Center for Data ScienceWasedaUniversity Data Science Center

Waseda University promotes and supports research and education in the field of data science by combining expertise and data science. In cooperation with the Global Education Center, Center for Data Science offers a Data Science Education Program for all undergraduate and graduate students, allowing all Waseda University students to learn data science from the basics, regardless of their faculty, graduate school, or year of study. As part of the Data Science Education Program, we have established a Certification Program in Data Science to provide clear goals for learning data science. This certification system provides students with an opportunity to learn data science that matches their interests by establishing four levels to guarantee the students' data science abilities and clearly indicating the goals to be achieved for each level. The Center for Data Science will issue a certificate to students who meet the requirements for each level.

In recent years, advances in information and communication technologies such as the Internet and IoT have made it possible to obtain a wide variety of large amounts of data, and there is a strong demand in various academic fields and in society for "data science" that utilizes this data. "Data science" is a discipline that aims to derive rational and clear decisions and arguments from data. In order to make the desired decisions from data, knowledge of the specialized fields that form the background of the data and decision-making is extremely important. As you can see from this, "data science" can demonstrate its power by combining it with one's own "field of expertise."

Many students study "data science" with the goal of "applying data science to their own fields of expertise," and take advantage of the certification program to improve their knowledge of data science and open up new possibilities for their own careers.

Overview of the certification system

• データ科学認定制度について
  デジタルパンフレット（Publish Online版：日本語／English｜PDF版：日本語／English）
• ​Click here for the curriculum and lecture subjects
• Importance of Data Science Introduction Video
  The introduction video is Here (15 min 05 sec)
• Video introducing the Data Science Education Program and Certification Program in Data Science
  The introduction video is Here (15 minutes 20 seconds)

Certification system procedures and applications

• Certification application:Click here (to the application form)
• Procedures:Certification Program in Data Science (Excerpt from the University-wide Open Course Registration Guide (Global Education Center))

[Target students]
- Students enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate school at Waseda University from April 2021 onwards (full-time students only)

[Course registration]
・Please register for the courses required for certification at the Global Education Center during the regular course registration period.
・Students are free to choose which subjects to take in which semesters, so please check the syllabus and other information, follow the course registration rules of your faculty or graduate school, and register for subjects eligible for Certification Program in Data Science established by the Global Education Center.

[Application for certification]
If you wish to be accredited under Certification Program in Data Science, you will need to submit an "Application for Accreditation" in addition to registering for the course.
Please apply by specifying the level of certification you wish to receive using the "Certification Application" form above.

[Certification process]
・The process for certification is as follows: after "course registration" and "application for certification", a "certification decision" will be made after grades for the spring and fall semesters are finalized. Students who have been certified will be notified via Waseda email.
・Students who have received notification of their certification will be able to issue a certificate of certification through the certificate issuing service.

◆Timing of certification decision◆
Spring semester: September (application deadline: end of July)
Fall semester: March (application deadline: end of January)

Certification Program in Data Science for Undergraduate and Graduate School Subjects

1. Overview
Certification Program in Data Science provides students with the opportunity to learn data science in line with their interests by setting four levels and clearly indicating the goals to be achieved for each level, for students taking university-wide open courses offered by the Global Education Center.
Meanwhile, at Waseda University, each faculty and graduate school to which students belong also offers courses that allow them to apply data science to their own expertise.
Therefore, starting from the 2022 academic year, we will implement Certification Program in Data Science- Faculty/Graduate School Subject Adaptation" as a mechanism to make it easier for students taking Certification Program in Data Science related subjects in each faculty and graduate school to obtain certification levels under the system.
Specifically, if a student is taking courses in their faculty or graduate school that cover items that correspond to the curriculum of Certification Program in Data Science, they will be able to obtain a grade without having to retake the courses required for Certification Program in Data Science established by the Global Education Center (hereinafter referred to as "designated courses"), which overlap in content.
*Please note that the correspondence between the Faculty and Graduate School subjects specifies the certification conditions for Certification Program in Data Science. Please note that it does not mean "transferring credits between corresponding subjects" or "meeting the prerequisites for taking each subject."

2. Target
Students currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate school at Waseda University (full-time students only)

3. Year of completion of the applicable courses in the faculty/graduate school that are to be certified
2014 and after

4. Certification Program in Data Science- Faculty and Graduate School Subject Correspondence Mechanism
For information on Certification Program in Data Science 's faculty/graduate school subject matching system, please refer to the explanatory materials below (types of subject matching, how to read the table, and examples of obtaining accreditation).
Certification Program in Data Science Faculty/Graduate School Subject Explanation Materials (PDFfile)

5. Eligible Faculties and Graduate Schools
The subjects covered by Certification Program in Data Science for each faculty and graduate school are as follows:

Data Science Course Advice

Waseda University provides students with the opportunity to study data science according to their interests and goals. Students are free to choose how they want to study, but if you are new to data science, please refer to page 9 of Certification Program in Data Science digital pamphlet.

We also provide consultation on data science courses for students of our university. Please apply here.

Certificate

Types of certificates that can be issued and where they can be issued

Center for Data Science will issue the following certificates to those who meet the certification requirements set forth for each level.

*1 Please refer to the following URL for information on how to apply online.

Certificate Issuance Service–Academic Advising Office(waseda.jp)

*2 The fee per certificate is as follows:

Current students and those in the graduating year (from the time completion is determined until the end of the relevant semester): 300 yen

Graduates: 400 yen

What you need when applying at the counter (Bring to Academic Advising Office on the 1st floor of Building 7)

• (1) Certificate Application Form: Please fill out the necessary information and bring it with you.
  ​Download the certificate issuance application form (Word)
  ​Download the certificate application form (PDF)

• (2) Purchase the total amount of fee receipts you need from the fee receipt machine in Academic Advising Office on the 1st floor of Building 7.
• (3) Identification documents One of the following: driver's license, health insurance card, passport, or basic resident registration card. However, if you have changed your name due to marriage or other reasons, please also submit an extract from your family register (a copy is acceptable).

*If applying via family or proxy, please bring the following documents in addition to copies of (1), (2), and (3) above.

• (4) Power of Attorney (obtain a power of attorney as specified by your faculty and sign it yourself)
• (5) Identification document of the representative (one of the following: driver's license, health insurance card, passport, or basic resident registration card)

Required documents for application by mail (mail to the Center for Data Science office)

If you are applying by mail, please mail the following required documents to the Center for Data Science office (please note that Academic Advising Office on the 1st floor of Building 7 does not accept applications for issuance by mail):

1. Certificate application form
2. ​A "fixed amount postal money order" for the total amount required (at the post office)
   Note: If you are requesting from overseas, please purchase an International Postal Money Order (please make sure it can be converted into Japanese yen in Japan) from a post office overseas to cover the certificate fee and reply postage (please check these costs yourself) and enclose it with your application (bank-issued money orders and checks are not accepted).
3. Copy of your identity document
4. Return envelope with the recipient's name and stamp affixed. *Please prepare a square No. 2 envelope (length 33.2cm, width 24cm).
5. If applying through a representative, a letter of attorney and a copy of the representative's identification document

Contact Us

Please check here (Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)) before making an inquiry.

・Students of this university: Please contact us here​

We have issued a press release about Certification Program in Data Science. Please see below.
https://www.waseda.jp/top/news/71244