Certificate in Data Analytics Proposal Appd by Senate 2014

Proposed
Certificate in
Data Analytics, Big Data & Predictive Analytics
Submitted by:
Dr. Sri Krishnan, Dean, Faculty of Architectural Science (Dean of Record)
in collaboration with
Dr. Imogen Coe, Dean, Faculty of Science

The Faculty of Science,
and
Dr. Marie Bountrogianni, Dean
The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education
November 13, 2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements .........................................................................................................iv
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 1
1
Introduction to the Certificate ................................................................................... 6

1.1
Curriculum Rationale.......................................................................................... 6
1.2
Co-Academic Coordinators .............................................................................. 10
1.3
The Goals of the Certificate.............................................................................. 10
1.4
Degree Credit ................................................................................................... 11
1.5
Admissions Policy ............................................................................................ 11
1.6
Development Plan ............................................................................................ 12
1.7
Comparator Programs ...................................................................................... 14
1.8
Academic Home Unit ....................................................................................... 19
1.9
Curriculum Structure and Professional Competencies ..................................... 19
1.10
Proposed Program Courses ......................................................................... 21
1.11
Professional Development Award ................................................................. 24
1.12
Target Participants and Job Opportunities .................................................... 24
Rationale ................................................................................................................ 25
2.1
Course Descriptions and Learning Outcomes........................................................ 27

3.1
Relevance to Ryersons Goals ......................................................................... 26
The Certificates Learning & Competency Outcomes ....................................... 27
Course Outline Prospecti ....................................................................................... 31

4.1
Introduction to Big Data Analytics .................................................................... 31
4.2
Data Access and Management ........................................................................ 32
4.3
Data Analytics: Basic Methods ......................................................................... 33
Certificate in Data Analytics, Bid Data & Predictive Analytics
ii
4.4
Data Analytics: Advanced Methods................................................................. 34
4.5
Big Data Analytics Tools .................................................................................. 35
Certificate Management ......................................................................................... 39

5.1
Academic Management Structure .................................................................... 39
5.2
Academic Coordinators of the Certificate ......................................................... 40
5.3
Certificate Delivery ........................................................................................... 41
5.4
Academic Governance ..................................................................................... 41
5.5
Student Advising .............................................................................................. 41
5.6
Registration and Graduation Requirements ..................................................... 41
Societal Need......................................................................................................... 42
Ryerson Library Resources.................................................................................... 44

7.1
Collections........................................................................................................ 44
7.2
Interlibrary Loans ............................................................................................. 44
7.3
In Person Services ........................................................................................... 44
7.4
Online Services ................................................................................................ 45
7.5
Drop-in Workshops .......................................................................................... 45
7.6
Liaison with The Chang School ........................................................................ 45
Financial Viability ................................................................................................... 46
Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 47
Appendices
Appendix
Appendix
Appendix
Appendix
Appendix
1
2
3
4
5
Academic Coordinator job description

Letters of Support
Certificate Curriculum Committee Participants
Membership of the Program Advisory Council
Agenda and Meeting Notes of the Curriculum Committee/Program
Advisory Council
iii
Acknowledgements
Since its inception in the Summer of 2013, this Certificate proposal has benefited from
the thoughtful input and creative collaboration of staff and faculty from various bodies
within Ryerson University. We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the
following individuals:
Deans
Sri Krishnan (Dean of Record)
Imogen Coe
Marie Bountrogianni
Previous Chang School Dean
Gervan Fearon
Faculty Liaison and Academic Lead
Alex Ferworn
Certificate Co-Academic Coordinators
Ayse Bener
Alex Ferworn
Standing Curriculum Committee Co-Chairs for the Certificate
Ayse Bener
Alex Ferworn
Program Director of Engineering, Architecture & Science at The Chang School
Anne-Marie Brinsmead (Chang School Lead)
Certificate Curriculum Committee
Kimberly Bates
Ayse Bener
Anne-Marie Brinsmead ex-officio member
Dejan Delic
Liping Fang
Xavier Fernando
Alex Ferworn
Jacob Friedman
Murtaza Haider
Pawel Pralat
Alireza Sadeghian
Marcos Santos
Khaled M. Sennah
Issac Woungang
iv
The G. Raymond Chang School of

Continuing Education
Fred Anger
Manny Aranas
Anne-Marie Brinsmead (Chang School Lead)
Des Glynn
Shannon Koumphol
Dijana Praskac
Juliya Vasyliv
Program Advisory Council
Anthony Bonato, Associate Dean, Students and Programs, YSGS
Stephen Perelgut, IBM University Liaison
Shaohua Zhang, Manager, R&D, Big Data, Blackberry
Atif Ahmad, CEO Wind Mobile
Executive Summary
Certificate Goals
The focus of the proposed Certificate program is to deliver relevant, timely and effective
education in the areas of Data Analytics Foundation, Basic and Advanced Analytics
Methods and Big Data Analytics Tools, including a Capstone course with a final project,
where theory, methods, techniques and processes shall be applied and used in
practice. When the curriculum is delivered, the program will provide professionals that
is, the certificate registrants the opportunity to complete course assignments that
closely address their identified professional needs and career goals.
Certificate Structure and Learning Outcomes
Curriculum is designed to meet the requirements of INFORMS Certified Analytics
Professional (CAP) program. CAP requires proficiency and skills in the following
seven domains:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Business Problem Framing

Analytics Problem Framing
Data
Methodology
Model Building
Deployment
Model Life Cycle Management
This Certificate requires the completion of six courses, including one Capstone course
that cover the aforementioned seven knowledge domains (Figure 1).
Page | 1
Figure 1. Curriculum and Competency Mapping
Development Plan
At this juncture, there is consensus that a comprehensive, staged deployment of the
Certificate will most effectively meet the educational needs, as well as the career
advancement aspirations, of individuals at different stages and levels of responsibility
along their career paths, while keeping their emerging interests firmly in mind. The
curriculum discussed in this proposed certificate will be developed with the following
roll-out planned.
First and Second courses Fall 2014 in-class

Third course Winter 2015 in-class
Fourth and Fifth courses Spring 2015 in-class
plus Capstone course (with Final Project) Fall 2015
The choice of Capstone course final project will be conducted in consultation with a
faculty advisor.
Societal Need and Target Group
The focus of the certificate program is to deliver pertinent, practical, timely and effective
education in the areas of Data Analytics, Big Data and Predictive Analytics. Each of
these domains is widely recognized as having significant and growing societal
importance: with respect to organizational performance in R&D, products and services;
with respect to communications to clients and customers; with respect to commerce,
Page | 2
finance, research, public utility, law enforcement, government institutions and

infrastructure. Big Data implementation and analytics, predictive analytics methods and
models, predictive analytics platforms and qualified professionals knowledgeable
harnessing them are in high demand from private and public sector organizations,
including from the scientific, technology, legal, social and business perspectives.
New research1 by the McKinsey Global Institute projects that there will be a 50 to 60
percent gap between supply and demand of people with data analytical competencies.
These professionals will need advanced education in data analytics, statistics and
predictive analytics as well as the ability to analyze large data sets (Big Data). The
study projects that there will be approximately between 425,000 and 475,000 unfilled
data analytics positions in North America (Canada and the US) by 2018 and a shortage
of 1.5 million managers (and those data analysts that report to them) who have the
ability to harness the analysis of data provided to them and to make decisions using
data analysis, including Big Data analytics. The report estimates that a steady stream of
analytic talent will be required in all industries, as companies use data, databases and
big data and predictive analytics platforms as a means of competitive advantage.
Admissions Requirements
This program is open to adults within a range of academic and/or professional
backgrounds, subject in some instances to the approval of the certificates academic
coordinator(s)
Certificate applicants are to hold:
i) An OSSD with six Grade 12 U or M credits (with a minimum grade point average of 70
percent), including:
a Grade 12 U course in English;
a Grade 12 U course in Advanced Functions;
A 12 U course in Calculus and Vectors OR a 12 U course in Mathematics of Data
Management,
AND one (1) of EITHER:
A Grade 12 U course in Physics; OR a Grade 12 U course in Chemistry; OR a
Grade 12 U course in Biology;
ii) OR, equivalent academic status, for example:
Sufficient University degree coursework (obtained within the last 10 years) in
mathematics, computer science, science, engineering, or business with a
minimum cumulative GPA of 1.67.
or
http://www.mckinsey.com/NotFound.aspx?item=%2fmgi%2fpublications%2fbig_data%2fpdfs%2fmgi_big_data_exec_summary&us
er=extranet%5cAnonymous&site=website, accessed July 2013.
Page | 3
A three-year college diploma (obtained within the last 10 years) in mathematics

computer science, science, business with a minimum 3.0/B/70% cumulative
GPA.
A relevant or related certificate in the field of data analytics.
or
OR
iii) Mature Student Status:
For Mature Student Status, the Certificate applicants are to have other relevant
academic qualifications or relevant professional experience (to be assessed/evaluated
by Co-Academic Coordinator Professor Ayse Bener in consultation with the applicant):
Four years of relevant professional experience.
Note: For applicants who fall under the Mature Student Status category:
To see if you qualify, please contact Professor Ayse Bener, Co-Academic Coordinator,
at ayse.bener@ryerson.ca for a one-one-one consultation, or attend a Program Open
House.
Undergraduate students wishing to pursue a continuing education certificate program
should be aware of possible restrictions; please refer to the Curriculum Advising website
at www.ryerson.ca/currentstudents/curriculum advising for complete details.
Academic Management and Governance
The Steering Curriculum Committee members for the proposed certificate made the
decision with Departmental Chairs present (Mathematics, Computer Science and
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering) that the Academic Home for the proposed
certificate will be the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in the
Faculty of Engineering and Architecture Science.
The Dean of Record will be the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural
Science.
The Computer Science and Mathematics Departments will serve as teaching
departments and will contribute courses to the certificate. Along with faculty from the
Academic Home department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, faculty from the
Mathematics Department and the Computer Science Department (as well as faculty
from other academic departments and Faculties) will be members of the Standing
Curriculum Committee for the certificate. The Standing Curriculum Committee shall
have a majority of faculty members (RFA).
With the permission of the respective Departmental Chairs, faculty from the Department
of Computer Science and faculty from the Department of Mathematics will be invited to
teach courses (as faculty overload) in the certificate. The Co-Academic Coordinators
Page | 4
will be one (1) faculty member from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering and (1) faculty member from the Department of Computer Science.
Page | 5
Most companies today collect hundreds of trillions of characters of data. This data is
used in many industries, from businesses to governments, from finance to R&D, from
product and service performance to marketing and advertising [...] getting full value from
the data requires not only the ability to use the tools of data management, data analysis
and predictive analytics, but, at least as important, the ability to frame the right
questions, understand the domain of use and clearly articulate the findings for the
purposes of sound decision making.
-David Belanger, Chief Scientist of AT&T Labs
1 Introduction to the Certificate

Data Analytics, Big Data and Predictive Analytics can be leveraged to seek out insights
into an organizations performance, stakeholders, products, services, channels,
solutions, future directions, initiatives and innovations. Additionally, Data Analytics, Big
Data and Predictive Analytics and the insights they provide need to be applied and
deployed strategically to support making better decisions within an organization, be it in
the private, public, para-public or non-profit sectors.
The proposed name for this Certificate is appropriate and consistent with current usage
in the area of study of Data Analytics, Big Data and Predictive Analytics. (Please see
the section on Comparator Programs.)
1.1 Curriculum Rationale

The increased flow of digital information, characterized by high volume and variety,
provides opportunities for transforming this data (Big Data) into business intelligence
and is resulting in a growing demand for data analytics expertise within all sectors and
across a variety of business domains. According to Gartner2, Big Data is the
information of extreme size, of diversity and of complexity.
Data scientist was named the sexiest job of the 21st century3 by Harvard Business
Review magazine, describing data scientist as a high-ranking professional with the
training and curiosity to make discoveries in the world of big data. Numerous
publications examined in this paper suggest both a labour and a skills shortage within
the data analytics field. However, it also appears that technical competencies alone will
not fully address the particular skills-mix shortage.
A combination of business acumen and of statistical/mathematical competencies seems
to be the most demand by the marketplace. The proposed certificate programs
positioning may have greater impact with the inclusion of strategic and/or business
elements (e.g., business analysis is a growing field).
Accessed on 26 September 2013 at: http://www.gartner.com/technology/topics/big-data.jsp
Harvard Business Review magazine (October 2012). Data Scientist: The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century. Accessed on 18
September 2013 at: http://hbr.org/2012/10/data-scientist-the-sexiest-job-of-the-21st-century/
Page | 6
Crucially, the proposed curriculum is designed to meet the requirements of the Certified
Analytics Professional (CAP) program recently launched by INFORMS in 20124. The
CAP domains of practice that adhere to the analytics end-to-end process are:
business problem framing, analytics problem framing, data, methodology selection,
model building, deployment, and model life-cycle management.
Program registrants will learn how analytics can help to improve decisions throughout
an organizations value chain, to understand the different forms of analytics (descriptive,
predictive and prescriptive), and to develop a good understanding of the methods used
in each, and to acquire hands-on experience with analytics tools that are widely used in
practice. The proposed program is a unique offering in the GTA, competing only with
online programs at selected U.S. institutions, Centennial College and, to some extent,
with a certificate program at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies.
If the maximum benefit to Canadas economy is to be obtained from Data Analytics, Big
Data and Predictive Analytics, Canada will need skilled data analysts with Data
Analytics, Big Data and Predictive Analytics applied expertise, including proficiency in
Big Data implementation and open source data. In anticipation, this proposed certificate
program meets this identified market need. Literally tens of thousands of individuals
have been hired globally by organizations mandated by statute, or otherwise recognized
and credible, in order to apply the technical and analytical skills required to run and to
maintain information technology systems and databases.
However, only a small subset of these professionals have also been trained in the
creation, management, integration and organization/delivery of data analytics methods
and processes applied to databases, Big Data implementation and predictive platforms
within the enterprise. Even fewer IT-educated professionals have the knowledge,
competencies and skill sets that inspire credibly-based yet assured and confident belief
in the integrity, authenticity, accuracy and completeness of the Data Analytics, Big Data
and Predictive Analytics being produced as outputs of processed information.
Enter Ryerson trained Data Analytics, Big Data and Predictive Analytics specialists and
data analysts well trained, mature, multi-disciplinary in approach and versed not only
in technicalities, but in the organizations identified needs and those organizations data,
databases and processes. To which can be added, skills in Big Data analytics and in
implementation.
Moreover, this well-rounded professional becomes a critical component, not only in
addressing pressing needs for predictive analysis and findings, but in re-establishing the
broadly-based trust that ultimately fuels so much of the economys and governments
performance and productivity.
https://www.informs.org/Certification-Continuing-Ed/Analytics-Certification/Candidate-Handbook#1b
Page | 7
The certificates graduands will contribute professionally to the maximization of

organizational value to be extracted from Data Analytics, Big Data and Predictive
Analytics outputs and best practices, the dynamics and exigencies of the necessary R
& D and performance management, the products and services relevance and efficacy
and the inter-functional communication with internal and external customers, thus
ultimately augmenting productivity and contributing to Canadas economic prosperity.
With no other universities in the GTA offering a professional continuing education
credential at this advanced level, Ryerson acquires a first-mover competitive edge in
this emerging market space.
The following Faculty members have been identified with the academic background and
expertise to provide the necessary guidance and leadership to make the proposed
certificate program successful.
Faculty Member
Prof. Dejan Delic
Home Unit and

Graduate Programs
Mathematics
Relevant Area(s) of Expertise
Modelling and Searching

Complex Networks in the Big
Data Era
Prof. Pralat Pawel
Mathematics
Modelling and Searching
Complex Networks in the Big
Data Era
Prof. Ayse Bener
Mechanical and
Big Data applications to tackle
Industrial Engineering
the problem of decision making
under uncertainty using: machine
learning methods to build
recommender systems and
predictive models; cognitive
science to model human
behaviour; and game theoretic
models to determine strategies in
software analytics, health
sciences, and green analytics/
smart energy.
Prof. Mohamad Jaber
Mechanical and
Modeling organizational, group
and individual processes
performance
Supply/chains, Inventory
management in reverse logistics
Prof. Alexander Ferworn Computer Science
Computational Algorithms and
Models, Computer Security,
Survivable Networks
Prof. Liping Fang
Mechanical and
Risk Analysis, Decision Tree
Industrial EnFgineering
Analysis, Reliability Engineering,
and Decision Support Systems
Page | 8
Prof. Xavier Fernando

Prof. Alireza Sadeghian
Electrical and Computer

Engineering
Computer Science
Prof. Khaled Sennah
Civil Engineering
Prof. Isaac Woungang
Computer Science
Prof. Marcos Santos
Computer Science
Prof. Cherie Ding
Computer Science
Prof. Ali Miri
Computer Science
Prof. Abdolreza Abhari
Computer Science
Prof. Sherareh Taghipour Mechanical and

Prof. Mohamed Ismail
Mechanical and
Prof. Ahmad
Mechanical and
Ghasempoor
Prof. Farrokh JanabiMechanical and
Sharifi
Prof. Patrick Neumann
Prof. Seth Dworkin
Mechanical and
Mechanical and
Computer communications,
analytics and networking.
Intelligent systems, Big Data,
data verification, compromised
data issues.
Numerical & Experimental
Simulations
Computer Security and Digital
Forensics, Network survivability,
Data networks.
Application of evolutionary
computing systems
Web information retrieval, web
analytics and web usage mining
Secure Data De-duplication
Framework for Cloud
Environments
Web 2.0 Social Networking, Web
Mining and Info Retrieval, Data
Mining and Database Systems
Data management, managerial
decision making
Decision support systems
Applications of Artificial
Intelligence
Applications of Artificial
Intelligence in Robotics and
Biomedical Engineering
Simulation and virtual
performance modeling
High performance parallel
computing
Faculty who may teach in the program are highly qualified experts and leaders in their
fields of expertise. Ryerson Universitys is well-known for its uncompromising standard
of academic excellence in the field of professional education.
1.1.1 Potential Faculty Resources

It is reasonable to assume that, over time, there are a number of faculty members who
will be able to support further curriculum development in this area than is currently
proposed. In the following section, we identify the teaching departments who will be
contributing the proposed certificate courses, while the academic home will be the
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering:
Page | 9
The Department of Computer Science

The Department of Mathematics
The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
We look forward over time to adding curriculum from a wide variety of contributing
sources and invite participation of additional faculty on the Standing Certificate
Curriculum Committee, once the proposed certificate is approved and implemented.
1.2 Co-Academic Coordinators

The Co-Academic Coordinators for the Certificate will be Professor Ayse Bener of the
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and Professor Alexander Ferworn
of the Department of Computer Science. They also serve as Co-Chairs of the
Curriculum Steering Committee for the proposed certificate. If-and-when the standing
curriculum committee for the certificate and the department council of the academic
home department, (Mechanical and Industrial Engineering) place items regarding the
certificates curriculum on meeting agendas, Professor Ayse Bener will ask the
Departmental Chair to invite Alexander Ferworn to be present at those meetings.
When any of the courses teaching departments Computer Science, Mathematics and
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering present at their departmental councils or
curriculum committee meetings agenda items that pertain to the courses that they are
teaching in the certificate, both Co-Coordinators shall be invited by the relevant
department Chair to those meetings.
1.3 The Goals of the Certificate

The focus of the proposed Certificate program is to deliver relevant, timely and effective
education in the areas of Data Analytics Foundation, Basic and Advanced Analytics
Methods and Big Data Analytics Tools, including a Capstone course with a final project,
where theory, methods, techniques and processes shall be applied and used in
practice. When the curriculum is delivered, the program will provide professionals that
is, the certificate registrants the opportunity to complete course assignments that
closely address their identified professional needs and career goals.
The Certificate emphasizes the acquisition of knowledge and skill sets to leverage data
analysis learned from the collective experiences of the organization in order for it to stay
ahead of the competitive game when it comes to performance optimization, to
innovation and to long-term sustainability.
This Certificate is a synthesis-focused program intended for working adults across an
array of professional expertise areas to give them the opportunity to develop and to
acquire the functional knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the high-demand
field of Data Analytics, Big Data and Predictive Analytics.
Page | 10
Crucially, the curriculum is designed to meet the requirements of INFORMS Certified

Analytics Professional (CAP) program. Upon successful completion of this certificate,
the participants will be prepared to take INFORMS CAP exam to become certified
professionals.
1.4 Degree Credit

Once the certificate is approved by Senate, relevant department councils will determine
which of the certificate courses may be approved and submitted for degree credit status
(either as Open Electives or as Professionally Related Electives). In addition, Course
Exclusions and Course Restrictions, where appropriate, and where decided upon by the
relevant teaching departments, will be determined. The Steering Curriculum Committee
members for the Certificate defer to the teaching departments for making the decisions
as to which degree credit course designation will be conferred to those certificate
courses by the appropriate academic department, be it Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering, or Computer Science or Mathematics:
Introduction to Big Data Analytics (Teaching Department: Mechanical and

Industrial Engineering / Computer Science)
Data Access and Management (Teaching Department: Computer Science)
Data Analytics: Basic Methods (Teaching Department: Mechanical & Industrial
Engineering)
Data Analytics: Advanced Methods (Teaching Department: Mathematics)
Big Data Analytics Tools (Teaching Department: Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering)
Capstone Course: Emerging Best Practices in Data Analytics & Predictive
Analytics (Teaching Department: Mechanical and Industrial Engineering)
1.5 Admissions Policy

This program is open to adults within a range of academic and/or professional
backgrounds, subject in some instances to the approval of the certificates academic
coordinator(s)
Certificate applicants are to hold:
i) An OSSD with six Grade 12 U or M credits (with a minimum grade point average of 70
percent), including:
a Grade 12 U course in English;

a Grade 12 U course in Advanced Functions;
A 12 U course in Calculus and Vectors OR a 12 U course in Mathematics of Data
Management,
AND one (1) of EITHER:
A Grade 12 U course in Physics; OR a Grade 12 U course in Chemistry; OR a
Grade 12 U course in Biology;
Page | 11
ii) OR, equivalent academic status, for example:
Sufficient University degree coursework (obtained within the last 10 years) in

mathematics, computer science, science, engineering, or business with a
minimum cumulative GPA of 1.67.
A three-year college diploma (obtained within the last 10 years) in mathematics

computer science, science, business with a minimum 3.0/B/70% cumulative
GPA.
A relevant or related certificate in the field of data analytics.
or
or
OR
iii) Mature Student Status:
For Mature Student Status, the Certificate applicants are to have other relevant
academic qualifications or relevant professional experience (to be assessed/evaluated
by Co-Academic Coordinator Professor Ayse Bener in consultation with the applicant):
Four years of relevant professional experience.
Note: For applicants who fall under the Mature Student Status category:
To see if you qualify, please contact Professor Ayse Bener, Co-Academic Coordinator,
at ayse.bener@ryerson.ca for a one-one-one consultation, or attend a Program Open
House.
Undergraduate students wishing to pursue a continuing education certificate program
should be aware of possible restrictions; please refer to the Curriculum Advising website
at www.ryerson.ca/currentstudents/curriculum advising for complete details.
1.6 Development Plan

It is envisioned that development will continue around the concept of data collection,
data analytics and data privacy into the future. In the next sections, we address both the
near and long-term development efforts related directly to the proposed Certificate.
1.6.1 Near-term Development

At this juncture, there is consensus that a comprehensive, staged deployment of the
Certificate will most effectively meet the educational needs, as well as the career
advancement aspirations, of individuals at different stages and levels of responsibility
along their career paths, while keeping their emerging interests firmly in mind. The
curriculum discussed in this proposed certificate will be developed with the following
roll-out planned.
Page | 12
First and Second courses Fall 2014 in-class

Third course Winter 2015 in-class
Fourth and Fifth courses Spring 2015 in-class
plus Capstone course (with Final Project) Fall 2015
The choice of Capstone course final project will be conducted in consultation with a
faculty advisor.
To ensure that both the course content, course delivery and Capstone course of this
Certificate respond to the needs of participants in this emerging field, high-level
practitioners from the sector will be involved in supporting faculty in the development of
the course content, and expert practitioners from the public, private and not-for-profit
sectors will be involved through guest lecturing and/or co-teaching with faculty
members in-class in the program. In addition to the applied experience such
practitioners will bring to program delivery, their participation will provide valuable
networking opportunities for program participants.
1.6.2 Longer-term Development

In the longer term, as curriculum becomes available and is added to the Certificate
program, we will take advantage of the nexus of curriculum, research and students that
this Certificate program will be able to provide.
In addition, consideration will be given by the Standing Curriculum Committee to any
concepts not yet explored; for example there undoubtedly exists (or may be developed)
curriculum in i) Web Analytics and ii) Creating an Analytical Workplace Culture.
The intention of all three departments contributing the certificate courses Mechanical
and Industrial Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics and approved by the
Steering Curriculum Committee, is to offer these courses as Professionally Related
Electives and/or Open Electives in the Computer Science, Mathematics and Mechanical
and Industrial Engineering Departments.
In addition, there is a prospective Masters in Data Science that is currently going
through a fiscal viability process at YSGS and at Ryerson University. YSGS, Mechanical
and Industrial Engineering and Computer Science and other academic departments
across the university are engaged in looking at next steps to move forward with this
initiative.
The certificate aims to provide strong foundation in Analytics, Tools, and Statistics. The
certificate holders will become analytics professionals or quasi-professionals. They
would adhere to the highest standards of good analytics practice and they would be well
grounded to follow a path of taking an advanced study (i.e. Masters program) to
continue their professional development in analytics. Therefore, it is the intention of the
Steering Curriculum Committee for this certificate and its faculty members who
represent the three academic departments that the six certificate courses and the
Page | 13
certificate itself will provide an opportunity for selected graduands for the certificate to
apply to, and, if successful, ladder into, the prospective Masters of Engineering in Data
Science. This certificates curriculum has been designed to accomplish this objective.
1.7 Comparator Programs5

Several comparable programs were found in Canada (full list of comparative programs,
including the sample of the U.S. institutions, is available in the table at the end of this
section):
University of Fraser Valley (Data Analysis post-degree certificate),

UBC (Digital Analytics),
U of T (Certificate in Management of Enterprise Data Analytics),
Centennial College (Graduate Certificate in Marketing-Research and Analytics)
University of Windsor (MA in Social Data Analysis).
The Data Analytics Certificate offered at the University of Fraser Valley has the most
resemblance to the proposed program; however, the courses are delivered in-class
which limits the reach in the GTA market. Even though Digital Analytics at the UBC is
entirely online, the focus is mainly web analytics and thus more narrowed than that of
the proposed program. Within the GTA, the main comparative institution is the U of T
with the 3-course Certificate in Management of Enterprise Data Analytics which
incorporates technical and managerial focus. Another competing offer in Toronto is the
Graduate Certificate in Marketing-Research and Analytics provided by Centennial
College6.
The suggested curriculum appears largely technical not including business components
related to decision-making, strategic perspective and critical thinking. A strong technical
focus may be viewed as a unique aspect of the proposed program, but it may also
present a lower competitiveness in relation to more holistic data analytics
programming.
The programs shown in the table are only university and college-level programs. There
were other private providers such as Predictive Analytics online certificate7 offered by
Prediction Impact. This program is accessible by the Ryerson programs target market;
however, it is not considered a direct competitor due to the program scope and
academic level.
5
Most information from program websites and Vanguard Magazine Publication Emergency Management Education Showcase.
Colleges in the GTA should be considered as competitors, based on The Chang School students consideration set. Findings from
The Chang Schools annual Student Surveys show that our students predominantly consider University of Toronto and the GTA
colleges when deciding where to enroll. Anecdotal evidence also shows that for some programs students consider colleges to be
more suitable. Therefore, discounting the role of colleges as our competitors may lead to incomplete information for decisionmaking.
7
http://www.predictionimpact.com/predictive-analytics-online-training.html
Page | 14
Institution
University
of Fraser
Valley
Program
Data
analysis
certificate
Data
Analysis
Post-Degree
certificate
Focus/Components
Students will acquire the skills needed to extract reliable information
from large data sets. With carefully designed courses taken in both
computing and statistics, students will gain the data-base skills needed
to house, extract, manipulate, and maintain data, and will learn the
statistical techniques needed to collect data correctly, assess its quality,
analyze it, and present the information effectively to decision makers.
The industry standard statistical software environments SAS and R will
be used throughout.
Website
http://www.ufv.ca/cal
endar/2012_13/Prog
ramsMP/MATH_DATA.htm
Required courses:
Introduction to Data Analysis and Statistical Modeling
Statistical Graphics and Languages
Databases and Data Management Systems
Data Quality
5 from the following:
Applied Regression Analysis
Design of Experiments
Survey Sampling
Applied Generalized Linear Models and Survival Analysis
Time Series and Forecasting
Applied Multivariate Statistical Analysis
Data Mining
Advanced Database Topics
Project Management
University
of British
Columbia,
Continuin
g Studies
Digital
Analytics
Award in
Achievement
Fee: $425.01 per 3-credit course.

This program is entirely online: 16 weeks online, 100 hours total,
program fee is $2,840.
The award-winning program focuses on how to analyze and understand
the data generated by digital analytics reporting tools, to make
suggestions for improvements to the reports generated, and to
transform the information contained in these reports into actions the
company can take to improve website visitor centricity and profitability.
Experience with a web analytics reporting tool is recommended, before
taking the courses, as the curriculum does not address the "hands on"
elements of working with a specific tool.
http://cstudies.ubc.c
a/web-analyticsintelligence/awardof-achievement-indigitalanalytics/index.html
?gclid=CPX2vLCE0
7kCFWNgMgodJjkA
_A
The program's content is provided by the Education Committee of the

Digital Analytics Association (formerly the Web Analytics Association),
consisting of industry professionals, and guided by experienced
administrators of adult education programs.
Courses:
Introduction to Web Analytics
Web Analytics for Site Optimization
Measuring Marketing Campaigns Online
Creating and Managing the Analytical Business Culture
Page | 15
Institution
University
of
Toronto,
School of
Continuin
g Studies
Program
Certificate in
Management
of Enterprise
Data
Analytics (Big
Data)
Focus/Components
Designed to address the growing need for data analysts, qualified
analytics managers and data scientists, each course in this groundbreaking program considers the technical and
managerial/organizational aspects of enterprise data management and
analytics in parallel. It will challenge both business focused and
technically minded participants to broaden their horizons, adopt new
ways of thinking and embrace the promise of a smarter, better future
achievable through data analytics.
Website
http://learn.utoronto.
ca/coursesprograms/businessprofessionals/certific
ates/big-datamanagement
The certificate program is open to students with an Undergraduate

degree or college diploma in business, statistics or organizational
dynamics, change management, business processes engineering,
computer science, mathematics, accounting or finance, plus a minimum
of 3 years full time work experience.
University
of Victoria,
Continuin
g Studies
Certificate
Program in
Population
Health Data
Analysis
(PHDA)
University
of Windsor
MA in Social
Data Analysis
Required courses:
Foundations of Enterprise Data Analytics Concepts and Controls
Value Proposition and Technologies of Enterprise Data Analytics
Data Management from Enterprise Data Analytics to Data-Based
Decision Making
In-class delivery, fee per non-credit course = $995 ($2985 for the whole
program)
This new, one-of-a-kind certificate will fill a gap in the present training
needs for those working in the field of epidemiology and statistical
analysis, as well as researchers, policy makers, graduate students and
faculty members working with data analysis pertaining to population
health. The overall goal of the program is to provide you with strong
foundational knowledge and data analysis skills to support your work
within the health and social services sector.
This is entirely online program.
The MA in Social Data Analysis (MASDA) is unique in Canada,
designed to prepare graduates for careers in data analysis, in
government, business or human services.
http://www.uvcs.uvic
.ca/population/
http://www1.uwindso
r.ca/masda/
Both public and private sector organizations require skilled individuals

to analyze information, draw conclusions and recommend practical
applications.
MASDA graduates will have:
A very strong background in methods and statistics;
The ability to access, retrieve and analyze complex data; and
Experience in writing reports in formats commonly used in
applied research settings.
Page | 16
Institution
Centennial
College
Queens
University,
Executive
Education
Program
Graduate
Certificate in
MarketingResearch
and Analytics
Strategic
Analytics
Focus/Components
Graduates of this program will learn different research methods and
obtain the expertise necessary for creating effective surveys, statistical
analysis, industry trends and consumer behaviour.
The two semester program consists of a mixture of lectures and labs
where students are exposed to SAS Enterprise Guide and SAS
Enterprise Miner. These are leading software solutions used in the
Research and Analytics fields.
Upon completion of the three specified SAS courses, students will
receive a certificate of recognition.
The program provides hands-on experience with the concepts, tools,
and techniques that can help the organization to effectively implement
strategic objectives at all levels. Online databases and powerful
analytical tools have made complex analysis both economically feasible
and timely.
Website
http://www.centenni
alcollege.ca/Progra
ms/ProgramOvervie
w.aspx?Program=28
45
http://business.quee
nsu.ca/ConversionD
ocs/Execdev/short_t
erm_program/strate
gic_analytics_progra
m.pdf
The program is for Managers and executives who are involved in their
organizations' strategic planning process.
2-day session, fee: $1950+tax. Offered in Toronto in October 2013.
Page | 17
US Institutions
Institution
Colorado
State
University
Online Plus
Program
Data
Analysis
Certificate
New Jersey
Institute of
Technology
Graduate
Certificate in
Data Mining
Focus/Components
This data analyst training program is designed for practitioners
looking to derive answers from raw data and "big data" using a
comprehensive range of statistical analyses and methods. If you're
responsible for organizing and analyzing complex data, regardless
of what industry you're in, you will benefit from the data analysis
training offered in our online program.
10-11 credits, $679 per credit
Introduction to data mining with an emphasis on large-scale
databases as a source of knowledge generation and competitive
advantage. This certificate is designed for data analysts working
with large organizations to design and use their data resources.
Courses can be applied to a selection of Masters degrees.
Website
http://www.online.col
ostate.edu/certificate
s/data-analysis/
http://adultlearner.nji
t.edu/programs/data
mining-cert.php
4 Course (2 required, 2 electives) Online, can be completed in 1

year.
Stanford
Centre for
Professional
Development,
Stanford
University
Mining
Massive
Data Sets
Graduate
Certificate
Cost: $915 per credit (about $3000 for a 3 credit course)

Techniques and algorithms for extracting information from large
datasets such as the web, social-network graphs, and large
document repositories. Target market: Software engineers,
statisticians, predictive modelers, market research and analytics
professionals and data miners working with large amounts of raw
data.
http://scpd.stanford.
edu/public/category/
courseCategoryCerti
ficateProfile.do?met
hod=load&certificate
Id=10555807
Online, 4 required courses, can be completed in 1-2 years.
University of
California SD
Extension,
San Diego
Data Mining
Certificate
Cost: base price of about $3900 per 3 credit course

Designed to provide individuals in business and scientific
communities with the skills necessary to design, build, verify and
test predictive data models. Target students are professionals in
scientific and business communities.
http://extension.ucsd
.edu/programs/index
.cfm?vaction=certdet
ail&vcertificateid=12
8&vstudyareaid=14
5 courses (4 required, 1 elective), online. Cost: $625 per course
We believe that for the certificate participants, one of the most attractive features of the
proposed certificate is that the curriculum will be available in semester and in intensive
weeknight and weekend formats. Flexible delivery modes are one of the most attractive
strengths of Chang School programs according to the most recent survey of Chang
School graduates (Fall 2012).
Another attractive feature of the proposed Ryerson certificate is the Capstone course
with a final capstone project to complete the Certificate. Flexible access over time to
modularized course curriculum content combined with progressive final course projects
that attest to professional development and that may be placed in an individuals career
portfolio will be distinguishing features of this Certificate program.
Page | 18
The Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science, and the Faculty of Science
already have connections with industry partners such as IBM Canada, St. Michaels
Hospital, Blackberry, etc.
1.8 Academic Home Unit

The Steering Curriculum Committee members for the proposed certificate made the
decision with Departmental Chairs present (Mathematics, Computer Science and
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering) that the Academic Home for the proposed
certificate will be the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in the
Faculty of Engineering and Architecture Science.
The Dean of Record will be the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural
Science.
The Computer Science and Mathematics Departments will serve as teaching
departments and will contribute courses to the certificate. Along with faculty from the
Academic Home department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, faculty from the
Mathematics Department and the Computer Science Department (as well as faculty
from other academic departments and Faculties) will be members of the Standing
Curriculum Committee for the certificate. The Standing Curriculum Committee shall
have a majority of faculty members (RFA).
With the permission of the respective Departmental Chairs, faculty from the Department
of Computer Science and faculty from the Department of Mathematics will be invited to
teach courses (as faculty overload) in the certificate. The Co-Academic Coordinators
will be one (1) faculty member from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering and (1) faculty member from the Department of Computer Science.
1.9 Curriculum Structure and Professional Competencies

Curriculum is designed to meet the requirements of INFORMS Certified Analytics
Professional (CAP) program. CAP requires proficiency and skills in the following
seven domains:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Business Problem Framing

Analytics Problem Framing
Data
Methodology
Model Building
Deployment
Model Life Cycle Management
This Certificate requires the completion of six courses, including one Capstone course
that cover the aforementioned seven knowledge domains (Figure 1).
Page | 19
The Capstone course will be available to students who have completed at least 4
certificate courses and/or who are taking the fifth certificate course concurrently with the
Capstone course. The Capstone course may be taken separately, or on its own.
The certificate shall provide a strong foundation in Analytics, Tools, and Statistics. The
certificate holders shall become qualified as analytics professionals or quasiprofessionals. They will have acquired the highest standards of good analytics practice
and they will be well-grounded to pursue a path to taking advanced study (i.e. masters
program) to continue their professional development in analytics.
See the Curriculum Mapping that follows
(Competency)
Figure 1. Curriculum and Competency Mapping
Page | 20
1.10 Proposed Program Courses

The curriculum of the Certificate consists of the following six courses:
1.10.1
Introduction to Big Data Analytics (Teaching Department:

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering / Computer Science)
This course is designed to give students overview of big data, state of the practice in
analytics, the role of the data scientist, big data analytics in industry verticals, and
analytics lifecycle as an end-to-end process. It focuses on key roles for a successful
analytic project, main phases of the lifecycle, developing core deliverables for
stakeholders, team work skills, and problem solving skills. The course involves in-class
lectures, individual assignments, and team projects where students solve a problem,
work on a project, present their work in written form as project report, as well as by
making presentations.
1.10.2
Data Access and Management (Teaching Department: Computer

Science)
The course focuses on data querying and reporting techniques as well as data mining
and cleaning techniques. Overview of Database Management Systems (DBMS),
differences between database architectures, the role of data and database
administrators, fundamental concepts and need for data warehousing.
1.10.3
Data Analytics: Basic Methods (Teaching Department: Mechanical

& Industrial Engineering)
This course is an introduction to R, analyzing and exploring data with R, and using R
with a database. It focuses on statistics for model building and evaluation. Topics cover
experimental research, correlation analysis, regression, confidence intervals, group
comparisons, parametric and non-parametric models.
1.10.4
Data Analytics: Advanced Methods (Teaching Department:

Mathematics)
This course builds on the Basic Methods course and covers more advanced concepts
including classification and clustering algorithms, decision trees, linear and logistic
regression, time series analysis, and text analytics. The course will provide applied
knowledge on how to analyze large scale network data produced through social media.
In this context topics include network community detection, techniques for link analysis,
information propagation on the web and information analysis of social media.
1.10.5
Big Data Analytics Tools (Teaching Department: Mechanical and

Industrial Engineering)
This course is an introduction to learning big data tools such as Hadoop and advanced
SQL techniques. Students will gain a clear understanding of Hadoop concepts,
technologies landscape and market trends. They will construct SQL queries of
moderate to high complexity to retrieve data from a relational database.
Page | 21
1.10.6
Capstone Course: Emerging Best Practices in Data Analytics &

Predictive Analytics (Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, &
Mathematics, Computer Science)
This course involves a hands-on application of analytics to apply what has been learned
in the previous five courses in a project setting. The Capstone course is intended to
provide an opportunity in a Final Project to bring to fruition an applied synthesis of data
analytics methods, techniques and applications (learned in the coursework previously
undertaken in the program) and apply the competencies that this synthesis affords to a
real-world area of interest (AOI). Working with a faculty supervisor, participants will
apply what they have learned in respect to their real-world AOI.
Page | 22
Certificate in Big Data, Data Analytics and Predictive Analytics

Curriculum Structure
Admissions
Introduction to
Big Data
Analytics
Data Access
&
Management
Data Analytics:
Basic Methods
Data Analytics:
Advanced
Methods
Big Data
Analytics
Tools
Capstone Course
Emerging Best Practices in Data Analytics
&
Predictive Analytics
All courses prior to the Capstone course may be taken in any order. The following sequence is
recommended:
-The Introduction to Big Data Analytics and Data Access Management Is to be taken first, but it may be
taken concurrently with another certificate course of the students choice.
-Data Analytics: Basic Methods must be taken prior to the Data Analytics: Advanced Methods.
-It is recommended that Data Analytics: Basic Methods be taken before Data Analytics: Advanced
Methods.
-It is recommended that four of the certificate courses be taken before the Capstone course.
The Capstone course may be taken in conjunction with the students fifth course in the certificate.
Page | 23
1.11 Professional Development Award

Given that some students may not need the full certificate, and that others may
appreciate recognition along the path to achieving the full certificate, The Chang School
will award, upon request from students, a recognition of professional development when
students have completed three of the required certificate courses.
1.12 Target Participants and Job Opportunities

The Certificate is targeted at those who wish to receive an excellent grounding in Data
Analytics, Big Data and Predictive Analytics. Participants may include those individuals
who:
wish to become, or already are, professionals who wish to use Data Analytics,
Big Data and Predictive Analytics to optimize performance at a variety of levels in
a wide range of sectors such as private enterprise, government, non-profits,
industry, high technology, and in R&D and the delivery products and services;
are interested in the field of Data Analytics and wish to contribute to a range of
employment and technical disciplines, and
are employed in a related field such as data warehousing, data management, IT,
etc. and wish to gather the requisite competencies and credentials for promotion
or other career advancement, including competencies related to Big Data
analytics.
For those participants seeking career advancement or career mobility (change), the
proposed program offers opportunities in a variety of dynamic, challenging and wellpaying positions that are demonstrably in need of skilled practitioners. Graduates may
apply for positions in Toronto specifically, and Southern Ontario generally, in the
knowledge that the preparation they received will hold them in good stead8:
Web Analytics specialist

Data Analyst (in various industry domains)
Data Analytics Project Lead
Data Science Specialist
Data Warehouse Specialist
Statistical Modeling Analyst
Data Analytics Modeling Analyst
Predictive Analytics Modeling Analyst
Retrieved from Indeed.com, September 3, 2013.
Page | 24
2 Rationale
The overarching goal of the Certificate is to offer professional, career-relevant education
in Data Analytics through the integration of a predictive analytics approach in order to
enhance organizational effectiveness resulting from evidence-based data analytics that
predict future events across an organization or sector.
The curriculum will integrate both theory9 and practice10, to produce graduates with a
capacity to harness the power of data analytics, with a sound and relevant skill set and
with overall mid-level managerial competencies related to the complexities of decision
making by producing fully processed data sets compatible for building robust predictive
models that may, in turn, be deployed to create actionable initiatives substantiated by
data rich results.
The curriculum emphasizes the knowledge, capacity-building, methods, strategies,
processes, applied skills, tools, managerial decision making, mechanisms and actions
necessary to ensure that an organizations data analytics activities can be executed
successfully, using the best practices, effective coordination, technologies, proven
procedures together with human talent and other resource allocations.
A key goal of the curriculum is to engage participants in a comprehensive spectrum of
debate in the data analytics field, including critical perspectives toward leveraging the
knowledge of best practices in creating an analytical workplace culture to drive high
performance, innovation and sustainability within organizations. Obtaining
organizational buy-in for data analytics findings and data-driven decision making,
choosing and deploying the right solutions and initiatives to meet identified needs,
together with disseminating immediately useful analyses to diverse stakeholders within
an organization are all critical to success.
The Standing Certificate Curriculum Committee, once the certificate is approved, will
discuss and decide regularly whether it is necessary to update the Certificates course
content for currency and for professional and academic quality.
Ranging from principles to international best practices.
10
Through course projects and the Capstone course Final Project, all involving real-world applications.
Page | 25
2.1 Relevance to Ryersons Goals

Existence is no more than the precarious attainment of relevance in an intensely
mobile flux of past, present, and future.
Susan Sontag, American author, literary theorist, and political activist.
This Certificate directly addresses Ryersons mission:

The special mission of Ryerson University is the advancement of applied knowledge
and research to address societal need, and the provision of programs of study that
provide a balance between theory and application and that prepare students for careers
in professional and quasi-professional fields11.
This Certificate directly addresses the realities of our market society and how
governments, non-profits, industry and products and services providers need to
leverage data (including Big Data) to better understand their clients and learn from the
collective experiences of their organizations in order to optimize actionable initiatives
based on Data Analytics and to be sustainable, relevant, current, productive and
commercially successful.
The curriculum focuses on direct practical application while providing sound academic
and technical education in Data Analytics together with Big Data. In essence, this
Certificate program meets a range of pressing societal needs and lies at the heart of
what we need to do to provide real-life solutions that optimize our world and human
enterprise for optimal performance, innovation and sustainability.
11
Ryerson University Mission Statement
Page | 26
3 Course Descriptions and Learning Outcomes

3.1 The Certificates Learning & Competency Outcomes
The Certificates learning outcomes and professional competencies are correlated with
the INFORMS knowledge domains as follows:
Knowledge Domain 1 - Business Problem Framing
Obtain or receive problem statement and usability requirements

Identify stakeholders
Determine whether the problem is amenable to an analytics solution
Refine the problem statement and delineate constraints
Define an initial set of business benefits
Obtain stakeholder agreement on the problem statement
Knowledge Domain 2 - Analytics Problem Framing
Reformulate problem statement as an analytics problem

Develop a proposed set of drivers and relationships to outputs
State the set of assumptions related to the problem
Define key metrics of success
Obtain stakeholder agreement
Knowledge Domain 3 Data
Identify and prioritize data needs and sources

Acquire data
Harmonize, rescale, clean, and share data
Identify relationships in the data
Document and report findings (e.g., insights, results, business performance)
Refine the business and analytics problem statements
Knowledge Domain 4 Methodology
Identify available problem solving approaches (methods)

Select software tools for appropriate methods
Test approaches (methods)
Select approaches (methods)
Knowledge Domain 5 - Model Building
Identify model structures

Run and evaluate the models
Calibrate models and data
Integrate the models
Page | 27
Document and communicate findings (including assumptions, limitations, and

constraints)
Knowledge Domain 6 Deployment
Perform business validation of the model

Deliver report with findings; OR
Create model, usability, and system requirements for production
Support deployment
Knowledge Domain 7 - Model Lifecycle Management
Document initial structure

Track model quality
Recalibrate and maintain the model
Page | 28
Learning Outcomes
Course
Introduction to Big Data
Technical Foundation
Critical Thinking
Knowledge Extension Transfer
Research Application
Report Writing
Data Access and

Management
Application of Knowledge
Transfer
Adv. Critical Thinking
Learning Outcomes

Determine whether the problem is amenable to an analytics
solution
Acquire data
Document and report findings (e.g., insights, results, business
performance)
Report Writing
Data Analytics: Basic
Methods
Critical thinking
Experimental research
Data Analytics: Advanced
Methods
Transfer
Report Writing

Conduct experimental research
Statistical model building
Utilize techniques to leverage Big Data, Networked Information
and Social Media Analysis.
Explore how to practically analyze large scale network data and
how to reason about it through models for network structure
and evolution.
Develop skills in graph theory, allowing them to understand the
structure and dynamic in self-organizing networks, such as the
Web.
Employ network ranking and network searching techniques in
modern searching engines.
Understand the small world phenomena.
Apply probabilistic models of information flow to understand
cascading behavior
Page | 29
Course
Big Data Analytics Tools
Report Writing
Learning Outcomes
Capstone Course:
Emerging Best Practices in

Data Analytics
Transfer
Report Writing

Document and communicate findings (including assumptions,
limitations, and constraints)
Use data analytics tools and technologies such as Hadoop,
SQL, etc.
Demonstrate through a final data mining project how algorithms
work qualitatively
by applying and reviewing best practices and the influence
of various option choices on data analytics models.
Create model, usability, and system requirements for
production
Support deployment
Track model quality
At the end of the Certificate program, participants will be well versed in using a variety
of databases and data sets to analyze and understand data and predict future
eventualities, trends and patterns, as well as be proficient in laying the groundwork,
strategies and implementation of decision management in order to substantiate future
initiatives that lead to innovation, high performance and sustainable outcomes for
success.
Page | 30
4 Course Outline Prospecti

4.1 Introduction to Big Data Analytics
4.1.1 Course Description
This course is designed to give students overview of big data, state of the practice in
analytics, the role of the data scientist, big data analytics in industry verticals, and
analytics lifecycle as an end-to-end process. It focuses on key roles for a successful
analytic project, main phases of the lifecycle, developing core deliverables for
stakeholders, team work skills, and problem solving skills.
Textbook:
Thomas H. Davenport, Jeanne G. Harris (2010. Analytics at Work: Smarter Decisions,
Better Results [Hardcover] 240 pages. Harvard Business Review Press.
4.1.2 Teaching Method

The course involves in-class lectures, individual assignments, and team projects where
students solve a problem, work on a project, present their work in written form as project
report, as well as by making presentations. Additionally, industry expert-practitioners
guest speakers to share their professional wisdom and experience.
4.1.3 Evaluation
Students will be evaluated through one final written assignment, a data analytics
research plan applying course learnings in carrying out the research plan. Three papers
and/or projects are judged by four criteria: Outline (10%); Quality of Data Analytics
Research Plan and Applied Analysis (40%); Quality of Writing (40%); Quality of
Presentation (10%).
4.1.4 Learning Outcomes

Determine whether the problem is amenable to an analytics solution
Page | 31
Topics
What is data science? What skills are required for data scientists?
What is data analytics?
Overview of Data and Data Model
Overview of Statistical Tools for Data Analytics
Basics for Data Analytics
The need for Combining Knowledge and Skills from Statistics and Database
Introduction to Big Data (From Database to Data Warehouse)
Process of Data Analytics
Overview of Methods and Tools for Data Analytics (for structured and unstructured data)
Modeling and Reporting Results
4.1.5 Course Prerequisites
This course is to be taken first. It may be taken concurrently with another

certificate course of the students choice.
4.2 Data Access and Management

The course focuses on data querying and reporting techniques as well as data mining
and cleaning techniques. Overview of Database Management Systems (DBMS),
differences between database architectures, the role of data and database
administrators, fundamental concepts and need for data warehousing.
Textbook:
J.D. Ullman, J. Widom (2007). A First Course in Database Systems, 3rd Edition.
Prentice Hall.
Topics:
Introduction
Data and Data Management
Relational Model
Relational Algebra
SQL
PL/SQL Overview of query processing and DBMS architecture
Data warehousing
Data mining and cleaning techniques
NoSQL

This course will be available through in-class and online delivery through a series of
lecture presentations, discussions, simulations, case studies, readings, self-guided
Page | 32
videos, etc. Additionally, industry expert-practitioner guest speakers will participate to

share their professional wisdom and experience
4.2.3 Evaluation and Learning Outcomes

Students will be evaluated through homework (20%), lab work (20%) and exams (MidTerm:20%; Final Exam: 40%).
Learning Outcomes

Acquire data
Document and report findings (e.g., insights, results, business performance)
Prerequisites
None
4.3 Data Analytics: Basic Methods

This course is an introduction to R, analyzing and exploring data with R, and using R
with a database. It focuses on statistics for model building and evaluation. Topics cover
experimental research, correlation analysis, regression, confidence intervals, and group
comparisons, parametric and non-parametric models.
Textbook:
Dillard, Peter (2002). Introductory Statistics with R. Springer-Vela, New York, ISBN 0387-95475-9.
Topics:
Overall structure of the language, strengths and weaknesses. Finding information

and resources about R online. Installing and getting started with R. R workspace
and command line interface.
Vectors, arrays, and data frames. Matrix operations. Functions that operate on
vectors. Reading in and writing out data.
Random sampling from a distribution. The pdf, cdf, and quantile functions.
Simple loops.
Passing parameters and returning results. Loops and conditional statements.
Doing repeated sampling simulations.
Scatterplots, lines, boxplots, histograms etc
Page | 33
Finer control of plotting parameters.
Using lm, plotting diagnostics.

lecture presentations, discussions, simulations, case studies, readings, self-guided
videos, etc. Additionally, industry expert-practitioners guest speakers to share their
professional wisdom and experience

Learning Outcomes

Note: It is recommended that prior to taking this course, students may wish to take the
Data Access and Management Course.
4.4 Data Analytics: Advanced Methods

This course builds on the previous Basic Methods course and covers more advanced
concepts including classification and clustering algorithms, decision trees, linear and
logistic regression, time series analysis, and text analytics. The course will provide
applied knowledge on how to analyze large scale network data produced through social
media. In this context topics include network community detection, techniques for link
analysis, information propagation on the web and information analysis of social media.
Textbook:
David Easley and Jon Kleinberg. Networks, Crowds, and Markets: Reasoning About a
Highly Connected World.
Fred L. Ramsey and Daniel W. Schafer (2002). The Statistical Sleuth: A Course in
Methods of Data Analysis. Duxbury Press.
Topics
Classification and clustering problems

Algorithms: decision trees, linear and logistic regression, time series analysis
Page | 34
Text analytics
Models of the small world
Graph structure of the web
Models of network evolution
Models of network cascades
Detecting cascades in networks
Finding communities and clusters in networks
Link analysis for Web search

lecture presentations, discussions, simulations, case histories and studies, readings,
self-guided videos, etc. Additionally, industry expert-practitioners guest speakers to
share their professional wisdom and experience

Learning Outcomes:

Utilize techniques to leverage Big Data, Networked Information and Social Media
Analysis.
Explore how to practically analyze large scale network data and how to reason
about it through models for network structure and evolution.
Develop skills in graph theory, allowing them to understand the structure and
dynamic in self-organizing networks, such as the Web.
Employ network ranking and network searching techniques in modern searching
engines.
Understand the small world phenomena.
Apply probabilistic models of information flow to understand cascading behavior
Data Analytics: Basic Methods Course.
4.5 Big Data Analytics Tools

This course is an introduction to learning big data tools such as Hadoop and advanced
SQL techniques. Students will gain a clear understanding of Hadoop concepts,
Page | 35
technologies landscape and market trends. They will construct SQL queries of
moderate to high complexity to retrieve data from a relational database.
Text:
Tom White, (2009). Hadoop: The Definitive Guide MapReduce for the Cloud, O'Reilly
Media.
Topics:
Introduction to MapReduce
Hadoop: Nuts and Bolts
MapReduce: the programming environment
Pig/ Hive scripts
Text retrieval algorithms
Graph algorithms
MapReduce and databases
Basic Data visualization

lecture presentations, discussions, simulations, labs, case studies, readings, self-guided
videos, etc. Additionally, industry expert-practitioners guest speakers to share their
professional wisdom and experience

Students will be evaluated through a final project (30%), lab work (20%) and exams
(Mid-Term:20%; Final Exam: 30%).
Learning Outcomes

Document and communicate findings (including assumptions, limitations, and
constraints)
Use data analytics tools and technologies such as Hadoop, SQL, etc
Advanced Methods Course (recommended).
AND
Page | 36
Capstone Course: Emerging Best Practices in Data Analytics & Predictive

Analytics
Students will engage in hands-on application of analytics to apply all above in a project
setting. The Capstone course is intended to provide an opportunity in a Final Project to
bring to fruition an applied synthesis of data analytics methods, techniques and
applications (learned in the coursework previously undertaken in the program) and
apply the competencies that this synthesis affords to a real-world area of interest (AOI).
Working with a faculty supervisor, participants will apply what they have learned in
respect to their real-world AOI. Solving social network problems will also be covered.

The course will rely on experiential learning by participants at their place of work or at a
volunteer organization with guidance from a faculty advisor. The structure may include
the faculty supervisors convening group Skype sessions online of Certificate
candidates for Questions & Answers sessions to discuss how they are dealing with their
data analytic projects. This also affords students valuable opportunities to connect and
apply to their experiential educations to their learnings from previous coursework.
4.5.6 Evaluation
A final data analytics project, the parameters for which will be determined by the faculty
supervisor, will form the basis for evaluation.
Evaluation: Data Analytics Project Report

Students will be evaluated through one Final Data Analytics Project, a data analytics
research and project report applying course learnings. An outline and the final paper will
be due. Papers are judged by four criteria: Outline (10%); Quality of Data Analytics
Research Project Report and Applied Analysis (40%); Quality of Writing (40%); Quality
of Presentation (10%).
4.5.7 Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate through a final data mining project how algorithms work qualitatively
by applying and reviewing best practices and the influence of various option
choices on data analytics models.
Create model, usability, and system requirements for production
Support deployment
Track model quality
Page | 37

Four of the certificate courses must be taken prior to the Capstone course. The
Capstone course may be taken in conjunction with the fifth course of the Certificate.
The Capstone course may be taken with the 5th course in the Certificate. It is
recommended that four of the Certificate courses be taken before the Capstone course.
Page | 38
5 Certificate Management
5.1 Academic Management Structure
5.1.1 Faculty Collaboration
This proposed Certificate is a collaborative effort between The Faculty of Engineering
and Architectural Science and the Department of Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering; The Faculty of Science and the Department of Computer Science and the
Department of Mathematics, together with The G. Raymond Chang School of
Continuing Education.
5.1.2 Standing Certificate Curriculum Committee

This proposal, once approved, shall be governed by the provisions of Policy 76, with
respect to the composition and functioning of the Certificates Standing Certificate
Curriculum Committee.
The Dean of Record is understood to be the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and
Architectural Science.
The Academic Home of the certificate is the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
department of the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science.
Beyond those required certificate courses being contributed by the Academic Home
The Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department the additional teaching
departments contributing Required Courses in the certificate include the Computer
Science department and the Mathematics department , both in the Faculty of Science.
The Standing Certificate Curriculum Committee shall consist of faculty members (RFA)
from, among other academic departments in other Faculties, the Mechanical and
Industrial Engineering department (FEAS), the Computer Science department (FoS)
and the Mathematics department (FOS), all of which are contributing required courses
and curriculum to the Certificate.
The Standing Certificate Curriculum Committee will have primary responsibility for
1. coordinating program curriculum development;
2. liaising with the relevant teaching departments and the Graduate Advisor for the
Certificate;
3. ensuring the quality, currency, and content of constituent courses;
4. assuring course staffing strategies are appropriate, including the recruitment and
qualifications of Certificate faculty;
5. undertaking the ongoing review of program objectives, learning outcomes, and
career competencies, and
Page | 39
The Standing Certificate Curriculum Committee is not limited to but shall include:
5.1.3 Co-Chair of Committee:

Professor Ayse Bener (Co-Academic Coordinator of the Certificate), Mechanical and
Professor Alex Ferworn (Co-Academic Coordinator of the Certificate), Computer
Science
5.1.4 Standing Curriculum Committee:

The committee shall consist of:
Kimberly Bates
Ayse Bener
Anne-Marie Brinsmead ex-officio member
Anthony Bonato
Dejan Delic
Liping Fang
Xavier Fernando
Alex Ferworn
Jacob Friedman
Murtaza Haider
Pawel Pralat
Alireza Sadeghian
Marcos Santos
Khaled M. Sennah
Issac Woungang
5.1.5 Meetings
The Standing Certificate Curriculum Committee shall meet annually and may meet more
often at the call of the Chair. At the meetings of the Curriculum Committee, the
Academic Coordinator will present reports that shall detail course registrations,
Certificate registrations, and Certificate completion rates or any other business relevant
to the state of the Certificate.
5.2 Academic Coordinators of the Certificate

Academic Coordinators working with The Chang School are assumed to have the same
standardized responsibilities as those set out in Appendix I. The rubrics for the
Academic Coordinators responsibilities may be augmented in consultation among and
between relevant stakeholders.
Page | 40
5.2.1 Open House Night

Prospective participants who have questions about the admission requirements and/or
would like to know more about this Certificate are invited to attend a program
information session. For dates, times, and location, see the schedule of Information
Nights listed on The Chang Schools websites.
5.3 Certificate Delivery

This Certificate may be offered in a variety of formats:
a. In-class format (using a combination of evening and weekend scheduling)
and
b. Intensive weeknight and weekend sessions.
5.4 Academic Governance

This Certificate program will be governed by Ryersons Institutional Quality Assurance
policies and the collaborative governance model. These policies include, among others,
110, 112, 126, 127 and 142.
5.5 Student Advising

Prospective participants seeking to complete this Certificate program or who have
specific questions are invited to contact its Certificates Academic Coordinator.
5.6 Registration and Graduation Requirements

5.6.1 Certificate Registration
Participants may be registered in only one Certificate program at any one time.
Participants pursuing the Certificate must formally undertake the Certificate Registration
Process. Upon acceptance into the program, the candidate must then formally register
in the Certificate program prior to registration in any course within this Certificate.
For information regarding the courses featured in this Certificate (including date, time,
and fee information), please refer to the listings in the course information of The Chang
Schools website at www.ryerson.ca/ce.
5.6.2 Graduation
In order to graduate, participants must successfully complete the Certificates
requirements within six years from the time they were first formally registered in the
Certificate program. The successful completion of all required Certificate courses, with
a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher, is required for the Certificate to be
awarded. Participants must also complete and submit an Application to Graduate with a
Certificate Form prior to the appropriate deadlines (see the information on Registration
and Graduation from Certificate Programs at www.ryerson.ca/graduate and
www.ryerson.ca/ce).
Page | 41
6 Societal Need
The focus of the certificate program is to deliver pertinent, practical, timely and effective
education in the areas of Data Analytics, Big Data and Predictive Analytics. Each of
these domains is widely recognized as having significant and growing societal
importance: with respect to organizational performance in R&D, products and services;
with respect to communications to clients and customers; with respect to commerce,
finance, research, public utility, law enforcement, government institutions and
infrastructure. Big Data implementation and analytics, predictive analytics methods and
models, predictive analytics platforms and qualified professionals knowledgeable
harnessing them are in high demand from private and public sector organizations,
including from the scientific, technology, legal, social and business perspectives.
New research12 by the McKinsey Global Institute projects that there will be a 50 to 60
percent gap between supply and demand of people with data analytical competencies.
These professionals will need advanced education in data analytics, statistics and
predictive analytics as well as the ability to analyze large data sets (Big Data). The
study projects that there will be approximately between 425,000 and 475,000 unfilled
data analytics positions in North America (Canada and the US) by 2018 and a shortage
of 1.5 million managers (and those data analysts that report to them) who have the
ability to harness the analysis of data provided to them and to make decisions using
data analysis, including Big Data analytics. The report estimates that a steady stream of
analytic talent will be required in all industries, as companies use data, databases and
big data and predictive analytics platforms as a means of competitive advantage.
If the maximum benefit to Canadas economy is to be obtained from Data Analytics, Big
Data and Predictive Analytics, Canada will need skilled data analysts with Data
Analytics, Big Data and Predictive Analytics applied expertise, including proficiency in
Big Data implementation and open source data. In anticipation, this certificate program
meets this identified need. Literally tens of thousands of individuals have been hired
globally by organizations mandated by statute or otherwise recognized and credible, in
order to apply the technical and analytical skills required to run and to maintain
information technology systems and databases. However, only a small subset of these
professionals has also been trained in the creation, management, integration and
organization/delivery of data analytics methods and processes applied to databases,
Big Data implementation and predictive platforms within enterprise. Even fewer IT
educated professionals have the knowledge, competencies and skills sets that inspire
credibly-based, yet unshakeable belief in the integrity, authenticity, accuracy and
completeness of the Data Analytics, Big Data and Predictive Analytics being produced
as outputs of processed information.
Enter Ryerson trained Data Analytics, Big Data and Predictive Analytics specialists and
data analysts well trained, mature, multi-disciplinary in approach and versed not only
12
http://www.mckinsey.com/NotFound.aspx?item=%2fmgi%2fpublications%2fbig_data%2fpdfs%2fmgi_big_data_exec_summary&us
er=extranet%5cAnonymous&site=website, accessed July 2013.
Page | 42
in technicalities, but in organizations identified needs and those organizations data,

databases and processes. Add skills in Big Data analytics and implementation
And this well rounded professional becomes a critical component not only in addressing
pressing needs for predictive analysis and findings, but in re-establishing the broadly
based trust which ultimately fuels so much of the economys commercial and
governmental performance and productivity.
The certificates graduands will contribute professionally to the maximization of
organizational value to be extracted from Data Analytics, Big Data and Predictive
Analytics outputs and best practices, the dynamics and exigencies of the necessary R
& D and performance management, the products and services relevance and efficacy
and the inter-functional communication with internal and external customers, thus
ultimately augmenting the productivity and contributing to economic prosperity of
Canada.
With no other universities in the GTA offering a professional continuing education
credential at this level in the filed, Ryerson has a first-mover competitive edge in this
space.
Page | 43
7 Ryerson Library Resources

7.1 Collections
The Ryerson Library hosts over 600,000 monographs in electronic, print, audio and
video form, subscribes to well over 56,000 online journal subscriptions and provides
access to over 200 online databases that contain full text articles, abstracts, images,
historical documents, global news sources and data sets. All told, the acquisitions
budget totals over $4.4 million dollars.
The collection development philosophy is very much holistic in its intent. In response to
the rise of interdisciplinary studies in the academy, the Library has ensured that
librarians engage in collection development not motivated by strict subject silos, rather
by the needs of all program areas. Collection decisions are made to improve resources
for all users. Making new acquisitions available is the priority, and there is less
concerned about which subject area should pay for it. This has made the Library nimble
in identifying areas in need of strengthening and lessened the bureaucracy involved in
making collection decisions. All efforts are made to fulfill requests of faculty and
students, within reason.
Similarly, a committee comprised of librarians representing all subject areas gets
requests for new serials and electronic resources. The committee considers all
requests and approvals are granted based on a myriad of factors, including usability,
cost, access, and relevance to programs of study at Ryerson.
Where at all possible, the Library works with national and provincial consortiums, the
Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) and the Ontario Council of University
Libraries (OCUL) to negotiate licenses for electronic resources. This increases
purchasing power, and allows for assurance that the content purchased is archived in
perpetuity on servers housed at University of Toronto via the Scholarsportal initiative.
7.2 Interlibrary Loans

The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service allows users to borrow items and obtain articles from
other libraries through our ILL staff, if materials are not owned by the Ryerson University
Library. This service is provided free of charge.
7.3 In Person Services

The Ryerson Library is aware of the needs of students of The Chang School, and has
created a service model to respond to those needs. A librarian is available for
consultation at the reference desk on evenings and weekends throughout the academic
year, and the Borrowing and Lending Services team is dedicated to providing ready
access to the resources at the library.
Page | 44
7.4 Online Services

The library provides access to online chat reference support via a province wide
initiative called AskON. Librarians are available to chat with students to help them
through the research process. AskON is open during evenings and weekends.
Alternately, students can submit reference questions via email with a 24-hour
turnaround time for response.
E-reserve services are available via Blackboard to provide access to course materials
on a 24/7 basis.
7.5 Drop-in Workshops

The Library provides a variety of drop-in workshops for students wishing to learn more
about resources and services. These include sessions on mastering searching our
electronic resources and using Refworks, a tool to manage bibliographic citations.
These workshops are offered at varying times of the term, but there are always time
slots available that are convenient to Chang School students.
7.6 Liaison with The Chang School

Jay Wolofsky is the designate liaison librarian to ensure that the needs of The Chang
School and its students are fulfilled. Further, there are subject specialist librarians
available for in depth consultation. Their contact information is available online at:
http://www.ryerson.ca/library/info/sublib.html
Page | 45
8 Financial Viability
The financial viability of the certificate is confirmed by The Chang School. This financial
viability analysis assumes that these courses will be degree credit.
Page | 46
9 Conclusion
We have proposed a Certificate program in Data Analytics, Big Data and Predictive
Analytics aligned with the educational needs of a wide variety of individuals including
those participants who;
wish to become, or already are, professionals who wish to use Data Analytics,
Big Data and Predictive Analytics to optimize performance at a variety of levels in
a wide range of sectors such as for-profits, government, non-profits, industry,
high technology, products and services;
are interested in the field of Data Analytics, Big Data and Predictive Analytics and
wish to contribute to a range of employment and technical disciplines, and
are employed in a related field such as data warehousing, data management,
etc. and wish to gather the necessary credentials for promotion or other
advancement.
Given the rapidly increasing need by governments, industry and the non-profit sector to
create analytical cultures in their places of work by building support for and expertise
for their data analytic, Big Data and predictive analytics efforts, to scope them with
accuracy, to form subsequent high-level decisions, strategies and plans for successful
implementation of ensuing initiatives we recommend that the proposed Certificate be
approved and launched in Fall 2014.
Ryerson is in a unique position to take a leadership role in providing a quality program
in Data Analytics, Big Data and Predictive Analytics, one that builds on its current
strength in the advancement of applied knowledge to address societal, economic and
Canadian labour market needs.
***
Page | 47

Certificate in Data Analytics Proposal Appd by Senate 2014

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Certificate in Data Analytics Proposal Appd by Senate 2014

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Proposed

Dr. Imogen Coe, Dean, Faculty of Science

November 13, 2013

Introduction to the Certificate ................................................................................... 6

Co-Academic Coordinators .............................................................................. 10

The Goals of the Certificate.............................................................................. 10

Degree Credit ................................................................................................... 11

Admissions Policy ............................................................................................ 11

Development Plan ............................................................................................ 12

Comparator Programs ...................................................................................... 14

Academic Home Unit ....................................................................................... 19

Curriculum Structure and Professional Competencies ..................................... 19

Proposed Program Courses ......................................................................... 21

Professional Development Award ................................................................. 24

Target Participants and Job Opportunities .................................................... 24

Course Descriptions and Learning Outcomes........................................................ 27

Relevance to Ryersons Goals ......................................................................... 26

The Certificates Learning & Competency Outcomes ....................................... 27

Course Outline Prospecti ....................................................................................... 31

Introduction to Big Data Analytics .................................................................... 31

Data Access and Management ........................................................................ 32

Data Analytics: Basic Methods ......................................................................... 33

Certificate in Data Analytics, Bid Data & Predictive Analytics

Data Analytics: Advanced Methods................................................................. 34

Big Data Analytics Tools .................................................................................. 35

Certificate Management ......................................................................................... 39

Academic Management Structure .................................................................... 39

Academic Coordinators of the Certificate ......................................................... 40

Certificate Delivery ........................................................................................... 41

Academic Governance ..................................................................................... 41

Student Advising .............................................................................................. 41

Registration and Graduation Requirements ..................................................... 41

Ryerson Library Resources.................................................................................... 44

Interlibrary Loans ............................................................................................. 44

In Person Services ........................................................................................... 44

Online Services ................................................................................................ 45

Drop-in Workshops .......................................................................................... 45

Liaison with The Chang School ........................................................................ 45

Financial Viability ................................................................................................... 46

Academic Coordinator job description

Certificate in Data Analytics, Bid Data & Predictive Analytics

Certificate in Data Analytics, Bid Data & Predictive Analytics

The G. Raymond Chang School of

Certificate in Data Analytics, Bid Data & Predictive Analytics

Business Problem Framing

Certificate in Data Analytics, Bid Data & Predictive Analytics

Figure 1. Curriculum and Competency Mapping

First and Second courses Fall 2014 in-class

finance, research, public utility, law enforcement, government institutions and

Certificate in Data Analytics, Bid Data & Predictive Analytics

A three-year college diploma (obtained within the last 10 years) in mathematics

A relevant or related certificate in the field of data analytics.

Four years of relevant professional experience.

Certificate in Data Analytics, Bid Data & Predictive Analytics

1 Introduction to the Certificate

1.1 Curriculum Rationale

Accessed on 26 September 2013 at: http://www.gartner.com/technology/topics/big-data.jsp

Certificate in Data Analytics, Bid Data & Predictive Analytics

Certificate in Data Analytics, Bid Data & Predictive Analytics

The certificates graduands will contribute professionally to the maximization of

Home Unit and

Relevant Area(s) of Expertise

Modelling and Searching

Prof. Xavier Fernando