Analytics for Leaders in Ocean Management

The UBC Micro-certificate in Analytics for Leaders in Ocean Management provides specialized knowledge and skills to individuals involved in collecting data from national and global aquatic databases to tackle specific issues in their communities of practice.

By the end of this program, you’ll be able to:

• demonstrate increased ocean data literacy and access
• utilize marine environmental, biodiversity and socio-economics databases
• understand and apply widely used planning analytics
• develop and manage sustainable and equitable blue economic sectors for marine conservation and resource management
• interpret and communicate results generated from data analytics

The program is designed for professionals and researchers working in various fields related to marine biology and ocean management. They are actively involved in studying and understanding the intricate ecosystems of our oceans to address pressing issues like climate change, biodiversity conservation and natural resource management.

Whether you are a marine biologist, oceanographer, ecologist, environmental scientist, fisheries manager or data scientist, our courses will equip you with the necessary expertise to excel in your field and make a positive impact on the health and sustainability of our marine and freshwater ecosystems.

Each course costs $1,620. The total cost of the program is $3,240.

All fees are in Canadian dollars, subject to change and to GST (where applicable). For details on forms of payment accepted, please see How to pay.

Find more details on refunds, cancellations and transfers.

The program consists of two courses of nine weeks each. Combined, the courses take about 72 hours to complete.

You can take the courses on their own, in any order. However, to earn your micro-certificate and gain the most value from the program, we recommend taking both courses in succession as they complement one another.

Required Courses

This part-time 100% online program is instructor supported and combines weekly real-time sessions with independent study.

Weekly real-time online sessions are facilitated by the instructor. They are recorded for later viewing in case you miss one or want to review the content.

Between weekly real-time sessions, complete readings and videos, data analysis coding exercises in R, knowledge checks and quizzes, and a work-related mini-project relevant to your background which enhances the program’s experiential learning. You can also contribute to a discussion board and connect with other students.

Expected effort

Expect to spend approximately four hours per week completing all learning activities, including attending real-time sessions.

Technology requirements

To take this program, you need access to:

• an email account
• a computer, or laptop or a tablet
• the latest version of a web browser (or previous major version release)
• a reliable internet connection
• a video camera and microphone (to access real-time classes)

Textbooks and materials

All course content is provided in the online course.

Assessment

The evaluation criteria comprise students’ participation and a final project. Participation counts 25%, whereas the final assignment represents 75% of the final mark. To pass each course, you must obtain an overall grade of 70% or higher.

Guest speakers

Our guest speakers include renowned specialists in the field:

Dr. Villy Christensen, CAND. SCIENT, PHD, is a professor at the UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. Dr. Christensen is a globally recognized expert in marine ecosystem modelling. As the principal developer of the Ecopath with Ecoism modelling approach, his work has significantly influenced ecosystem-based management worldwide.

Our program instructors are experts with extensive industry experience: