Top 10 Certified Business Analysis Professionals Courses to Apply For

These certified courses for business analysis professionals are areas that must be checked out in 2022.

Business analytics is a lucrative role in IT, with an average entry-level salary of $68,000 per year. Throughout their careers, business analysts report average salaries ranging from $40,000 to $100,000 per year, according to PayScale. Business analysts help organizations make the most of the data they collect by finding trends, patterns, and errors that might otherwise go unnoticed. Successful business analysts have the skills to work with data and understand the business side of the organization, and the ability to communicate that information to people outside of IT. Here are the top 10 certified business analysis professionals courses one can apply for in 2022.

Certified Analytics Professional (CAP)

The Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) is a vendor-neutral certification that certifies your skills and ability to draw valuable insights from complex data sets to help guide strategic business decisions. To qualify for this certification, you will need a master's degree in a related field and at least five years of relevant experience, or a bachelor's degree in a related field along with seven years of experience in data or analytics. You can also qualify for the associate level aCAP exam if you have a master's degree with just three years of related experience in data or analytics.

IIBA Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA)

The Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA) is the first level of certification with the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), it's designed for less experienced and entry-level business analysts. You will need to complete at least 21 hours of professional training credits, within four years, before you will be eligible for the exam. You don't have to renew your ECBA certification, but it's assumed you'll move on to the second or third levels of certification.

IIBA Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA)

Level 2 of the IIBA certification, the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA) requires a minimum of 3,750 hours of business analytics work aligned with the IIBA's Business Analysis Book of Knowledge (BABOK) guide in the past 7 years, 900 hours in two of six BABOK knowledge areas, or 500 hours in four of six BABOK knowledge areas. The certification also requires a minimum of 21 hours of professional development training in the past four years and two professional references. The CCBA exam consists of 130 multiple-choice questions that are scenario-based and require some analysis. It covers fundamentals, underlying competencies, key concepts, techniques, and all six knowledge areas covered in the BABOK.

IIBA Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP)

The Certified Business Analysis Professional CBAP certification is the third level of certification with IIBA and it's designed for "individuals with extensive business analysis experience." To qualify for this certification, you'll need a minimum of 7,500 hours of business analyst work experience in the past 10 years, 900 hours of work experience hours within four of the six BABOK knowledge areas, at least 35 hours of professional development in the past four years and professional references. The exam is 3.5 hours long and includes 120 multiple-choice questions that are based on case studies. After you pass, you'll need to report at least 60 hours of continuing development units every three years.

IIBA Agile Analysis Certification (AAC)

As a methodology, agile has been rising in importance for business analysts over the past several years, according to the IIBA. The association's competency-based Agile Analysis Certification (AAC) exam was designed to address this skill set and to certify business analyst professionals working in agile environments, which require fast adaption and rapid change. The exam was developed using the Agile Extension to the BABOK guide and was released in May 2018. It is a standalone certification and is separate from the other IIBA business analyst certifications, which stack on top of one another. The exam is offered through remote online proctoring and consists of 85 multiple-choice, scenario-based questions to be completed in 2 hours. The exam's four main topics include agile mindset (30%), strategy horizon (10%), initiative horizon (25%), and delivery horizon (35%). Your certification will last for three years, at which point you'll need to renew the certification. There aren't any eligibility requirements to take the exam, but the IIBA recommends at least two to five years of agile-related experience.

IIBA Certification in Business Data Analytics (CBDA)

The Certification n Business Data Analytics (IIBA-CBDA) from the IIBA is a new certification that "recognizes your ability to effectively execute analysis-related work in support of business analytics initiatives." To pass the exam, you will need to examine a real-world business problem, identify the data sources and how to obtain data, analyze the data, and interpret and report results from the data. You'll then need to demonstrate how those results can influence business decision-making and guide company-level strategies for business analytics.

IQBBA Certified Foundation Level Business Analyst (CFLBA)

The International Qualifications Board for Business Analysts (IQBBA) offers the Certified Foundation Level Business Analysis (CFLBA) as an entry-level certification, which will qualify you to earn higher levels of certification. It's a globally recognized certification with accredited exam and training centers all across the world. It's designed for "people involved in analyzing business processes within an organization, modeling businesses, and process improvement." The foundation level covers enterprise analysis, business analysis process planning, requirements elicitation, requirements analysis, solution validation, tools and techniques, innovation, and design.

IREB Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering (CPRE)

The International Requirements Engineering Board (IREB) offers the Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering (CPRE) certification is designed for those working in requirements engineering (RE), and it's offered at three levels. The Foundation Level is first, where you'll be certified in the basics of RE. The Advanced Level is next, where you can choose between three paths, including Requirements Elicitation and Consolidation, Requirements Modeling and Requirements Management — but you'll need to wait 12 months after completing the first exam to take the advanced level exam. The Expert Level certifies you at the "highest level of expert knowledge," which includes both your hands-on experience as well as your knowledge and skills gained through previous certifications.

PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PBA) Certification

The PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PBA) certification is designed for business analysts who work with projects or programs, or project and program managers who work with analytics. It's offered through the Project Management Institute, which specializes in widely recognized project management certifications, such as the PMP. The certification focuses on business analysis training through hands-on projects and testing on business analysis principles, tools, and fundamentals.

Simplilearn Business Analyst Master's Program

If you're new to the industry or want to change careers and start on the path of a business analyst, SimpliLearn offers a Business Analyst Master's Program that is accredited by the IIBA. Through the program, you can opt to earn your CCBA certification as well as certifications in Agile Scrum Foundation, Digital Transformation for Leaders, Python for Data Science, and R Programming for Data Science. Completion of the program will also earn you 35 IIBA and 25 PMI professional development units. The course promises to make you an expert in Excel, CBAP, Tableau, Agile ScrumMaster, SQL, CCBA, and Agile Scrum Foundation. You'll also learn how to build interactive dashboards, apply statistical tools and concepts, master the agile scrum methodology, plan and track Scrum projects, understand business analysis key concepts, analyze data using Tableau, and much more.