Data Science
Data scientists extract insights from complex datasets using statistics, programming, and machine learning. They solve problems related to business strategy, user behavior, and process optimization. They work across industries like tech, healthcare, and finance, typically in collaborative, analytics-driven environments.
Common Job Titles: Business Intelligence Analyst Data Analyst Data Scientist Machine Learning Engineer Statistician
Related Academic Programs
Actuaries analyze the financial costs of risk and uncertainty. Actuaries are in high demand, with the job outlook expected to grow much faster than average in the next decade. This certificate program is designed to prepare current and returning students for a career as an actuary. Students completing the certificate are prepared to pass the P/1 (Probability) and FM/2 (Financial Mathematics) examinations, and would obtain VEE credit for economics, corporate finance, and applied statistical methods topics once a second actuarial examination is passed. The certificate requires a total of 31 or 32 credit hours and can be completed concurrently with a Penn State Behrend degree or via continuing education.
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is rapidly changing human life as we know it—including the way we create, design, predict trends, and solve problems. Amid this societal transformation, there is a need for ethical leaders who can evaluate AI and establish protocols for its use.
We all make shortcuts as we process new information. But how do those shortcuts impact our everyday decisions—particularly about financial matters?
That’s what the Certificate in Behavioral Finance, offered jointly by the Black School of Business and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, explores. You’ll learn to consider why financial managers make decisions to merge firms, pay dividends, or choose investments.
The certificate covers core content in social psychology, cognitive psychology, behavioral economics, and behavioral finance. The certificate requires a total of 18 credit hours and can be completed concurrently with a Penn State Behrend degree or via continuing education.
Are you ready to be at the forefront of the AI revolution? Consider adding a specialty in designing, developing, and refining artificial intelligence systems to your computer science or software engineering degree.
The Computer Science minor is designed to allow students in any Behrend major to establish a strong conceptual framework in computer science, so they can apply computer science methods and techniques to their primary field of study. Computing has become a critical aspect of most disciplines. This minor provides students with the opportunity to develop computing expertise which can then be applied to their field of study, thus enhancing job placement opportunities after graduation or better preparing the student to pursue graduate work in computing intensive sub-disciplines of their major.
Wherever there are computers, there is a need for computer scientists. If you’re looking for a high-demand degree that lets you use your interests in math, science, coding, and technology, then the B.S. in Computer Science would be a good fit.
Data Visualization is one of the fastest growing professions. Creating a well-designed and well-structured story with data helps executives and non-technical individuals understand meaning in their numbers. This type of visual storytelling creates meaningful insights for decision makers in government, insurance, banking, health care, research, and education.
The minor in Data Visualization is open to students in any Behrend major. It requires 22 credits of coursework; some courses fulfill Penn State General Education Requirements.
Energy is a vital sector of our economy—both traditional resources and emerging renewable markets.
The Certificate in Energy Finance is designed to combine an interest in the engineering aspects of energy systems with the financial expertise gained through courses in financial analysis and risk management.
The program prepares you for the Global Association of Risk Professionals’ Sustainability and Climate Risk certification and Financial Risk Manager certification.
SAP is the world’s largest enterprise application software company, with more than 170,000 customers in more than 120 countries. The certificate program in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) with SAP helps set our graduates apart from other business and management information systems graduates when gaining successful employment. Based on a Central Michigan University study, the average starting salary of SAP graduates was $5,250 greater than non-SAP graduates.
The goal of this program is to use SAP technology as a tool to help teach business concepts. Instead of studying “cold” textbook exercises at the end of a given textbook chapter, students directly interact with a real business, executing real functions and transactions in a life-like business-to-business simulation.
Penn State Behrend offers the innovative interdisciplinary-based Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ENTI) minor to students in any major.
The minor equips students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset; think critically and “outside the box” to sense opportunities; develop value propositions; and create sustainable value in fast-paced socio-technological environments. The minor at Penn State Behrend currently offers the New Ventures Cluster, although additional clusters will be made available.
Looking to make yourself more valuable in the workplace? The graduate certificate in Financial Analysis from Penn State Behrend could give you the competitive edge you need to advance your career.
In this 12-credit program, you’ll study foundational business topics like financial theory and risk management, hone your skills in analysis and critical thinking, and apply your lessons through hands-on coursework and real-world case studies.
This online financial engineering certificate can help you apply knowledge of finance, economics, statistics, and data analysis to make sound financial decisions and design innovative financial instruments and risk management strategies.
This certificate program is designed to prepare both current and returning students for a career in risk management; and, for those interested, to gain exposure to topics that constitute the first part of the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) exam, sponsored by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP). The FRM exam is the primary industry designation, with over 20,000 candidates taking the exam twice a year. Students completing the certificate are prepared to pass the first part of this two-part exam. The certificate requires a total of 22 credit hours and can be completed concurrently with a Penn State Behrend degree or via continuing education.
Our world runs on data, and the people who best understand it—and who can explain it—are essential to any organization. With the B.S. in Functional Data Analytics, you’ll learn to analyze and interpret the numbers, but also discover how to clearly convey that information to others.
Science-related companies don’t just hire scientists—they need business-minded employees, too, to manage money, monitor supply chains, handle sales, interpret consumer behavior, and manage marketing.
With the B.S. in Interdisciplinary Science and Business (ISB) from Penn State Behrend, you’ll be uniquely qualified for positions on the business side of science, technology, and healthcare organizations—prepared with a deep understanding of what the company does along with the know-how to help lead it to future success.
The management information systems minor can open new career options for students, increase their market value, and improve their chances for advancement.
Mathematics is one of the oldest and most basic sciences, the foundation on which many other disciplines rely. Mathematical knowledge increases problem-solving skills in many fields.
You’re good with numbers—how can you make that a career? With the B.S. in Mathematics from Penn State Behrend, you can specialize in a variety of fields, including statistics, economics, actuarial science, computer science, modeling, and data analysis.
The Operations and Supply Chain Management minor is designed primarily for students enrolled in non-business majors, especially those in engineering and engineering technology and in science, who wish to augment their majors with further studies in operations. The objective of the minor is to acquaint these students with the issues and methods associated with managing operations within manufacturing or service industries. Relevant studies include principles of management, operations management, logistics systems, procurement, planning and control, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and project management.
If you’re passionate about using data to solve problems, then you might benefit from adding a certificate in Project and Supply Chain Analytics to your degree. This 12-credit certificate program takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating project management, supply chain management, and data analytics to build your skills in managing the flow of goods, services, and information.
The certificate program is designed to help you learn to apply analytical methods to find solutions and insights needed for key decision making within an organization. The certificate provides a foundation that can be used to boost your portfolio in a number of fields, including management, data analytics, or business intelligence, or to help prepare you for further graduate studies.
Statistics originated from the simple study of games of chance and grew into one of the most important applications of human knowledge. One cannot read a newspaper or watch the evening news without being exposed to some sort of statistic or graphic used to describe everything from approval ratings to medical studies. A statistical background enables people to critically analyze and interpret this information.