Introduction to Python and the Coursera Platform
While there are many online platforms for learning Python programming from scratch, Coursera is one of the most popular and respected for beginners. The best thing about Coursera is that it gives you access to courses taught by elite universities like the University of Michigan and Rice University, one of the top 20 universities in the US.
The platform also offers top Python certifications from world-renowned companies like IBM and Google , as well as prestigious universities like the University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University . That’s why many people turn to Coursera to learn Python and other Computer Science and Software Engineering skills.
As an IT professional for over 10 years, I can tell you that Coursera’s trust level is extremely high , which is why when you put Coursera certifications on your resume and LinkedIn, recruiters take notice. The courses are detailed and well-structured, which gives you the confidence and knowledge you need to justify those certifications.
For all these reasons, more and more people are choosing Coursera for their online learning journey. Many organizations are also selecting Coursera as a learning partner, which means you can access many of Coursera’s top certifications for free if your organization partners with them.
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Why Python?
Let’s talk a little bit about Python, because if you’re here, you’re probably interested not only in Coursera, but mainly in Python. In a nutshell, it’s probably the most accessible and dominant programming language you can learn.
Unlike JavaScript, which is focused on web development, learning Python opens up a lot of doors. You can not only build web applications using Django and Flask, but also do a lot of automation using different Python libraries, and become a data scientist and machine learning expert using Pandas, TensorFlow, and PyTorch.
In short, Python has a huge scope , and everyone should learn Python. Now is the best time to learn Python on Coursera because they are offering 30% off on Coursera Plus subscription, which gives you access to over 10,000 courses, certifications, specializations, and projects from Coursera. It normally costs around $399, but you can get it for $199 for a year.
12 Best Python Courses and Certifications on Coursera
Now that we’ve covered both Python and Coursera, it’s time to dive into the courses and certifications that Coursera offers for aspiring programmers who want to learn Python. While there are many great Python courses on Coursera, I’ve included only the best of the best that are trusted by many of my friends, colleagues, and recommended to me.
You don’t have to take all of these courses at once; you’ll be better served by opting for a Coursera Specialization like the “Python for Everybody Specialization ,” which bundles courses related to a hands-on project to teach a skill, rather than just syntax and semantics.
Anyway, without further ado, here is my list of the best Coursera courses for Python and Computer Science:
1. Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python)
This is the most popular and one of the best Python courses on Coursera . This is evident from the fact that over 975,145 students have already enrolled in it. It is offered by the University of Michigan, one of the most prestigious academic institutions not only in the US but in the world.
The average University of Michigan degree costs around $15,000, but you can access this course for FREE thanks to Coursera. If you want to earn a certificate, you’ll need to pay for the Specialization, which costs around $39 per month.
As the name suggests, this course aims to teach everyone the basics of computer programming using Python . It will show you the basics of how to build a program from a series of simple Python instructions, which makes it very useful for absolute beginners.
The course has no prerequisites and avoids all but the simplest mathematics. Anyone with moderate computer experience should be able to master the material in this course. This course will cover Chapters 1-5 of the book “Python for Everybody.”
This course covers Python 3, the most popular version of Python, and provides a good launching pad for more advanced Python courses such as web scraping using Python, database access, and data analysis in Python.
Access the course on the Coursera platform and start learning Python today!
2. Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate
If you want to learn a programming language that is used in almost any industry, I recommend learning Python. This programming language is used in data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. This course, Google IT Automation with Python is highly recommended to start learning Python .
This professional certificate will help you learn the Python language and how to use it to automate your daily tasks , which can be very useful in some situations. You will also discover the power and capabilities of this language.
You’ll start with a crash course on learning the Python language, then use it to interact with your operating system. Then, you’ll learn how to use Git & GitHub and some debugging techniques. Finally, you’ll learn how to use Python automation with the cloud and real-world tasks.
Click here to enroll in this Google certification on Coursera and transform your IT career!
3. Python Data Structures [Gratuito]
A good understanding of Data Structures is essential for programmers of all levels , and is especially crucial for bootcamp developers and people without a Computer Science degree. This course will introduce you to the fundamental data structures of the Python programming language. It has taught data structures to over 326,270 students.
You’ll go beyond the basics of procedural programming and explore how we can use Python’s built-in data structures, such as lists, dictionaries, and tuples, to perform increasingly complex data analysis.
This course will cover Chapters 6-10 of the Python for Everybody book, and is also part of the Python for Everybody specialization. You can also access this course for FREE if you don’t need a certificate and just want to improve your Data Structures and Algorithms skills with Python.
Improve your data structures skills with this free course on Coursera!
4. Using Python to Access Web Data [Gratuito]
This is another course in the Python for Everybody specialization and one of the most important. This course will show you how you can treat the Internet as a major data source .
You will learn how to scrape, parse, and read data from the web, as well as access data using web APIs and work with HTML, XML, and JSON data formats in Python. This course will cover Chapters 11-13 of the book “Python for Everybody”.
To get the most out of this course, you should be familiar with the material covered in Chapters 1-10 of the textbook and the first two courses in this Specialization. Over 253,796 students have already benefited from this course, and like other Coursera courses, it is free to audit.
Learn how to scrape web data with Python in this hands-on course!
5. Using Databases with Python and SQL
This is the fourth course in the Python for Everybody Specialization on Coursera, and it will teach you the fundamentals of Structured Query Language (SQL) as well as basic database design for storing data as part of a multi-step data collection, analysis, and processing effort.
This course uses SQLite3 as its database, and you will build web crawlers and multi-step data collection and visualization processes that access this database. You will also encounter the D3.js library for doing basic data visualization.
This course will cover Chapters 14-15 of the book “Python for Everybody.” To be successful in this course, you should be familiar with the material covered in Chapters 1-13 of the book and the first three courses in this Specialization.
Over 288,647 Python programmers have already enrolled in this course, and it’s free to learn if you don’t need a certificate.
Master Python and databases with this complete course on Coursera!
6. Capstone: Retrieving, Processing, and Visualizing Data with Python
If you recall, every Coursera specialization has a hands-on project, and you need to complete the project to earn the associated certification. This course is the project for the “Python for Everybody” specialization, the most popular Coursera specialization for Python.
In this final project, you will build a series of applications to retrieve, process, and visualize data using Python . The projects will involve all elements of the Specialization. In the first part of the final project, you will do some visualizations to familiarize yourself with the technologies in use, and then move on to your own project to visualize other data you have or may encounter.
Over 60,084 Python developers have taken this course, and if you’re looking for a Python project to build practical skills, this is the one to take. After completing this project and other related courses, you’ll also receive a certificate of completion that you can display on your LinkedIn profile.
Apply your Python skills to a real project and earn your certificate!
7. Python Functions, Files, and Dictionaries
This is another great course on Coursera to learn Python in depth. It introduces the dictionary data structure and user-defined functions .
You’ll also learn about local and global variables, optional and keyword parameter passing, named functions and lambda expressions, Python’s sorted function, and how to control the order in which it sorts by passing another function as input.
This course is part of the Python 3 Programming Specialization, another top-rated Python specialization on Coursera, and you will complete a sentiment analysis project in this Specialization.
You will also read simulated social media data from a file, calculate sentiment scores, and write .csv files. It covers chapters 10-16 of the book “Fundamentals of Python Programming,” which is the (optional and free) companion text for this course.
Deepen your Python knowledge with this advanced course!
8. Python Project: pillow, tesseract, and OpenCV
This is another Python project that I found very interesting and useful. This project is part of the Python 3 Programming Specialization and is suitable for a portfolio.
As part of this project, you will learn third-party APIs and be shown how to manipulate images using the Python imaging library (pillow) , how to apply optical character recognition to images to recognize text (tesseract and py-tesseract), and how to identify faces in images using the popular OpenCV library.
By the end of the course, you will have worked with three different libraries available for Python 3 to create a real-world data analysis project.
This course is best suited for students who have taken the first four courses in the Python 3 Programming Specialization. Students who already have Python programming skills but want to practice with a hands-on, real-world data analysis project can also benefit from this course.
Create impressive projects for your portfolio with this Python course!
9. Introduction to Data Science in Python
One of the biggest reasons to learn Python is to pursue a career in Data Science, but traditional Python courses won’t teach you from that perspective, and that’s where this course shines. It’s specifically designed for learning Data Science using Python , and over 310,335 enrolled students attest to that fact.
This course will introduce the student to the fundamentals of the Python programming environment, including fundamental Python programming techniques such as lambdas, reading and manipulating CSV files, and the NumPy library.
It will also introduce data manipulation and cleaning techniques using the popular Python data science library pandas and introduce the Series and DataFrame abstraction as the core data structures for data analysis, along with tutorials on how to use functions like groupby, merge, and pivot tables effectively.
By the end of this course, students will be able to take tabular data, clean it, manipulate it, and perform basic inferential statistical analysis. This course is also part of the Applied Data Science with Python Specialization.
Kickstart your Data Science career with this foundational course!
10. Python for Data Science and AI
This is another course focused on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence using Python. It is an introductory course and will kickstart your learning of Python for data science as well as programming in general.
This beginner-friendly course will take you from zero to programming in Python in a matter of hours. It’s offered by IBM, one of the oldest and most respected software companies in the world.
This course can be applied to multiple Specializations or Professional Certificate Programs. Completion of this course will count toward your learning in any of the following programs:
- IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
- IBM Applied AI Professional Certificate
- Applied Data Science Specialization
Start your journey into Data Science and AI with this course from IBM!
11. Introduction to Scripting in Python Specialization
I started learning Python for scripting and automating tedious tasks. I was choosing between Perl and Python, and Python was the clear winner due to its popularity and opportunities. If you want to learn Python Scripting, then this is one of the best Coursera Specializations for Python programmers.
This Specialization is also designed for beginners who would like to master essential programming skills . It contains four courses covering key Python 3 programming concepts that will prepare you to use Python to perform everyday scripting tasks.
This scripting knowledge will also provide a solid foundation for a career in data science, software engineering, or other disciplines that involve programming, and you’ll also earn a certificate to display on your resume.
Learn Python scripting with this complete specialization!
12. Crash Course on Python by Google
The Crash Course on Python is a core component of the Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate program, taught by Google experts. With a focus on simplicity and accessibility, this course is suitable for beginners with no prior programming experience.
Participants will dive into the fundamentals of Python programming , gaining an understanding of its relevance to automation in IT roles. During the 32-hour course, students will explore fundamental Python syntax, understand basic data structures such as strings, lists, and dictionaries, and develop skills in object-oriented programming (OOP).
The curriculum emphasizes hands-on experience, allowing students to write small Python scripts for automated actions and create their own Python objects.
By the end of the course, participants will not only understand the building blocks of programming, but will also possess the ability to solve complex programming problems.
A 4.8 rating from over 35,000 reviews attests to the course’s effectiveness, and the shareable Google Career Certificate adds a valuable credential to learners’ profiles.
The course is a stepping stone for those interested in support and operations, providing a solid foundation in Python programming for IT automation.
Take this crash course in Python offered by Google and transform your career!
Conclusion
That’s it! These are the best Coursera courses and certifications for Python. I’ve included courses that not only cover the basics of Python but also use Python for web scraping, scripting, database access, and more. I’ve also included a course on Data Structures with Python to build your Computer Science foundation and a hands-on Python project that you can do to gain real-world work experience.
You can choose whatever courses you want or join a Coursera Specialization like the Python for Everybody Specialization, which will not only force you to learn in a structured way but also award you with a certificate to showcase your Python skills.
If you are a beginner and want to learn Python to get a job or a raise, I suggest you join a Coursera Specialization and get a certificate. It helps a lot.
