Best data engineer/scientist/analyst certifications of 2025

The rapid expansion of Artificial Intelligence is driving demand for all facets of IT that support AI’s functioning – notably, Data, Machine Learning, and Cyber Security.

Newcomers and veterans alike need to formalise their data skills

If you’ve been working in this field for a while, or even if you only just entering the data space, it’s vital to achieve recognised certifications that attest to your skills for the tech stacks you wish to specialise in, particularly if money matters to you.

With rate premiums, reputation, and repeat contracts in mind, here and exclusively for Free-Work, is our rundown of the best certifications as a data engineer, data scientist or data analyst to attempt in 2025, writes Bobby Armstrong of Firebrand Training.

So, without further ado, and in reverse order, here are the:

Top 5 for 2025: Best certifications as a data engineer, data scientist or data analyst:

5. Google Cloud Certified -- Professional Data Engineer

GCP’s Professional Data Engineer certification has a strong focus on Data, Cloud, and Machine Learning.

It's not for the faint of heart; along with knowledge of SQL, Python, and ML basics, Google recommends you have at least three years of industry experience, including one on GCP specifically.

You’ll have options…

Taking this course helps you specialise in the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and evidences your skills in this area; it also helps you develop transferrable skills you can use for other cloud platforms (should you need to).

The course focuses on designing and building Data processing systems with GCP Machine Learning and on processing data to enable business decision-making.

The 3-tier curriculum of GCC Professional Data Engineer

The curriculum is divided into three parts –

1. An overview of fundamental concepts;

2. A focus on Google Cloud Dataproc, Google Machine Learning APIs, and building ML models, and finally;

3. An in-depth review of methodologies, policies, and practical skills you need to pass the exam.

After taking GCP’s Professional Data Engineer course, you can attempt the official exam to become certified.

This comprehensive exam takes 2 hours and is currently offered in English, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese.

4. Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Machine Learning: Specialty (MLS-C01)

Fourth place, like fifth place, in this top 5 certifications of 2025 for data engineers/scientists/analysts is definitely not to be sniffed at, as all five of these are ‘hot tickets’ in this niche of tech training for 2025!

In fourth, then, it’s the turn of another major player in the world of Cloud -- Amazon AWS.

Amazon has an enviable data certification track record

Amazon has developed excellent data courses over the years, such as the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate, and the AWS Certified Data Analytics: Specialty (DAS-C01) -- which retired earlier this year.

Their ML Specialty course takes it one step further.

The certification was developed for Data Scientists, Data Engineers, ML Engineers, Consultants, and similar professionals with more than one year of experience developing, architecting, or running ML and Deep Learning workloads in AWS Cloud.

Five core components of AWS MLS-C01

It’s an advanced course that takes you through:

• Data Engineering;

• Exploratory Data Analysis;

• Modelling;

• Machine Learning Implementation, and;

• Operations.

Passing the not short AWS exam (it exceeds 2 hours) and becoming certified is particularly valuable for those wishing to stay within the AWS ecosystem, and specialise in cloud-based ML solutions.

3. Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate (DP-100)

The third brightest in terms of its prospects as a data certification for 2025 is an essential course for those who work with Microsoft Azure.

It’s the Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate, also known as ‘DP-100.’

The course is for professionals who have already achieved the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) or have equivalent knowledge.

What does MS DP-100 focus on?

The focus here is on helping you quantify business problems, analyse data, and develop and evaluate Machine Learning models to solve these issues.

Building on AZ-900, the course introduces you to Azure Machine Learning and Azure ML Designer, training you to create pipelines, run experiments, and train, interpret, and monitor models. In essence? It’s teaching you to design and implement Data Science solutions on Microsoft Azure.

This course also serves as an excellent foundation for the study of AI, should you wish to explore that avenue.

After taking this course, you can attempt the official DP-100 exam, Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure, and become certified.

2. BCS Essentials Certificate in Artificial Intelligence

The second-best certification in this rundown is not strictly a data one!

But you may nonetheless find it very useful if you’re a data professional perusing the UK’s tech jobs market in 2025: the Essentials Certificate in AI developed by BCS (the UK’s Chartered Institute for IT).

Pioneering, foundational, and highly applicable

This is one of the first certification courses that were developed to help professionals gain a foundational understanding of AI and its possible business uses.

It’s a short course (as a provider, we deliver it in just one day) that takes you through the basic process of Machine Learning; its relationship with AI, implementing neural networks, learning to work together (humans and AI), as well as AI challenges, risks, and opportunities.

The course ends with a 30-minute exam after which you achieve your certification.

Whether you’ve had previous experience with AI or not, this course can expose you to current thinking around this topic and the ways that various business departments can implement it in the future. It can also help you orient yourself, discovering areas within AI that you may be interested in exploring or upskilling in.

1. CompTIA Data+

The grand first place for the five hot data-related certifications for 2025 is CompTIA Data+.

It’s an essential certification for anyone interested in Data, and appealingly is ‘vendor-neutral.’ What does that mean? Well, it means that it applies to any tech stack a company or organisation may be using.

The perfect accompaniment to your January 2025 tech job search

Further positively, there are no formal prerequisites to take it, so you can achieve it early on in your career to give your CV a boost – ideal for January 2025, as the New Year tends to bring with it a surge in that yearning for something new!

Keep in mind, however, CompTIA Data+ was designed for those with around two years of experience in Business Analyst or similar roles, where that individual has a basic understanding of statistics.

CompTIA Data+ is an ideal certification for those technologists in roles that combine data with business strategy such as:

• Business Intelligence Analysts;

• Operation Analysts;

• Reporting Analysts; and

• Marketing Analysts (or similar).

What do you learn on the CompTIA Data+ course?

In terms of curriculum, CompTIA Data+ takes you through fundamental data concepts and environments, techniques for mining, analysing, and visualising data, plus aspects of quality and governance.

The current exam for this course is the CompTIA DA0-00. And if you ace it, you’ll be demonstrating to prospective clients or employers that you are formally trained in working with data to make informed business decisions. It’s hard to envisage almost any tech employer in 2025 turning down such a skillset!