and all required materials have been received.

  • Select "Data Engineering (Certificate) - Distance" when choosing the Program of Study.
    (Note: You must first select "Certificate" at the top.)

3 Request Transcripts

Request one official transcript from the institution where you earned your bachelor’s degree. Transcripts must be received directly from the originating institution to be considered official. Transcripts from Colorado State University are not required.

Electronic (preferred):
Digital Transcripts must be submitted by the originating institution using a secure service such as parchment, eScrip-Safe, the National Student Clearinghouse, or e-Quals. Transcripts received via emails are considered unofficial.

Use institution code 4075 for Colorado State University or gradadmissions@colostate.edu if the secure service requires an email address.

Mail (if necessary):
Graduate Admissions
Colorado State University – Office of Admissions
1062 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1062

Check Your Application Status

View your application status at any time to ensure your application checklist is complete or to check on updates.

Once your complete application, including supporting materials, is received, the department admission committee will review your application and notify you of their decision.

For International Applicants

Proof of English language proficiency is required for applicants from countries or United States territories where there are official languages other than (or in addition to) English. This includes the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Learn more about English language proficiency requirements.

Questions?

We love learning about your goals and answering any questions you have.

Tandi Hawkey
Prospective Student Support Coach
Schedule Time to Talk

Program Details

Courses
Online
Credits
12
Tuition
$705-$1175 per credit
Same in-state tuition for all.
Learn more about financial aid and scholarships Tuition/fees are just part of the cost to attend CSU. Learn more about the full Cost of Attendance
Certificate Awarded
Graduate Certificate in Data Engineering
Time Frame
1 Year
Admission Reqs.
  • B.S. in engineering, life sciences, or natural sciences
  • 3.0 GPA on all undergraduate coursework
  • At least two semesters of calculus

Application Dates

Fall semester
July 1
Spring semester
December 1

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