Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

What it is

A nine-course series built by Google and hosted on Coursera. It walks a complete beginner through the data analysis process (ask, prepare, process, analyse, share, act), spreadsheets in Google Sheets and Excel, SQL, data cleaning, visualisation in Tableau, an introduction to a programming language for analysis, and a final case study you can put in a portfolio. Coursera lists it as beginner level with no degree or experience required.

Cost and time (as of 2026-09)

Coursera's page states $49 per month in the US and Canada after a 7-day free trial, with an estimated 6 months at 10 hours a week. Prices differ by country, so check the page in your region. Financial aid is available through Coursera's application, and you can enrol to view much of the material without paying, although graded work and the certificate need a paid plan.

Is it worth it?

It depends on what you need. If you learn better with a fixed order, deadlines and graded exercises, it is a sound, well-produced introduction, and it is widely recognised. If you are self-directed, you can learn the same skills for free from Microsoft, Tableau, Kaggle, Khan Academy and SQL tutorials on this roadmap.

Be realistic about outcomes. Coursera reports career outcome figures on the page, but a certificate on its own rarely gets someone hired. Employers look for evidence: two or three projects on real data, clear SQL, and the ability to explain a finding. Treat the case study as the start of your portfolio, not the end.

What you can do after

Clean and analyse data in spreadsheets, write SQL queries with joins and aggregations, build Tableau visualisations and explain an analysis in a short presentation. You will still need practice with larger, messier datasets and with statistics beyond the basics.

Prerequisites

None beyond basic computer skills. Comfort with spreadsheets makes the first courses faster.

Common questions

Power BI or Tableau? This certificate uses Tableau. If your target jobs ask for Power BI, add Microsoft's free Power BI training afterwards.

Can I finish faster? Yes; the pace is self-set, and people with spreadsheet experience often move faster. Paying month by month rewards finishing, but do not rush past the exercises.

Is it an "entry ticket" to a job? No course is. Use it to build skills and a first project, then keep building.