Analytics is the system of applying certain methods and techniques to understand the performance of data, generally in an organization or industry. The application of analytics can be used to uncover and interpret relevant patterns of data, which can be later used to make better decisions. Analytics relies on good data as part of its usefulness, as well as the aspects of statistics, computer programming, and operations research to quantify performance. Analytics exists in business when companies use statistics and software processes in assessing how a particular product, service, or project measures up in scope. Businesses perform analytics to pinpoint strengths, identify challenges or weaknesses that may exist, and pull out key data points to help make decisions regarding future growth for the organization.

Learning analytics is a key skill that helps you solve problems to existing challenges. When you use analytics tools to research data patterns, you use methods of analyzing performance characteristics that are essential to a business organization. This is important in today's world of big data. Understanding analytics can make you a valuable asset when assessing areas rich with recorded information, performance indicators, and target goals.

What are typical careers that use analytics?

Analytics is found in a wide range of careers, including business analyst, budget analyst, financial controller, data scientist, and operations researcher. Individuals who move into these and other careers in data analytics often work with raw data and algorithms through mechanical processes to make assumptions and theories. Essentially, with knowledge of analytics, you can move into a job that requires a familiarity with numeric relationships, data structures, and trends and metrics relevant to an organization.

How can taking online courses on Coursera help me learn analytics?

When you take online courses in analytics, you can gain a new understanding of key concepts like data analysis and visualization, mathematical optimization, regression analysis, predictive modeling, and other areas focused on business analytics. Taking online courses about analytics can help you achieve basic data literacy to help you make more informed decisions in any area you work in, like finance, operations, or marketing. As you branch out, you may advance your analytics understanding to include how to extract and manipulate data points, how to use different statistical analysis methods to break down the data, and how to eventually interpret and present your findings.

What are the benefits of taking an online Analytics course?

Online Analytics courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your existing knowledge or learn new Analytics skills. With a wide range of Analytics classes, you can conveniently learn at your own pace to advance your Analytics career.

What Analytics courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Analytics, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Analytics Courses - Learn Analytics Online

Explore the Analytics Course Catalog

University of California, Davis
Health Information Literacy for Data Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Data Governance, Data Quality, Data Integration, Data Dictionary, Data Validation, Data Modeling, Extract, Transform, Load, Health Information Management and Medical Records, Health Systems, Data Management, Metadata Management, Health Care, Analytics, Healthcare Industry Knowledge, Data Analysis, Data Cleansing, Taxonomy, Data Transformation, Data Integrity, Clinical Data Management
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
264 reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Meta
Marketing Analytics Foundation
Skills you'll gain: Data Collection, Marketing, Marketing Analytics, Google Analytics, Digital Marketing, Application Programming Interface (API), Personally Identifiable Information, Marketing Strategies, Web Analytics, Information Privacy, Regulation and Legal Compliance, Facebook, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Advertising
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
2.2K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
University of Virginia
Product Analytics and AI
Skills you'll gain: Analytics, Business Analytics, Usability Testing, Product Management, Customer Insights, A/B Testing, Agile Methodology, User Experience, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Data Science, Product Testing, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML)
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
478 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
IBM
Data Analysis with Python
Skills you'll gain: Data Wrangling, Data Cleansing, Data Analysis, Data Manipulation, Data Import/Export, Exploratory Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Regression Analysis, Predictive Modeling, Pandas (Python Package), Scikit Learn (Machine Learning Library), Data-Driven Decision-Making, Statistical Modeling, Machine Learning Methods, Feature Engineering, Python Programming, NumPy
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
19K reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Amazon Web Services
Getting Started with Data Analytics on AWS
Skills you'll gain: Descriptive Analytics, Analytics, Data Analysis, Dashboard, AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), Data Visualization, Amazon Web Services, Amazon S3, Business Intelligence, Cloud Computing
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
883 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
IBM
Data Analysis and Visualization Foundations
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Data Presentation, Data Visualization, Interactive Data Visualization, Big Data, Data Visualization Software, Data Analysis, IBM Cognos Analytics, Statistical Analysis, Data Mining, Dashboard, Apache Hadoop, Data Collection, Tree Maps, Excel Formulas, Apache Hive, Microsoft Excel, Data Quality, Data Cleansing, Data Import/Export
Build toward a degree
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
27K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
University of Michigan
Foundations of Sports Analytics: Data, Representation, and Models in Sports
Skills you'll gain: Statistical Methods, Regression Analysis, Data Cleansing, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Correlation Analysis, Matplotlib, Data Visualization, Statistical Analysis, Probability & Statistics, R Programming, Data Analysis, Descriptive Statistics, Pandas (Python Package), Python Programming
4.4
Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
186 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: New AI skills
Google
Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce
Skills you'll gain: Media Planning, Search Engine Marketing, Email Marketing, Data Storytelling, Social Media Strategy, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Content Creation, Order Fulfillment, A/B Testing, Target Audience, Digital Marketing, E-Commerce, Loyalty Programs, Social Media Management, Customer Retention, Persona Development, Performance Measurement, Marketing Automation
Build toward a degree
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
38K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Emory University
Introduction to Social Media Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Social Media Marketing, Social Media, Marketing Analytics, Social Media Management, Consumer Behaviour, Data Mining, Customer Insights, Market Analysis, Trend Analysis, Big Data, Analytics, Data Analysis, Research, Peer Review
4.3
Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
108 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Microsoft
Business Analysis Fundamentals
Skills you'll gain: Stakeholder Management, Business Analysis, Project Management, Analysis, Business Requirements, Risk Management, Microsoft Power Platform, Requirements Analysis, Problem Management
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
672 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Google Cloud
Introduction to Data Analytics on Google Cloud
Skills you'll gain: Data-Driven Decision-Making, Looker (Software), Data Storytelling, Data Presentation, Big Data, Data Analysis, Google Cloud Platform, Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data Storage, Data Visualization Software, SQL, Data Warehousing
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
10 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
University of Washington
Social Media Data Analytics
Skills you'll gain: R Programming, Text Mining, Statistical Analysis, Correlation Analysis, Web Scraping, Regression Analysis, Analytics, Big Data, Data Analysis, Data Mining, Unstructured Data, Data Visualization Software, Data Collection, Application Programming Interface (API), Natural Language Processing, Python Programming
4.1
Rating, 4.1 out of 5 stars
296 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks