Excel Certification: Become an Excel Certified Professional
Microsoft Excel certification is proof to employers that you have the necessary skills to work with spreadsheets.
No matter what type of data you work with, Excel certification can also help if you are looking for extra skills to get a promotion or a raise.
Today, we provide you with the top Excel certification programs to help you become an Excel-certified professional. You can complete all of them 100% online.
So whether you’re working on budgeting, accounting, or tracking inventory, this is how to get certified in one of the most popular and widely used spreadsheet applications.
1. Professional Certificate in Excel for Everyone (University of British Columbia)
The Professional Certificate in Excel for Everyone program from UBC receives the honor of being an EdX pick. It will teach you the basics of Excel, from creating tables and charts to data management. You can also learn about data analysis and pivot tables in Excel. This program is proof that it’s never too late or too early for a professional skill set in Excel.
PROS
CONS
COURSES
- Excel Core Foundations: This introductory course will teach you the fundamentals of Excel. You will learn how to use Excel to extract data, manage your data, and analyze your data.
- Excel Data Management: Gain the skills that will make you more efficient and productive in Excel. Learn how to manage larger datasets, wrangle, manage, model data, and more.
- Excel Data Analysis Fundamentals: Get the skills you need to tackle any data analysis task right away. Learn the fundamentals of Excel data analysis, so you can effortlessly turn data into meaningful insights even using dashboard visualization.
VERDICT
The Professional Certificate in Excel for Everyone from UBC will allow you to gain the fundamental skills to work in Microsoft Excel. Then, you can gain the necessary skills to transfer them to financial and statistical analysis. If you’ve been using Excel for a while or are just getting started with spreadsheets, this program from the University of British Columbia is how to advance your career.
| Instructor | University of British Columbia |
| Duration | 5 months |
| Certification | Professional Certificate in Excel for Everyone |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Skills Acquired | Data Wrangling, Dashboard Visualization, Pivot Tables, Pivot Charts |
2. Professional Certificate in Data Analytics and Visualization with Excel and R (IBM)
The IBM Professional Certificate in Data Analytics and Visualization with Excel and R provides you with the skills to use Microsoft Excel along with R to create interactive, data-driven visualizations that tell a story. This program is designed for analysts, consultants, managers, educators, or anyone interested in learning how to leverage data visualization to solve business challenges.
PROS
CONS
COURSES
- Analyzing Data with Excel: This course will help you learn to use Excel to accurately analyze data, set up and maintain spreadsheets, and manipulate data. By the end of this course, you will gain the foundational knowledge to work confidently in Excel.
- Data Visualization and Building Dashboards with Excel and Cognos: With this course, you will learn how to create data visualizations and dashboards with Excel and IBM Cognos Analytics. You will be able to communicate your findings clearly and concisely to others in your organization. But you should only consider taking this program if you’re also interested in R language.
VERDICT
If you are looking to advance your data analytics skills, then the IBM Professional Certificate in Data Analytics and Visualization with Excel and R is the perfect place to start. This program will teach you the tools and techniques needed to design, analyze, and communicate data insights. You’ll learn data visualization and modeling with Excel and R. You’ll also learn how to visualize data in Excel and R, as well as wrap it all up with a Capstone project.
| Instructor | IBM |
| Duration | 10 months |
| Certification | Professional Certificate in Data Analytics and Visualization with Excel and R |
| Level | Intermediate/Advanced |
| Skills Acquired | Excel, R, IBM Cognos, and Dashboards |
3. Excel Skills for Business Specialization (Macquarie University)
When it comes to working in business or finance, you may need to show that you are certified in Excel. The Excel Skills for Business Specialization aims to provide a student with Excel skills that are relevant in the business world. The program from Macquarie University covers tools and techniques to help make Microsoft Excel functions more accessible, as well as how to create charts and graphs.
PROS
CONS
COURSES
- Essentials Excel for Business: The course teaches you how to access and edit data, create formulas and functions, format cells, and create charts.
- Intermediate I Excel for Business: This course increases your productivity in Excel, allowing you to analyze data, present findings, and make the most of charts and graphs.
- Intermediate II Excel for Business: Improve your efficiency in Excel by learning to create powerful automation, apply advanced formulas and conditional logic, and create spreadsheets that help forecast and model data.
- Advanced Excel for Business: Learn a variety of essential business skills that will help you make informed decisions and automate day-to-day tasks. You will explore sophisticated formulas, advanced lookup tables, dashboards to become a power user in Excel.
VERDICT
Having some basic Excel skills can make all the difference when it comes to business opportunities. It is not uncommon for companies to require a certain level of Excel proficiency for employees, so having knowledge of the basics can help you get your foot in the door. If you’re looking for business Excel skills, then Excel Skills for Business Specialization from Macquarie University is perfect for you.
| Instructor | Macquarie University |
| Duration | 6 months |
| Certification | Excel Skills for Business Specialization |
| Level | Beginner |
| Skills Acquired | Microsoft Excel, Dashboards, Financial Modeling |
4. Everyday Excel Specialization (University of Colorado Boulder)
The Everyday Excel Specialization covers the basic features of Excel and teaches you how to use them. It also covers more advanced topics such as Data Tables, Goal Seek, and Solver. Finally, the specialization ends with a series of real-world projects to reinforce what you’ve learned throughout the program. If you are looking to take up a new hobby or want to start a career in data analysis, this specialization might just be what you need.
PROS
CONS
COURSES
- Excel Basics: This course is designed to take the student from beginning to intermediate level of proficiency in Microsoft Excel. You will work on edit, format, filter, analyze, and visualize data with charting tools.
- Intermediate Excel: This course will provide you with the necessary skills and knowledge to efficiently manage data and build up your skills in Excel. You will implement financial calculations, create regression models, and use other advanced functionality.
- Applied Projects: Select from a series of different open-ended projects for Microsoft Excel and master your skills. You will work on warm-up projects, intermediate projects, and main projects.
VERDICT
If you’re interested in learning Excel, sometimes it’s better to learn by doing. The Everyday Excel Specialization will teach you through a series of hands-on and open-ended projects. These skills will allow you to be more effective at work, feel more confident in your abilities, and make a difference for your company.
| Instructor | University of Colorado Boulder |
| Duration | 4 months |
| Certification | Everyday Excel Specialization |
| Level | Beginner |
| Skills Acquired | Microsoft Office, Real-world Projects, Data Management |
5. Excel Skills for Data Analytics and Visualization Specialization (Macquarie University)
If you’re interested in becoming a data analyst, or if you’re simply interested in learning new skills around spreadsheets, then the Excel Skills for Data Analytics and Visualization Specialization might be an ideal choice for you. Through this intermediate specialization, you will harness the power of advanced data analytics, work with large datasets, and build powerful visualization in Excel.
PROS
CONS
COURSES
- Excel Fundamentals for Data Analysis: Gain the skills to automate data analysis. Plus, you will learn how to clean, organize, and prepare data for analysis using Excel tools and functions.
- Data Visualization in Excel: Get the skills you need to work with data in a practical and visual way. Learn how to create charts, build interactive dashboards, and more.
- Excel Power Tools for Data Analysis: Learn how to harness the full potential of Excel to transform, analyze, and visualize data with Power Query, Power Pivot and Power BI.
VERDICT
The Excel Skills for Data Analytics and Visualization Specialization will provide you with an introduction to data analytics through Excel’s built-in functions for visualizing data sets in various ways. In this specialization course, you will learn how to perform data cleaning, automate analysis, and use logical and lookup functions.
| Instructor | Macquarie University |
| Duration | 4 months |
| Certification | Excel Skills for Data Analytics and Visualization Specialization |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Skills Acquired | Microsoft Excel, DataViz, Power Query, Power Pivot and Power BI |
The Top Excel Certification Programs
Whether you want to take your career to the next level or you’re looking for a new job, getting an Excel certification is a smart move.
There are many benefits of getting certified in Excel, including improved skills, increased marketability, and making your resume stand out from others
Plus, because Excel is so ubiquitous in today’s world of work, an Excel Certification will help you advance your career as well as increase your salary potential.
These are the top Excel certification courses available today. Whether you want to focus on data analytics or financial analysis, each one offers its own skill sets to bolster your career.
