UC Irvine Extension Offers Courses For Data Science Field

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In a recent report by McKinsey Global Institute, there will be almost half a million jobs in the next five years in which employees are required to have more than a basic understanding of how data plays a role in business. In order to meet the demands of employers, the University of California, Irvine Extension has announced five online information technology courses for the fall quarter. Courses will benefit technology professionals such as data architects, data analysts, database administrators and information technology professionals, who want to upgrade their skill set and position themselves for career growth. Course material will cover topics including scripting languages for manipulation and analysis, data management, predictive analytics and technologies such as Hadoop.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130215/LA60869LOGO)

"The information technology field is rapidly developing and demands employees with an analytical approach to Data Science and well-rounded approach to other IT subject matter," said Dr. Dave Dimas, director of engineering, sciences and information technology at UC Irvine Extension. "UC Irvine Extension is committed to offering information technology professionals with cutting-edge instruction and development programs, and these course offerings provide professionals with the skills and expertise necessary to provide enhanced services for employers."

The four fall courses will be offered solely online and will have various start dates in September and October. The courses are:

• Hadoop: In Theory and Practice (Sept. 30 to Dec. 8): This new course provides an in-depth overview of Hadoop and MapReduce, the cornerstones of big data processing. Participants will learn how enterprises are using such technologies to extract value from Big Data. Course instructor, Amit P Manghani, M.S., M.B.A., has more than a decade of experience in the Information Technology domain dealing with Enterprise Information Management, Business Intelligence, Web Applications and Cloud Computing technologies at leading Information Management companies such as Informatica and SAP.
• Defining Business Goals for Predictive Analytics (Sept. 30 to Nov. 10): Participants of this course will learn how to build business support for predictive analytic efforts, scope them appropriately, and develop a plan for successful implementation. The course is taught by James Taylor, CEO of Decision Management Solutions, who has more than 20 years of experience developing software and solutions for clients.
• R Programming (Oct. 7 to Nov. 24): Also a new course, participants will learn about R programming, which is used for solving business problems related to basic math and statistics. Used as a scripting language for statistical data manipulation and analysis, many real-world business problems can be solved using R. Course instructor, Ash Pahwa, Ph.D., has more than 25 years of industry experience in programming and database management and is the founder of A+ Web Services.
• Data Management (Oct. 7 to Dec. 1): This course will examine the management of data through its life cycle which includes identification, acquisition, authentication, validation, assessment, maintenance, archival, and retirement. The course is taught by Derrick Lam, M.B.A, who has taught database courses in Oracle, Sybase, and Microsoft SQL Server at UCI Extension for over 14 years.

For additional information or to register for any of the online Information Technology courses, please visit http://www.extension.uci.edu or call (949) 824-5414.

About UC Irvine Extension: University of California, Irvine Extension is the continuing education arm of UC Irvine. Through thousands of courses and programs offered on campus, online and on site, UC Irvine Extension helps adult learners reach their career advancement and personal enrichment goals —and celebrates 50 years of providing universally accessible, university-level learning to local, regional, and global communities. Learn more at www.extension.uci.edu , or join us on Facebook at facebook.com/uciextension  .

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UC Irvine is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with nearly 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,000 staff. Orange County's largest employer, UC Irvine contributes an annual economic impact of $4.2 billion. For more UC Irvine news, visit www.today.uci.edu. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Justine Mrsich
714-573-0899 ext. 238
[email protected]

SOURCE UC Irvine Extension