Online Database Management & Business Intelligence Graduate Certificate

At a Glance

Completion Time

Months

Credits Required

Tuition

$14,850–$16,630

Part-Time*

*Based on 2026–2027 Boston University tuition and fees.

Learn to Build, Manage, and Analyze Data Systems for Smarter Decisions

Database systems are the information heart of modern enterprises, where they are used for processing business transactions and for understanding and managing the enterprise. Business intelligence is the analysis of data to improve management of the enterprise and routine business operations such as intelligent supply chain management.

Students who complete the online Graduate Certificate in Database Management & Business Intelligence will be prepared to design and implement both transaction processing and decision support databases, and to use data mining technologies to discover the structure, trends, and relationships in the data to produce valuable business insights and effective decision support processes.

The Database Management & Business Intelligence Graduate Certificate is also available on campus in Boston. Learn more.

Curriculum

The online Graduate Certificate in Database Management & Business Intelligence consists of four required courses (16 units).

Certificate Courses

(Four courses/16 units)

MET CS 699 Data Mining

4 credits. Fall and Spring

Prerequisites: MET CS 521, MET LB 103 and MET LB 104; and either MET CS 579 or MET CS 669; or consent of instructor. - Study basic concepts and techniques of data mining. Topics include data preparation, classification, performance evaluation, association rule mining, regression and clustering. You will learn underlying theories of data mining algorithms in the class and practice those algorithms through assignments and a semester-long class project using R. After finishing this course, you will be able to independently perform data mining tasks to solve real-world problems.

Section A1, FALL 2026 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Lee	Independent	W	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	SOC B63

Section O2, FALL 2026 Oct 27th to Dec 14th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Lee	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

MET CS 779 Advanced Database Management

4 credits. Fall and Spring

Prerequisites: METCS579 or METCS669 or consent of the instructor - Investigate advanced aspects of database management including normalization and denormalization, query optimization, distributed databases, data warehousing, and big data. There is extensive coverage and hands on work with SQL, and database instance tuning. Modern database architectures, including relational, key value, object relational, and document store models, as well as various approaches to scale out, integrate, and implement database systems through replication and cloud-based instances, are covered. You will learn about unstructured "big data" architectures and databases, gain hands-on experience with Spark and MongoDB, and complete a term project exploring an advanced database technology of your choice.

Section A1, FALL 2026 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Polnar	Independent	R	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	CAS 324

Plus one course from the following pair (MET CS 579 is offered on campus only):

MET CS 579 Database Management

4 credits. Fall and Spring

Prerequisite: MET CS 232 or consent of instructor. A theoretical yet modern presentation of database topics ranging from data and object modeling, relational algebra and normalization, to advanced topics such as how to develop web-based database applications. Other topics include relational data modeling, SQL, and manipulating relational data; applications programming for relational databases; physical characteristics of databases; achieving performance and reliability with database systems; and object-oriented database systems. Restrictions: This course may not be taken in conjunction with MET CS 469 (undergraduate) or MET CS 669. Refer to your department for further details.

Section A1, FALL 2026 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Lee	Independent	M	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	KCB 102

MET CS 669 Database Design and Implementation for Business

4 credits.

Learn the latest relational and object-relational tools and techniques for persistent data and object modeling and management. You will gain extensive hands-on experience using Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server as you learn the Structured Query Language (SQL) and design and implement databases. You will design and implement a database system as a term project. Restrictions: This course may not be taken in conjunction with MET CS 469 (undergraduate) or MET CS 579. Only one of these courses can be counted towards degree requirements.

Section A1, FALL 2026 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Diwania	Independent	W	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	CAS 315

Section A2, FALL 2026 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Russo	Independent	R	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	FLR 121

Section E1, FALL 2026 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Diwania	Independent	W	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	CAS 315

Section O1, FALL 2026 Sep 1st to Oct 19th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Lee	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

Section O2, FALL 2026 Oct 27th to Dec 14th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Mansur	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

And one course from the following:

MET CS 674 Database Security

4 credits. Fall and Spring

The course provides a strong foundation in database security and auditing by utilizing Oracle scenarios and step-by-step examples. The following topics are covered: security, profiles, password policies, privileges, roles, Virtual Private Databases, and auditing. The course also covers advanced topics such as SQL injection, database management, and security issues, such as securing the DBMS, enforcing access controls, and related issues.

Section O2, FALL 2026 Oct 27th to Dec 14th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
	Independent	ARR	12:00:00 AM–12:00:00 AM

MET CS 689 Designing and Implementing a Data Warehouse

4 credits. Fall and Spring

Prerequisites: CS 579 or CS 669 or consent of the instructor - This course surveys state-of-the art technologies in DW and Big Data. It describes logical, physical and semantic foundation of modern DW infrastructure. Students will create a cube using OLAP and implement decision support benchmarks on Hadoop/Spark vs Vertica database. Upon successful completion, students will be familiar with tradeoffs in DW design and architecture.

Section A1, FALL 2026 Sep 2nd to Dec 10th
Instructor	Type	Days	Times	Location
Polnar	Independent	M	06:00:00 PM–08:45:00 PM	CAS 201

Dates & Deadlines

View BU MET’s academic calendar for online programs, including important dates and deadlines.

Application Requirements

Learn about application requirements for BU MET graduate degree and certificate programs.

How You Benefit from a
Boston University Education

A BU credential can help lay the foundation for career advancement and personal success.

Benefit from a 24:1 average student-to-instructor ratio.
Work closely with highly qualified faculty and seasoned industry leaders in a wide range of technology fields who are committed to teaching the latest technologies within the framework of ideas, concepts, and methods that drive innovation.
Computer science courses ensure you get the attention you need, while introducing case studies and real-world projects that emphasize technical and theoretical knowledge—combining in-depth, practical experience with the critical skills needed to remain on the forefront of the information technology field. In addition, BU’s Center for Reliable Information Systems and Cyber Security (RISCS) offers opportunities to collaborate and participate in research on system reliability and information security.
Study alongside peers and professionals with solid IT experience, learn from faculty who have valuable contacts across several sectors, and benefit from an alumni community with strong professional connections.
BU MET’s Department of Computer Science was established in 1979 and is the longest-running computer science department at BU. Over the course of its existence, the department has played an important role in the emergence of IT at the University and throughout the region.

Rankings & Accreditations

U.S. News & World Report - Best Online Programs - Grad Information Technology - 2026

#12, Best Online Master’s in Computer Information Technology Programs

MET’s computer science & IT graduate certificates share curriculum with MET’s online master’s degrees in computer information technology, which are ranked #12 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

Graduate with Database Management & Business Intelligence Expertise

Students who complete the Graduate Certificate in Database Management & Business Intelligence will be able to demonstrate:

Advanced knowledge of database modeling and design, database implementation, distributed databases, object-oriented and object-relational databases, and databases for web applications, as well as typical data mining methods.
Proficiency in the design, implementation, performance tuning of different types of databases, and in performing data mining tasks on various types of data.
Competence sufficient to participate in the design and implementation of large, distributed database systems and business intelligence systems.
Proficiency in identifying and appropriately responding to professional, ethical, and legal issues in data management.

$171,200
Median annual wage for computer and information systems managers (May 2024)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

“Throughout the entire program and most classes I found that I learned skills that I could immediately apply at my job in a variety of ways.” Read more.

Dan McKinnon (MET’20)
Senior Information Systems Engineer, MITRE Corporation
MS, Computer Information Systems; Concentration, Database Management & Business Intelligence

Advance Your Career

BU MET’s Database Management & Business Intelligence certificate will prepare you for rewarding career tracks, with roles that include database and knowledge modelers, designers, developers, and business intelligence analysts.

Recent graduates have found job opportunities and career paths at companies such as:

Google
Apple
Microsoft
Amazon
IBM
Deloitte
PwC
Accenture
Cisco Systems
Oracle

Boeing
Northrop Grumman
Fidelity Investments
Johnson & Johnson
JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Facebook (Meta)
Tesla
Goldman Sachs
LinkedIn
Salesforce

Computer Science Faculty

Guanglan Zhang

Associate Professor, Computer Science

Coordinator, Health Informatics Programs

Chair, Computer Science

Shengzhi Zhang

Associate Professor

Associate Chair, Computer Science

Coordinator, Web Application Development

Jae Young Lee

Assistant Professor, Computer Science

Coordinator, Databases

Farshid Alizadeh-Shabdiz

Professor of the Practice, Computer Science

View All Faculty

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Online Database Management & Business Intelligence Graduate Certificate

At a Glance

Learn to Build, Manage, and Analyze Data Systems for Smarter Decisions