CAP Academic Pathway Program

Empowering Students, Assuring Employers, and Aligning Academic Excellence with Industry Standards

The CAP Academic Pathway Program is a collaborative initiative that integrates a university’s academic degree program with an industry-recognized certification pathway. This program has evolved from a simple “bundled” offering into a flexible, modular framework that empowers universities to align their curricula with the INFORMS Analytics Framework™, the gold standard for analytics competencies, and awards students a certificate credential signaling both personal achievement and program quality.

The CAP Academic Pathway provides distinct advantages for students, academic institutions and employers:

For Students For Academic Institutions For Employers
Credential + badges Curriculum benchmarking/alignment with industry standards Alignment with industry standards
Ethics & Problem Framing training Additional industry-relevant content Confidence in graduate skills
CAP certification pathway Competitive advantage Ready-to-hire talent

Explore the INFORMS Analytics Framework

A Pathway Aligned with the Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) Ladder

The CAP Academic Pathway doesn’t stop at the academic credential – it serves as the launchpad for ongoing professional certification. INFORMS has introduced three levels of CAP certification to support analytics professionals at different career stages: CAP-Essentials (CAP-E), CAP-Pro (CAP-P), and CAP-Expert (CAP-X).

CAP-Essentials
CAP-Essentials (Entry-Level):

The CAP-Essentials exam focuses on the basics across all seven domains of the INFORMS ANALYTICS FRAMEWORK™. Graduates of the Academic Pathway are ideally suited to pursue CAP-Essentials certification, building on the knowledge and ethics they’ve already demonstrated. In fact, Academic Pathway certificants (who earned the credential without an exam) are encouraged to take the CAP-E exam, which is tailored “for those with less analytics experience., building on the knowledge and ethics they’ve already demonstrated. In fact, Academic Pathway certificants (who earned the credential without an exam) are encouraged to take the CAP-E exam, which is tailored “for those with less analytics experience.

CAP-Pro
CAP-Pro (Mid-Tier):

Aimed at experienced practitioners ready to manage and lead analytics projects, CAP-Pro certifies one’s ability to not only do analysis but to drive business value through analytics initiatives.

CAP-Expert
CAP-Expert (Advanced):

This is the elite certification for accomplished analytics professionals. It represents proficiency in advanced analytics practice and leadership. While Academic Pathway grads won’t immediately qualify for CAP-Expert, they have a clear roadmap for continued professional development.

How the CAP Academic Pathway ties in.

The Pathway formally introduces students to the CAP certification ladder. Program graduates can matriculate into CAP-E, CAP-P or CAP-X as their next step. In other words, by the time you finish your degree and the CAP Academic requirements, you will have a head start on earning a professional certification that will further boost your credibility. This creates a seamless bridge from academia to ongoing professional development in analytics.

Becoming a CAP Academic Pathway Partner

The INFORMS CAP Academic Pathway empowers universities to deliver industry-aligned analytics education through two flexible options. The Pathway equips students with the Academic CAP Certificate Credential, ethics and problem-framing training, and access to the Analytics Body of Knowledge — providing a trusted foundation that signals readiness to employers. For programs seeking a full certification experience, Pathway Premium adds comprehensive exam preparation, on-campus CAP exam delivery, and detailed performance feedback, creating a turnkey, end-to-end pathway that elevates student outcomes and showcases program quality.

CAP Academic Certificate Credential + Digital Badge:

What: A professional credential awarded by INFORMS upon successful completion of the program, indicating that the student has met all pathway requirements.

Why: This is the hallmark of the program – the Academic CAP credential – which verifies the individual’s capabilities and the program’s alignment with industry standards. Students receive a digital badge they can display to signal this achievement to employers.

Foundations of Data Ethics Course + Badge:

What: An online, asynchronous course on data ethics, built around INFORMS’ ethical guidelines. Students must complete this course, which comes with its own digital badge upon passing. 

Why: Ethics is a critical component of analytics practice. This course ensures every student in the pathway pledges to and understands the highest ethical standards in analytics, a trait highly valued by employers.

Business Problem Framing Course + Badge:

What: A 60–90 minute asynchronous course focusing on CAP Domain I – how to ask the right questions, align stakeholders, and frame business problems for analytics. 

Why: Many graduate programs emphasize technical skills; this module fills a gap by teaching critical problem-framing skills. It’s required for the Academic CAP credential because even without on-the-job experience, students need to grasp how to initiate an analytics project correctly. Completion awards a badge signaling proficiency in this foundational domain.

Analytics Body of Knowledge (ABOK) Access:

What: Digital institutional access to the INFORMS Analytics Body of Knowledge, a comprehensive reference covering essential analytics concepts and best practices. 

Why: This resource supports both faculty and students, ensuring the curriculum and learning are aligned with a recognized compendium of analytics knowledge. It helps students review and solidify concepts across the seven domains.

Offering Included in Base? Description
Academic CAP Credential (digital badge) Yes Credential awarded upon program completion, reflecting program alignment with INFORMS ANALYTICS FRAMEWORK™ and student’s achievement.
Foundations of Data Ethics (course + badge) Yes 100% online ethics course based on INFORMS guidelines; instills ethical standards in analytics practice.
Business Problem Framing (course + badge) Yes Short course on CAP Domain 1 skills; teaches how to properly define and scope analytics problems
Analytics Body of Knowledge (ABOK) access Yes Institutional access to INFORMS’ Analytics Body of Knowledge reference library for faculty & students.
CAP Certification Exam (on-campus) Optional Administration of a CAP exam (e.g., CAP-Essentials) on your campus for students, at a chosen date; offers students a convenient path to earn CAP certification.
CAP Prep Courses/Workshops Optional Additional training modules or bootcamps to prepare students for taking CAP certification exams (beyond what their degree covers).
INFORMS Student Membership Optional One-year membership in INFORMS professional society; includes networking, resources, and career services for students.

Digital Badges. By completing the base Pathway, a student will earn three digital badges (Academic CAP, Data Ethics, and Business Problem Framing) — verifiable micro-credentials that can be shared on LinkedIn or a resume. These badges provide immediate evidence to employers of specific competencies and commitments (like ethical training), supplementing the student’s degree.

In addition to the base components, programs are encouraged to explore a variety of optional offerings to further enrich the pathway experience and outcomes for their students. These optional components can be mixed and matched according to the institution’s goals:

  • CAP Certification Exam (On-Campus Administration): What: The option to host the official CAP exam (e.g., CAP-Essentials exam) on campus for your students. INFORMS will coordinate a testing session exclusively for your program’s students, at a date and time of your choosing. Why: This facilitates students taking the next step to earn a professional CAP certification (with an exam) conveniently. It can dramatically increase the rate at which graduates actually become CAP-E certified. For the school, it’s a value-add service and a chance to measure program effectiveness (with aggregate score feedback). (This is often part of the “Pathway 360” package; see below.)
  • CAP Prep Courses and Materials: What: Specialized CAP preparation courses or workshops for students, designed to help them study for CAP certification exams (like CAP-E or CAP-P). These could be online modules or bootcamps offered by INFORMS. Why: To boost students’ success on certification exams and reinforce their learning. This is a great complement if the program wants a high pass rate for students who choose to sit for the CAP exam soon after graduation.

All these options are modular. A university might choose to add the CAP exam and a prep course if their aim is to have students graduate not only with the Academic CAP credential but also as fully Certified Analytics Professionals (CAP-Essentials). Another program might skip the exam offering but include INFORMS membership to encourage professional networking. This flexibility ensures each institution can craft a Pathway experience that fits their needs, while still adhering to the core standards.

Pathway Premium

For institutions seeking a full “capstone” certification experience, INFORMS offers a Pathway Premium package. This is essentially a bundle of optional enhancements that gives a 360-degree view of student and program outcomes. With Pathway Premium, a school would implement:

  • The Academic Pathway (Academic CAP credential + Ethics + Business Problem Framing + ABOK) – plus,
  • An asynchronous CAP prep course for all students and instructors (to ensure everyone is ready for the certification exam),
  • On-campus CAP exam delivery for students (e.g., scheduling a CAP-Essentials exam at the end of the program), and
  • Post-exam feedback data from INFORMS to help program administrators assess how well their students performed on each of the seven Domains which may help identify any curriculum gaps.

In other words, Pathway Premium moves the program beyond just granting the Academic CAP credential – it actually guides students through preparing for and taking a CAP exam, and then closes the loop by giving the school outcome data. This can validate the curriculum’s effectiveness and provide an internal benchmark for continuous improvement. Schools like the U.S. Coast Guard Academy have integrated the CAP exam into a capstone-like class as a model for this approach. Pathway Premium is not mandatory but is encouraged for programs that want to strongly push certification and proof of competency as part of their academic experience and help their students stand out in the competitive job market.

Ensuring Curriculum Alignment and Quality ✅

To participate in the CAP Academic Pathway, an academic program must demonstrate that its curriculum aligns with the competencies defined by the INFORMS Analytics Framework. INFORMS supports this with a Program Alignment Tool and clear guidelines:

  • Program Self-Assessment: INFORMS provides a tool for mapping your courses and learning outcomes to the seven CAP domains. This self-assessment helps identify any gaps (for example, maybe a program needs to bolster content in the Deployment or Methodology domain).
  • INFORMS Analytics Framework & Exam Blueprints. INFORMS shares the CAP exam blueprints for CAP-E, CAP-P, and CAP-X with partner schools. These blueprints detail the specific tasks and knowledge areas expected at each level. Academic directors can use them to ensure their courses cover relevant topics at the appropriate depth. It also helps in advising students on what their “next step” (CAP level) might be after graduation.

By enforcing alignment, INFORMS maintains the integrity of the Academic CAP credential – it is not merely handed out; it’s earned by virtue of completing a program that meets an external standard. Being a CAP Academic Pathway Partner and displaying the Pathway Partner badge shows the program is aligned with the industry standard.