Deciding which data visualization course is best for you requires considering several variables. Learners must think of their professional goals, as well as their scheduling availability, when selecting a training format. The good news is that courses are available to accommodate students at different learning levels and individual scheduling needs. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced data visualization classes are designed for those looking for skills-specific instruction at an appropriate learning level. For those who wish to learn data visualization as soon as possible, comprehensive, full-time study options are available in bootcamps and certificate programs. Most providers also offer part-time coursework for those who want to arrange their studies around full-time work or family commitments. Asynchronous data visualization content is the most flexible learning option for those who cannot commit to regularly scheduled classes. 

What is Data Visualization?

Data visualization uses graphics like plots, charts, or animations to represent data findings. These visuals communicate complicated data relationships in an accessible and engaging format to an organization’s internal and external stakeholders who may not come from a technical background. Data visualization has applications across industries and professions, from data analytics to business intelligence. The data visualization process is typically broken into four goals: to generate ideas, illustrate concepts, provide avenues into visual discovery, and convey data in the form of visualizations. 

Read more about what data visualization is and why you should learn it.

Benefits of Learning Data Visualization

We live in an increasingly visual culture, and the human eye is naturally drawn to patterns and colors. By seeing information depicted in vibrant plots or charts, it’s easy to spout outliers and patterns, as well as to identify trends. Data visualization offers an interactive format where professionals can easily share information, explore opportunities, and examine past patterns to make educated forecasts about what may transpire. Those who tell engaging, data-driven stories with their visualizations have the power to educate and even sway audience members with the insights they find. 

Read more about why you should learn data visualization.

How Long Do Data Visualization Courses Last?

The length of the data visualization course you choose will affect the sort of training you receive. For those new to data visualization and want a low-stakes way to study this set of skills, self-paced content like YouTube videos and asynchronous coursework can provide a framework. Because these learning materials are pre-recorded, they can be completed at your own pace, on your own time. Self-paced content is also usually the most affordable way to learn to visualize data; some is even available for free. 

Skills classes are also available for those who want to learn data visualization without spending months or years on study. Students can select from introductory-level, intermediate, and advanced-level classes that cover data visualization or a type of visualization software, such as Tableau or Excel. These courses are relatively short in duration and usually can be completed in one full day or several shorter sessions. Many providers offer skills classes in data visualization for several hundred dollars. These courses are available in-person and online.

If you’re looking for more rigorous data visualization instruction, career training bootcamps are available. These courses take learners from beginner-level data visualization skills into advanced training over the course of several days or weeks. Some bootcamps can be completed in only twelve hours, whereas others require fifty or more study hours. Bootcamps are offered both in-person and in the live online format. Some focus on data visualization or data analytics as a broad field, whereas others offer instruction solely on a particular data visualization tool like Tableau. Bootcamp study ranges in price from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the provider and duration of study.

The most comprehensive way to learn data visualization is to enroll in a certificate program. Certificates are usually taught in the live environment, either in-person or online. These rigorous programs are designed for professionals who need to acquire data visualization for their current job or to explore new career opportunities. Certificates are the most expensive form of data visualization aside from university coursework. They can range in price from several hundred dollars to over $10,000. Some certificates take weeks to complete, and others span six or more months. Full-time and part-time study options are usually available to accommodate individual scheduling requirements. Certificates that teach data visualization are usually offered in data analytics or data science and offer instruction on working with some combination of SQL, Python, Excel, Tableau, or Power BI. Tuition often includes additional learning perks, such as one-on-one mentoring, career counseling, professional development, or networking opportunities.

Different Courses with Different Schedules

The length of the data visualization course you choose will impact the depth of instruction you receive. Short skills classes can be completed in just a day and provide introductory, intermediate, or advanced data visualization training. Bootcamps generally take several days or weeks and offer more career-focused guidance. Certificate study in data analytics or a related field can span weeks or months and provides the most in-depth, rigorous training available to prepare you for a career working with data.

In-Person & Online Classes

Some educators provide learners with the option of completing data visualization classes in the in-person environment or through live online study. Generally, the class takes the same time to complete, regardless of which training format you select. Both options provide real-time instruction from a live instructor with industry experience analyzing and visualizing data. The length of the course itself, however, will depend more on the depth of study provided. 

In-person and live online certificate programs take the longest to complete and offer the most comprehensive training in data analytics and visualization. These career-focused programs span weeks or months, depending on the provider, as well as whether the participant opts to study full-time or part-time. Bootcamps, too, are offered in-person at a training facility, as well as in the live online format. Some bootcamps can be completed in twelve hours, whereas others take fifty or more to finish. Both part-time and full-time scheduling options are usually available from the provider. 

Those who want to learn to visualize data using a specific tool like Excel or Tableau can opt for a skills-focused course. These classes usually only take a few hours to complete and provide hands-on training at your skill level to prepare you to complete data visualization tasks like formatting or printing graphs and charts. Students new to visualizing data can opt for beginner-level content, whereas those with more data analytics experience may be better off in intermediate or advanced classes. Skills classes are offered both in-person and online. 

Synchronous & Asynchronous Classes

Another important decision you’ll need to make if you’re interested in studying data visualization is whether to complete coursework synchronously or asynchronously. Synchronous classes take place in real time. This means a live instructor teaches the class on a scheduled day and time. Participants either attend in person at a designated training facility, or they can complete their studies remotely using a teleconferencing platform like Teams or Zoom. Synchronous coursework is the most engaging and interactive way to learn data visualization. Not only do students have the chance to ask any questions they may have as they occur, but they also connect with other learners, which can be an excellent opportunity to network. Synchronous data visualization courses are offered through skills classes, bootcamps, and certificate programs. Some skills classes and bootcamps focus on a specific software or tool like Tableau, whereas certificate programs are generally longer and provide more robust instruction on the entire data analytics process, including data visualization, as well as the various kinds of software and tools needed to create data visualizations.

Asynchronous study, on the other hand, does not provide students with access to a live instructor. Training material is instead pre-recorded, and students access it on their own time from any location they wish. Because asynchronous training material is available from so many providers, it varies significantly in length and type. Some online content, such as YouTube videos, focuses only on one data visualization skill, such as installing Tableau. Content like this may take just minutes to complete. Other self-paced data visualization material is longer and more comprehensive and offers tutorials alongside videos. Some materials provide hours of instruction on creating graphs in Excel or designing advanced data visualizations in Tableau and can take days or weeks to complete. However, it’s important to keep in mind that no instructor is available to offer support. For this reason, asynchronous data visualization material is a good starting point for an overview of this skill set. Those who need to learn to visualize data for professional reasons may require more guided instruction through live coursework to fully master advanced visualization techniques.

Career-Focused & Skills-Focused Classes

Before you enroll in a data visualization course, it’s important to ask yourself why you want to acquire this training. A skills-focused class is a good option if you’re interested in learning to visualize data to fill a skill gap. Skills courses provide a short learning format in which participants can learn a range of data analysis and visualization techniques. These classes usually can be completed in one full day of study and are offered at three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Often, skills courses focus on a specific data visualization tool like Tableau or Excel and provide hands-on instruction in creating visualizations with that software. 

If your reasons for studying data visualization are to advance professionally or to pursue a new career path in data analytics or a related field, you will likely benefit more from a career-focused program like a bootcamp or certificate. Bootcamp study can take anywhere from twelve to more than fifty hours to complete. It provides more robust training than a skills class and helps learners progress from basic data visualization concepts into more advanced techniques over days or weeks. Certificate study usually spans weeks or months and offers a rigorous learning environment to help participants become well-rounded data professionals. Rather than focusing on just one data visualization tool, these programs generally are offered in a broader field, such as data analytics or data science, and include instruction on a range of relevant programs and apps. Participants often learn programming languages like SQL or Python and software like Tableau and Excel as part of their coursework. 

Another advantage of bootcamp and certificate programs is that some include professional development as part of tuition. Students may receive additional support, such as one-on-one mentoring, career counseling, resume development, job search guidance, or help with their professional portfolio. These programs sometimes also offer learners access to supplementary learning materials following the completion of the class, as well as the option of retaking the program for free for up to a year. These additional perks ensure that graduates will be ready to apply their skills at their current job or explore new professional opportunities in data analytics.

Introductory Classes & Immersive Courses 

Choosing whether to study data visualization in an introductory-level course or through more immersive training is another important decision. If you’re new to data analytics and have little or no experience visualizing data, beginner-friendly coursework is a good place to start. These shorter classes are offered by many educational providers in-person or live online. Often, introductory-level classes can be completed in a day or two. They offer hands-on training in basic data visualization skills and often focus on one tool, like Excel or Tableau. Students receive basic instruction on working the app, navigating the interface, and performing core tasks like saving and printing their work. Intro-level classes usually cost several hundred dollars. The skills learned can immediately be applied to real-world data projects. 

Those interested in progressing from basic data visualization skills into advanced capabilities may be interested in more comprehensive training. Some training centers have the option for participants to combine beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes into one longer training course. Students who complete each level of training can usually do so for a reduced cost rather than paying full price for three individual skills classes. 

If you’re already familiar with how to visualize data, beginner-level coursework will likely not be as useful as more immersive courses that cover advanced visualization techniques. Bootcamps and certificate programs provide more comprehensive training and are a great way to learn the skills needed for career advancement or to pursue a different professional role in data. These programs usually take weeks or months to complete and cover skills that extend beyond data visualization basics. Those who graduate from these programs have a solid understanding of the data analytics process and receive training in common data visualization tools like Tableau or Excel. In addition, incentives like career counseling and one-on-one mentoring are offered by some providers, which makes certificate study or bootcamps a great way to boost your resume and remain competitive in the job market.

Discuss the differences and how these differences impact how long the class will take to complete. This should draw a distinction between shorter classes that introduce students to data visualization and longer classes that aim to teach them advanced aspects. Often, training centers will have the option to combine multiple introductory, intermediate and advanced courses into one long training course.

Learn Data Visualization Skills with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop has in-person and live online data visualization training. Tableau for Data Visualization Bootcamp instructs students on how to use Tableau Public’s visualization tools. Noble’s Data Analytics Certificate teaches core business intelligence, statistics, data analysis, and data visualization concepts. 

Aspiring Data Scientists can enroll in Noble’s Data Science Certificate to study machine learning, automation, SQL, and Python. The Python for Data Science Bootcamp provides instruction on how to use statistics to make machine learning models. Noble’s Excel Bootcamp teaches fundamental spreadsheet functions, including macros, formulas, and PivotTables. Those interested in working with SQL can enroll in Noble’s SQL Bootcamp.

Key Takeaways

• Data visualization courses are available in-person as well as online. In-person study takes place at a training facility, whereas live online coursework can be completed remotely from any location with an internet connection. Some educators provide learners with the option of which live format they wish to learn in.
• Both synchronous and asynchronous coursework is offered in data visualization. Synchronous classes give learners real-time access to a live instructor, whereas asynchronous material is pre-recorded and can be completed independently. 
• Students looking to learn data visualization and data analytics can opt for skills-focused or career-focused coursework. Skills classes are generally short and focus on several data visualization techniques appropriate to beginners, intermediate, or advanced learners. Career-focused study pertains to bootcamps and certificates, which prepare participants with the analysis and visualization skills needed for their current job or to pursue a new data career.
• Those interested in studying data visualization can enroll in one of Noble Desktop’s comprehensive in-person or live online courses.