Data Analytics for Finance

Course information for CPA Ireland's new elective subject at the Strategic Level

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Why Data Analytics for Finance?

Through the study of this subject, students will develop highly sought-after analytical skills such as capturing, interpreting and reporting on big data.

Dual Qualification

By taking this elective and qualifying as a CPA, trainees will also be recognised as a Certified Data Business Analyst with the Analytics Institute

Method: The course will be delivered through livestreamed lectures once a week, with class notes available in advance. Students will have the option of attending the livestreamed sessions or watching them at a later date. Students will have the option to take a mock exam in advance of the April diet of examinations.

Location:  Online via Canvas Learning Management Sytems. Once you are enrolled you will be contacted with your new Canvas account details before the course starts.

Time: Every Monday at 6:00PM.

Dates: 18th October 2021 - 21st March 2022.

Cost: €500.00

 
  • The course will cover the underlying mathematical concepts and technology involved in Data Analytics, and will focus on the application of these concepts in the domain of Business and Finance. 
  • The tutor will use tools such as Excel and RStudio to demonstrate key concepts, however students are not expected to create code and will not be examined in this area.
  • Students should have a base knowledge of Excel when starting this course. CPA offer a free course to students which covers the basics of Excel, along with other useful remote working skills in our CPA Trainee Remote course. More information on this can be found here. 

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, students will achieve the following learning outcomes:

  • Discuss the strategic processes, benefits and challenges of applying Data Analysis techniques to improve decision making for competitive advantage
  • Apply statistical techniques, including regression and time series, to business datasets and interpret statistical results for various user groups.
  • Describe the key concepts underpinning various supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques 
  • Interpret outputs from a variety of Data Analytics software tools, such as Excel, R and Python, and discuss the risks in making business recommendations from these outputs
  • Evaluate the benefits and risks of utilising machine learning techniques in a variety of business financial activities. 
  • Assess data protection, data privacy and other ethical issues associated with the utilisation of large corporate datasets   

Syllabus Includes:

  • Strategic Data Management in Finance
  • Exploratory Data Analysis
  • Statistics for Big Data
  • Dimension Reduction
  • Regression and Big Data
  • Forecasting Techniques and Application
  • Machine Learning
  • Model Evaluation
  • Data Ethics and Legal Considerations

Accreditation - The Analytics Institute

A Certification Fee will apply to certify successful candidates as a Business Data Analyst (€200+vat).

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