Top 8 free Computer Science courses from the world’s best universities
Online Courses are still on a high! Today we’d like to present to you the top 8 Computer Science Courses from the world’s best universities (all of the courses are free unless you want the certificate for showing purposes)
1. CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python
A course by Harvard University
CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python explores the concepts and algorithms at the foundation of modern artificial intelligence, diving into the ideas that give rise to technologies like game-playing engines, handwriting recognition, and machine translation. Through hands-on projects, students gain exposure to the theory behind graph search algorithms, classification, optimization, reinforcement learning, and other topics in artificial intelligence and machine learning as they incorporate them into their own Python programs. By course’s end, students emerge with experience in libraries for machine learning as well as knowledge of artificial intelligence principles that enable them to design intelligent systems of their own.
DURATION 7 weeks long
TIME COMMITMENT 10–30 hours per week
DIFFICULTY Introductory
PLATFORM edX
2. Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management
A course by University of Virginia
In this course, you will learn project planning techniques, principles and execution methods to create projects that can be run more effectively and efficiently.
DURATION 4 weeks long
TIME COMMITMENT 2 hours per week
DIFFICULTY Introductory
PLATFORM FutureLearn
3. CS50’s Web Programming with Python and JavaScript
A course by Harvard University
Topics include database design, scalability, security, and user experience. Through hands-on projects, you’ll learn to write and use APIs, create interactive UIs, and leverage cloud services like GitHub and Heroku. By course’s end, you’ll emerge with knowledge and experience in principles, languages, and tools that empower you to design and deploy applications on the Internet.
DURATION 12 weeks long
TIME COMMITMENT 6–9 hours per week
DIFFICULTY Intermediate
PLATFORM edX
4. Machine Learning
A course by Stanford University
In this class, you will learn about the most effective machine learning techniques, and gain practice implementing them and getting them to work for yourself. More importantly, you’ll learn about not only the theoretical underpinnings of learning, but also gain the practical know-how needed to quickly and powerfully apply these techniques to new problems. Finally, you’ll learn about some of Silicon Valley’s best practices in innovation as it pertains to machine learning and AI.
DURATION 12 weeks long
TIME COMMITMENT 6–9 hours per week
DIFFICULTY Intermediate
PLATFORM edX
5. Information Security: Context and Introduction
A course by University of London
In this course you will explore information security through some introductory material and gain an appreciation of the scope and context around the subject. This includes a brief introduction to cryptography, security management and network and computer security that allows you to begin the journey into the study of information security and develop your appreciation of some key information security concepts.
TIME COMMITMENT around 24 hours
DIFFICULTY Introductory
PLATFORM coursera
6. Process Mining: Data Science in Action
A course by Eindhoven University of technology
The course explains the key analysis techniques in process mining. Participants will learn various process discovery algorithms. These can be used to automatically learn process models from raw event data. Various other process analysis techniques that use event data will be presented. Moreover, the course will provide easy-to-use software, real-life data sets, and practical skills to directly apply the theory in a variety of application domains.
TIME COMMITMENT around 22 hours
DIFFICULTY Intermediate
PLATFORM coursera
7. Blockchain
A course by State University of New York
The specialization covers a range of essential topics, from the cryptographic underpinnings of blockchain technology to enabling decentralized applications on a private Ethereum blockchain platform.
DURATION 4 weeks long
TIME COMMITMENT 4 hours per week
DIFFICULTY Intermediate
PLATFORM coursera
8. Python Programming: A Concise Introduction
A course by Weslean University
The goal of the course is to introduce students to Python Version 3.x programming using hands on instruction. It will show how to install Python and use the Spyder IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for writing and debugging programs. The approach will be to present an example followed by a small exercise where the learner tries something similar to solidify a concept. At the end of each module there will be an exercise where the student is required to write simple programs and submit them for grading. It is intended for students with little or no programming background, although students with such a background should be able to move forward at their preferred pace.
DURATION 4 weeks long
TIME COMMITMENT 4–5 hours per week
DIFFICULTY Introductory
PLATFORM coursera
