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Browse our upcoming live online classes. Download your brochure to learn more.
Secure your place by paying in full or availing of our payment plan. For Part-time, on demand and on campus courses, pay in three equal interest-free instalments. For full-time Bootcamps enrol with a 50% deposit and the rest at the course start date. T&C's apply.
Why UCD Professional Academy?
- Valuable, trusted certification
- Industry expert lecturers
- Flexible learning options
Advanced Excel Course Modules
On this practical and applicable course, you won’t simply learn about Excel features but learn how to use those features in your day-to-day tasks. You will solve real business problems using Microsoft Excel, enhancing your data analysis skills, and preparing yourself for future growth as these types of features continue to develop in the future. Collaborating with your fellow students, you will gain proficiency in data cleaning and conversion, develop your knowledge of Excel formulas, and learn to create interactive dashboards and meaningful data visualisation using the world’s most popular spreadsheet software.
1. Understanding Excel Data Types
Learn how Excel stores data and the importance of selecting the right data type for your project.
- Practical aspects of Excel data types
- Common data type errors
2. Efficient Navigation, Data Entry & Data Manipulation
Master techniques for efficient navigation and data entry. Discover how to manipulate data using techniques such as sorting, filtering, and cell referencing.
- Efficient navigation
- Data entry techniques
- Data manipulation
- Using named ranges and fill handle
3. Data Conversion & Cleaning
Learn different ways to import, clean, and fix data from different sources using simple formulas.
- Data cleaning and conversion techniques
- Handling errors, duplicates, and non-uniform data
- Flash fill
- Text-to-columns functionality
4. How Formulas Work
Take a deeper look at how formulas work and when to use them, including an overview of available formulas and typical applications for them.
- Understanding formulas
- Solving real-world challenges
5. Solving Real-World Problems With Formulas
Discover how formulas can help to solve everyday problems in settings such as sales, human resources, and accounting.
- Using formulas effectively
- Advanced techniques
- Array formulas for data analysis
6. Efficient Data Search
Explore various approaches to searching for data and making Excel identify key values within large datasets through search operations.
- Data search best practices
- Find, replace, advanced filtering, and wildcards
- Highlighting using conditional formatting
- Lookup and conditional calculation functions
7. Workshop 1: Solving Real-World Problems
In this session, you will be able to bring your own real-world Excel problem and collaborate with your peers to find the best solution for it. The focus here is on daily work challenges rather than Excel features.
- Collaboratively addressing real-world challenges
- Implementing and validating Excel solutions
8. Stamping Out Errors: Data Validation & Automation
Learn how to ensure you are using spreadsheets effectively by applying data validation, error checking, formulas, and other tactics. Bring in time-saving automations for certain tasks.
- Data validation and error checking
- Automation with macros
- Handling errors in formulas
- Circular references
9. Building A Simple Interactive Dashboard
Discover what dashboards can do for your business function. Create a simple interactive dashboard (step-by-step build) to obtain instant insights from your data.
- Fundamentals and purpose of dashboards
- Basic data aggregation with pivot tables
- Creating interactive elements with basic slicers
- Incorporating charts
- Best practices in dashboard design
10. Improving Dashboards & Adding Graphics
Learn to build more advanced dashboards, combining them with charts and exploring best practices when creating graphics.
- Multi-dimensional analysis with pivot tables
- Enhancing interactive elements with advanced slicers and timelines
- Advanced charts and graphics for data visualisation
- Exploring dynamic dashboards and form controls
11. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) With Excel
Understand how artificial Intelligence (AI) in Excel can help you take your spreadsheets to the next level. Solve a range of business pain points, from finding answers to making your spreadsheets smarter.
- An introduction to AI in Excel
- Leveraging AI for problem solving
12. Workshop 2: Enhancing Real-World Scenarios
In this final session, you’ll be asked to bring further real-world challenges and collaboratively build solutions with your peers that include formulas, advanced dashboards, charts, and AI.
- Collaboratively resolve real-world Excel challenges
- Incorporate all the features learned
- Review of best practices in Excel
Access to thousands of journals, articles and papers. Free of charge.
Students taking part in this course will now have access to the EBSCO Online Library, free of charge, for the full duration of the course. Here you can browse thousands of relevant journals, articles and other reliable academic and commercial texts like the Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg Businessweek and Forbes Magazine, to supplement your learning and assignments.
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Talk to our expertsFrequently Asked Questions
Is this course right for me?
This course will give any interested professional an intuitive understanding of the key capabilities of Microsoft Excel. Cohorts include people from a diverse range of industries and professional contexts and the course structure is designed to develop a community of practice. The focus is on promoting an application-based skillset, so you will look at how the features in Excel help to solve real-world business problems. Unlike a comprehensive Excel curriculum, where you learn a long list of functions to satisfy the requirements of an exam, this course gives you relevant, transferable Excel skills you can use immediately in your professional role.
How will this course help with my career?
Microsoft Excel is a universal tool for data management and analysis, meaning the skills learned on this course will be pertinent in any industry or sector. Practical problem-solving Excel skills will make you more efficient and effective in any role that involves dealing with data. The ability to analyse and visualise data is a highly valued skill in today's data-driven business environment, but plenty of professionals have only a self-taught understanding of the computing power within Excel. Mastering its more complex features could enable you to, for example, map marketing outcomes against expenditures in order to improve return on investment or create superior financial models in order to improve forecasting and financial management.
What is the online learning experience like?
Our online experience is designed to be just as interactive, supportive, and inspiring as the UCD Professional Academy campus experience.
Online courses can be accessed from any computer or laptop with an internet connection.
Live lectures are delivered using Zoom. During these lectures, your teachers will use technology interactively to ensure an engaging learning experience. When appropriate, students will be encouraged to activate their microphones so that they can ask questions and communicate with other students.
What is the student experience like?
Student care is a high priority at UCD Professional Academy, which is why our Student Services team is on hand to support you throughout your time with us. They will respond to any queries you have, help you with any technical issues, and facilitate your learning experience at every point. All students are given access to our Student Portal, where you can see your timetable, access all your study materials, and manage your account.
How is this course assessed?
This course is assessed through a set of short exercises completed each week, plus a final project comprising a brief written essay that describes a problem or challenge you have faced and an Excel file demonstrating a set of defined outcomes derived from the data presented (some sample scenarios are also provided for those students who cannot provide a dataset of their own).
What are the benefits of a Professional Academy Diploma?
UCD Professional Academy Diplomas and Certificates are designed to give your career an advantage. Developed in conjunction with industry thought leaders our courses teach practical, applied skills to support you to achieve your career and business goals. Professional Academy Diplomas are suitable for career minded learners wishing to advance their professional skills and prospects rather than their academic credentials.
The Professional Academy is an independent wholly owned part of UCD designed to address the need for skills development in the workforce. Courses tend to be short, designed and delivered by industry practitioners, and are not part of nor do they lead to a traditional University award such as a degree or a masters. They are widely accepted by employers and many students are sponsored to study by their organisation.
For full details of UCD Professional Academy’s Certification & Governance please visit https://www.ucd.ie/professionalacademy/governance/
What payment options are available?
You can secure your spot on most of our Live Online, On-Campus, or On-Demand courses with a low 30% deposit. The remaining balance can be paid in two equal instalments (30 and 60 days later).
For full-time Bootcamp courses, you can secure your spot with a 50% deposit, with the remaining balance due prior to the start of your course.
Please note that standard terms and conditions apply, which you can review here: https://www.ucd.ie/professionalacademy/terms-and-conditions/