Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Data Science
This graduate certificate provides foundational data science skills (R and python programming, statistical analysis, data modeling) that are increasingly essential for many industries, but also adds exposure to and practice with the unique complexities of healthcare data and the care that must be taken in handling them. Courses in statistical analysis and predictive modeling provide hands-on experience analyzing real healthcare data sets, which are often messy and unstructured, while courses in data visualization and healthcare strategy, operations, and AI leadership emphasize how to effectively communicate analytics insights to stakeholders across an organization.
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STACKABLE CERTIFICATE
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Complete this four-course certificate and apply your credit to either the MS in Healthcare Data Science program at SPS.
About the Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Data Science
- Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Data Science Learning Outcomes
- Healthcare Data Science Curriculum
- Healthcare Data Science Courses
- Healthcare Data Science Admission
- Healthcare Data Science Tuition
- Registration Information for Healthcare Data Science
- Healthcare Data Science Faculty
- Applying Credit to SPS Master's Programs
Credits earned in this graduate certificate can be applied to either the MS in Healthcare Data Science.
Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Data Science Learning Outcomes
After successful completion of the Healthcare Data Science certificate, students will be able to:
- Identify the multiple sources of healthcare data generation (e.g., hospitals, payers, patients) and their relationships
- Perform basic statistical analysis of health data sets in R Studio
- Develop statistical modeling as a process that includes exploratory health data analysis, model identification, and model validation
- Understand the difference between the uses of statistical models for statistical inference versus predictive modeling
- identify and explain the layers of the grammar of graphics, select effective static data visualizations, write R code to manipulate data visualizations, and construct their own compelling visualizations from scratch using health data.
- Apply best practices in leading change and project management, including: stakeholder engagement, project chartering, scope definition, and key metric development
- Develop effective communication and presentation skills to translate analytics to actionable recommendations that can be used to solve problems in their organizations
Healthcare Data Science Curriculum
Students are required to complete the following four courses to earn the certificate:
- MHDS 403: Introduction to U.S. Healthcare, Digital Health, and Analytics
- MHDS 409: Foundations of Health Statistics and Data Exploration
- MHDS 401: Foundations of Healthcare Programming with Python and R OR MHDS 405 Data Literacy and Analytics in Healthcare
- MHDS 455: Data Visualization and Storytelling OR MHDS 480: Healthcare Strategy, Operations, and AI Leadership
Review curriculum details while you consider applying to this program. Current students should refer to the curriculum requirements in place at time of entry into the program.
Healthcare Data Science Courses
Explore Healthcare Data Science Courses. You can narrow your course search by day, location or instructor.
Healthcare Data Science Admission
A variety of factors are considered when your application is reviewed. Background and experience vary from student to student. For a complete list of requirements, see the Graduate Certificate Admission page.
Healthcare Data Science Tuition
Tuition for the Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Data Science at Northwestern is comparable to similar US programs. Complete details can be found on the Healthcare Data Science Certificate Tuition page.
Registration Information for Healthcare Data Science
Already accepted into the Healthcare Data Science Graduate Certificate program? Get ahead and register for your classes as soon as possible.
COURSE SCHEDULE REGISTRATION PROCEDURES
Healthcare Data Science Faculty
Instructors in the Healthcare Data Science Graduate Certificate program at Northwestern are leading scholars and practitioners in their field. They bring real-world experiences to the classroom and engage with students on a personal level. Get to know the instructors on the Faculty page.
Applying Credit to SPS Master's Programs
Students that are interested in the option of applying their credit to the MS in Healthcare Data Science program at SPS must submit an online application and submit all required application materials.
Students that elect to apply to a master's program before completing a graduate certificate will be able to count completed courses toward the applicable master's degree, but there will be no certificate conferred.
If you are interested in exploring this option, please contact the SPS graduate advising team for information on how to pursue a master's degree at SPS.
Interested in more graduate-level certificate options? Explore a range of two-course graduate microcertificates that can also be stacked into SPS master's programs.

