Data science is one of the hottest and highest-paying skills today. You too can cop this hot skill by taking the free online data science courses discussed in this post. Since they are free, you can go ahead and take as many as you can to expand your knowledge and improve your skills.
Data is the bedrock of innovation, but its value comes from the information data scientists can glean from it, and then act upon. With data science, data trends and insights are revealed and produced for businesses to make better decisions and create more innovative products and services.
The free online data science courses compiled in this list are for individuals who are already data scientists but want to upgrade their skills, for people seeking a new career path and considering changing to data science, and for those who are interested in becoming data scientists.
If you are a high school graduate aspiring to pursue a degree in data science at a university or college, this post presents an opportunity for you to test the waters. By taking one or more free online data science courses you will gain basic knowledge of the field and easily progress through your classes.
For those in the financial and analytical field who are seeking promotions in their workplace, taking this course will set you up for promotion and expand into other professions such as machine learning engineer, data architect, senior data scientist, applications architect, data engineer, infrastructure architect, statistician, and business intelligence developer.
Working in any of these professions can fetch you an average salary ranging from approximately $70,000 to $151,000 per year.
What is Data Science?
Data Science is a field that encompasses scientific methods, processes, algorithms, and systems and applies them to noisy, unstructured, and structured data to extract knowledge, insight, and useful information which can then be used to make decisions in an organization.
Data science can be applied to all kinds of fields including business and healthcare to make decisions that will meet the demand of both future and present consumers. Its application in various fields helps in the identification and prevention of diseases, detection of frauds, optimizing shipping and logistics routes in real-time, automation of digital ads, healthcare recommendations, etc.
What is the job of Data Scientists?
Data scientists are equipped with vast technical skills and knowledge such as data visualization, data wrangling, programming, machine learning, deep learning, mathematics, etc. which allows them to examine which questions need answering and where to find the related data.
As a data scientist, you will possess business acumen and analytic skills as well as the ability to prepare, clean, aggregate, manipulate, mine, and present data to perform advanced data analysis. Anyone willing to become a data scientist can opt for it and the free online data science courses listed here will serve as a stepping stone for you.
Benefits of Free Online Data Science Courses
The benefits of free online data science courses are:
- The courses are flexible, that is, they are designed to fit into your busy schedule and enjoy time with family, and friends, and do other responsibilities.
- The courses are self-paced, that is, you can complete them on your own time.
- They are faster to complete
- You can join from any part of the world with a PC, tablet, or PC with a stable internet connection
- You will be learning from industry experts and professors from top universities
- Learning is convenient, you can engage in online courses from the comfort of your home
How Can I Learn Data Science Online for Free?
You can learn data science online for free through online learning websites like Coursera, Khan Academy, edX, and Udemy. The courses are taught through these online platforms by universities and other institutes for data science.
Requirements to Take Data Science Courses Online
The requirements to take data science courses online depend on the institution offering them. A beginner course may not require you to have prior knowledge but an advanced course may require you to have some prior knowledge.
However, before taking any data science course online having some computer science skills can help you understand better and easily comprehend what you are being taught. If you aren’t computer literate, that’s fine too, this article on free online computer science courses can help you get started and get equipped with computer knowledge in a few months.
Free Online Data Science Courses for Students
Compiled in this section are the list, details, and application links to the free online courses that students, professionals, and any other persons interested in data science can take.
- Diploma in Information Systems and Organization Strategy
- Introduction to Data Science
- IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate
- Applied Data Science with Python Specialization
- Data Analysis Essentials
- Data Visualization and Building Dashboards with Excel and Cognos
- High-Dimensional Data Analysis
- Data Analytics – Mining and Analysis of Big Data
- R Programming for Data Science
- Diploma in Machine Learning with R Studio
- Data Science Math Skills
- Introduction to Business Analysis Using Spreadsheets: Basics
- SQL for Data Science
1. Diploma in Information Systems and Organization Strategy
This is one of the free online data science courses offered by Saylor Academy on Alison. The course is for data scientists, analysts, and statisticians who are looking to expand their knowledge and improve their skills.
The course discusses the relationship between information systems and organizational strategy and further explores the role of information systems in keeping data safe, relevant, and flowing between relevant stakeholders. It is a self-paced program that requires a total time commitment of 10-15 hours.
2. Introduction to Data Science
This is one of the free online data science courses designed for beginners. If you are looking to pursue data science in a higher institution, taking this course will help you test the waters. If you want to change careers and considering going into data science, taking this course will help you know if data science is for you.
You will learn the basics of data science, data models, machine learning, and related terminologies to prepare you for a career in data science.
3. IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate
As a data scientist or data analyst, it is important that you keep updating your skillset and expanding your knowledge in the field, this will help you go places and bring more opportunities for you. This online course will set you on the path to becoming a professional data analyst. It is offered by IBM and takes 11 months to complete.
Interested persons with no degree or prior experience are also welcome to take the course. But you need to have basic computer literacy, knowledge of high school math, and be comfortable with numbers to take the course. Completing the course, you will gain skills in Microsoft Excel, Python programming, data analysis, SQL, and DataViz.
4. Applied Data Science with Python Specialization
One of the key skills of a data scientist is programming, and Python is one of the programming languages. Enrolling in this course will teach you how to apply Python to data science to help you gain new insights into your data and acquire analytical skills.
This is one of the free online data science courses that data scientists should take to expand their knowledge database and become professionals. The course is offered on Coursera by the University of Michigan and takes 5 months to complete. You can enroll at any time of the year.
5. Data Analysis Essentials
The course, Data Analysis Essentials, is one of the free online data science courses offered by Imperial College London on edX. In this course, students will explore the fundamentals of collection, presenting, describing, and making inferences from sets of data, and this is basically what data science is all about.
You can join this course if you are a beginner or looking to learn a new set of skills or freshen up your data science knowledge. Completing the course, you will learn to model for decision-making, data-based decision-making, and presenting and summarize your data. It takes 6 weeks to complete the course with a time commitment of 4-6 hours per week.
6. Data Visualization and Building Dashboards with Excel and Cognos
In this course, data scientists and data analysts can be able to upskill themselves and expand their knowledge. Joining this online course will equip you with the fundamental knowledge required to use excel and IBM Cognos Analytics to create data visualizations and to create dashboards.
It is one of the free online data science courses offered by IBM and when you conclude the program you will earn a badge as proof of your newly-found skills. You can put up this badge on your LinkedIn profile to attract clients. In 4 weeks with a time commitment of 2-3 hours per week, you can complete this course and earn your badge.
7. High-Dimensional Data Analysis
Harvard University in collaboration with edX is offering one of the best free online data science courses to data scientists and data analysts who are looking to gain more skills. The online course focuses on various techniques that are widely used in the analysis of high-dimensional data.
At the end of the course you must have been skilled in topics such as mathematical distance, dimension reduction, factor analysis, clustering, basic machine learning concepts, dealing with batch effect, and so much more that will take your career to the roof. The course is free to start but you can upgrade which will come with costs and unlock a certificate for you.
8. Data Analytics – Mining and Analysis of Big Data
Mining and analysis are one of the processes involved in data science and this course equips students with various mining and clustering techniques to be able to analyze big data. You will also learn how to create clustering data models which in turn can help you make more informed decisions.
Data analytics who take up this course will gain more insight into big data and extracting information that businesses and any other organization can use to improve their decision-making. It is also one of the free online data science courses offered by Alison and when you complete it, you get a certificate of completion to show clients proof of your skill.
9. R Programming for Data Science
I mentioned earlier that programming is one of the key skills in data science. You need to have in-depth programming skills to become a professional data scientist. Enrolling in this course will set you up on that path as you will learn the basics of R programming and how to apply it in your career as a data scientist.
The more programming skill you have as a data scientist, the more opportunities will come knocking on your door. Follow the link below to join this course and be one step away from being a professional in no time.
10. Diploma in Machine Learning with R Studio
Machine learning is also one of the key skills that data scientists need in their careers. This is one of the free online data science courses offered by Start-Tech Academy on Alison and explores basic and advanced machine learning models such as Linear & Logistic regression, SVM, Decision trees, etc.
With your newly-found skill, you can apply it in developing predictive machine learning models to solve business problems and create a business strategy. This is one of the free online data science courses that you should consider taking to bring your career to the next level.
11. Data Science Math Skills
Duke University is collaborating with Coursera to bring this free online data science course to data scientists, data science students, and others who are interested in pursuing a career in data science. The course teaches basic math you will need to be successful in almost any data science math course.
Math is one of the key knowledge you must possess as a data scientist, enrolling in this course will equip you with all the maths used in data science and help you succeed easily in your career. It takes 13 hours to complete the course, and you can complete it at your own pace. At the end of the course, you will gain skills in Bayes’ theorem, Bayesian probability, probability, and probability theory.
12. Introduction to Business Analysis Using Spreadsheets: Basics
This is one of the free online data science courses offered by Coursera Project Network. It takes only 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete and is beginner-friendly. The course teaches how to apply the basics of google sheets and mathematical functions, how to clean data, visualize quantities and categorize data, and showcase what you’ve learned here in an interview.
At the end of the course, you will gain skills in mathematics, data analysis, data visualization, spreadsheet, and business analysis.
13. SQL for Data Science
On our final list of free online data science courses is SQL for Data Science, offered by the University of California, Davis on Coursera. SQL is the standard language for communicating with database systems which is a necessary skill to possess as a data scientist. With this skill, you can be able to retrieve and work with data and provide productive results that will enhance decision-making in an organization.
This is a beginner-level course designed to gradually build your career in data science and set you on the path to an expert level. It takes only 14 hours to complete the course, you can learn and complete it on your own time.
This wraps up the free online data science courses and I hope they have been helpful. Through these courses, you can be able to advance your career without spending much, although the quality things are learned from the paid courses and you get to earn a certificate at the end of the program.
Recommendations
- 10 Top Universities in Canada for Computer Science
. - 13 Top Universities for MS in Computer Science in the World
. - 13 Best Colleges in California for Computer Science
. - The Best Places to Study Abroad for Computer Science Students
. - 10 Best Computer Science Universities in Europe
. - 13 Best Computer Engineering Schools in the World.