Which data analyst trainings are the most recognized?

Being a data analyst means gathering, processing, organizing, and analyzing large quantities of data to guide decision-making. In the era of Big Data, this role has become essential, because every company wants to make their data speak in order to improve performance.

This role requires specific technical skills that can be acquired through different trainings. The good news is that data analysis can be more or less in-depth and complex, so there's a training accessible at every level!

What's more, taking a data analysis training is highly valued by companies and can make hiring you easier. Indeed, demand is strong for few candidates, and 80,000 digital roles are still vacant in France.

To help you become the data analyst recruiters are looking for, here we present the most recognized trainings.

Article updated 04/14/2026.

Key takeaways

• The data analyst role consists of collecting, processing, organizing, and analyzing data to help companies make better decisions.
• There are several recognized paths to train: engineering schools, universities, business schools, specialized schools, MOOCs, bootcamps, private online trainings, and certifications.
• The most recognized academic trainings mainly come from engineering schools and universities, with degree programs at the bachelor's, master's, or engineering levels.
• Business schools and some specialized schools also offer data masters, sometimes oriented toward a specific sector like finance or marketing.
• MOOCs let you train online at lower cost, but their quality varies; the most credible ones are generally those created by recognized schools or universities.
• Bootcamps and private online trainings are suited to faster skill ramp-up, with intensive formats or more support.
• Certifications don't grant a degree, but they let you attest to concrete data analysis skills to recruiters.
• To choose a training, you have to compare prerequisites, duration, level of recognition, target skills, practical modalities, and funding options.
• Funding can come through the company via OPCOs or FNE-Formation, but also through external aid such as the AIF, the regional council, or the CPF (French training accounts).

Academic trainings

Engineering schools

Traditionally, IT trainings are delivered by engineering schools. Almost all of them offer a specialization in data science that opens the door to many roles — particularly that of data analyst. After these one- or two-year programs, the school grants a master's degree, or even an engineering title depending on your path.

You'll therefore find masters in data science and data analysis in most engineering schools. The most prestigious programs are notably offered by X-HEC, CentraleSupelec, and ENSAE. Most Telecom and INP schools also offer this type of training.

Universities

You can also pursue a data analysis training at a university. This program of at least a year and a half is degree-granting, and lets you earn a bachelor's or master's degree. In Paris, the Statistics and Big Data master at Université Paris Dauphine and the Data Analytics master at Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne are the most recognized.

What's more, most data analysis training offerings abroad come from universities. This can be particularly relevant since most data analysis tools are de facto in English.

Business schools

After engineering schools, business schools too are getting into digital and have developed specialized master's offerings in data. These trainings last one or two years, and are sometimes applied to a specific domain like finance or marketing. Furthermore, it's often possible to apply directly to the program without having to go through a competitive exam.

Trainings from business schools are more or less recognized depending on the prestige of the school itself and its place in rankings. You'll find offers at EM Lyon, ESCP, GEM, NEOMA, etc. The master titles differ (big data, business analytics, data analytics, data science), but they all prepare for the data analyst's missions.

Specialized schools

Finally, certain schools specialized in digital and data science also offer academic trainings to become a data analyst. Often accessible with a high-school diploma, these programs let you earn a master's and acquire skills more specific to the various data analysis professions.

In France, there are many schools specialized in new technologies, such as ENSAI, ECE Paris, EPSI, EFREI, etc., which are mainly recognized within their field.

Intensive trainings (bootcamps)

Bootcamps are accelerated trainings that let you acquire data analyst skills in a few months rather than several years. Built around concrete projects and tools directly used in companies (Python, SQL, Power BI), these programs are particularly suited to professionals in career change who want quick access to the job market.

Among the recognized bootcamps in France, Jedha has been training in data jobs since 2017 with more than 4,000 alumni. Its data analyst training of 450 hours covers the full path of the role, from data analysis to machine learning, with the Microsoft Power BI PL-300 certification included. 93% of graduates are employed one year after the training. The program is accessible in 3 months full-time or 7 months part-time, in person or remote.

Online trainings

MOOCs

You probably know Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs, those trainings delivered on online platforms with no professor following you. Of uneven quality, MOOC offerings in data analysis are very numerous.

The best MOOCs are those directly created by recognized schools or universities. You can find them on the most well-known platforms that list these offerings:

• In French: My Mooc, FUN MOOC, OpenClassrooms, MOOC Francophone,
• In English: edX, Coursera.

Private online trainings

On the web, you'll also find private trainings. These paid offerings go further than the MOOC, by offering for example help from teachers or videoconference exchanges. The teaching is therefore similar to that in a private school, but online.

Private trainings in data analysis are numerous, but more or less relevant and recognized. So as not to get lost among all the offerings, we invite you to turn to organizations specialized in data and recognized, like Le Wagon or Simplon.

Certifications

Academic certifications

A certification is a training that doesn't grant a degree, but attests to your skills. Most online training offerings therefore offer certifications, of more or less great quality. The most relevant academic data analyst certifications are still those provided by specialized organizations, like the Cepe (ENSAE-ENSAI Continuing Education) or Data Value.

In addition, the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (Cnam) and the Carif-Oref network list the main certifying trainings in data analysis.

Professional certifications

After a training, you can also obtain a professional qualification certificate (CQP) attesting that you have the skills required to exercise a profession. Having such a certificate in data analysis means proving to recruiters that you have all the keys to deliver on the data analyst and/or data scientist's missions. This type of program can therefore be particularly useful for your job search.

The offerings of such professional certifications that prepare for the data analyst role are numerous, and that of Cegefos Numérique Académie is of high quality.

How to choose your data analyst training?

Criteria to consider

It's perfectly normal to be a bit lost in the multitude of data analysis training offerings. To make the right choice, we therefore invite you to pay particular attention to the following:

• What are the prerequisites and access criteria for the training? Some are paid, others require a competitive exam… It's up to you to see what suits you.
• How long does the training last? You need to think about the level of mastery you want to reach and, accordingly, the number of hours required.
• What level of recognition and prestige are you looking for? The trainings offered are indeed more or less well known, depending on the organization delivering them. Also find out about the type of degree or certification you obtain at the end of the training.

Practical tips

To guide you in your choice and find the right training, here are some practical tips to apply:

• Draw up a list of skills you want to acquire. You can then sort trainings by these keywords.
• Find out about the practical aspects of the training, the necessary equipment, the possibility or not of doing an apprenticeship or internship, etc.
• Check whether the training is eligible for any funding aid, presented later in this article.

How to fund your training?

Company aid

If you're an employee, different funding sources are possible:

OPCOs

Skills Operators (OPCOs) are organizations whose purpose is to facilitate professional training. If your company belongs to an OPCO, notably OPCO Atlas specialized in IT and digital, you can establish a skills development plan and access funding aid. To learn more and apply, we invite you to talk with your manager.

FNE-Formation (via OPCO)

The National Employment Fund (FNE) also offers training funding aid to companies placed in partial activity or in difficulty. To access it, the company must approach its OPCO and submit a request. You'll find more information on this in our article on training funding.

External aid

If you're not an employee, you can also obtain aid to fund your training:

The AIF

Individual training aid (AIF) is a scheme set up by Pôle Emploi, which lets you unlock funds to finance a training consistent with your career project.

The regional council

If you're unemployed, the regional council also offers training aid. The access conditions vary and depend on your situation — they're specified on your regional council's website.

The CPF

The personal training account (CPF) is a balance created for you when you enter the job market. These funds are dedicated to funding recognized trainings, so you can use it to pay all or part of becoming a data analyst.

Conclusion

You probably noticed reading this article: the training offerings to become a data analyst are as numerous as they are varied. It can therefore be very complicated to find your way and choose between schools, online trainings, universities, certifications, etc.

The good news is that there are trainings for every level and every budget ! To identify the one that suits you, don't hesitate to look into the offerings that interested you, as well as the financial aid you might be entitled to.

Finally, whatever the data analytics training you take, you're making the right choice by joining a sector that's hiring and offers great career prospects.

Are you a technical profile and want to discover new opportunities for your career? Don't miss our latest job offers.

Looking to hire a Data Analyst for your company? In that case, we can help. Bluecoders specializes in tech recruiting. Contact us.