10 Best Data Science Online Courses for Beginners | 2024

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, Data Science has emerged as one of the most sought-after Technical fields. As businesses strive to leverage the power of data to gain valuable insights and make informed decisions, the demand for skilled data scientists is skyrocketing.

Data Science is an unusual field where the alchemy of raw data transforms into gold mines of insights. These powerful data are the answers to many questions that the tech world has in store. Whether you’re a beginner looking to break into this lucrative field or an experienced professional seeking to upskill, pursuing a data science course can be the key to unlocking new career opportunities.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the best data science online courses in 2024 that will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to fly high in this rapidly growing field. So, Are you ready to embrace the power of data and kickstart a career in this revolutionary field that’s transforming the world? Read till the end to find which starter course suits you the best. Keep Reading!

Why Data Science Courses are Essential?

Data science has become an essential component of modern businesses across various industries. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be an estimated 11.5 million jobs in analytics and data science by 2026.

Learning a data science course can provide you with the necessary skills and knowledge to capitalize on this growing demand. Whether you’re interested in landing a job as a data scientist or want to enhance your existing skill set, these courses offer a comprehensive curriculum that covers everything from the basics of data science to advanced machine learning techniques.

Choosing the Right Data Science Course

With abundant data science courses available on the internet, choosing the right one for your needs can be overwhelming. To evaluate your choice of course, consider the following list of factors.

Accreditation and Reputation

Opt for courses offered by reputable online learning platforms that have a proven track record of delivering high-quality education and recognition.

Curriculum and Topics Covered

Review the course curriculum to ensure that it covers the essential concepts and foundational topics in data science, including statistics, machine learning, data visualization, and programming languages such as Python and R. Ensure the beginner-friendliness of the content preview before signing up.

Practical Exercises and Projects

Look for courses that provide hands-on experience through practical exercises and real-world projects. This will allow you to apply the concepts you learn in a practical setting and build a portfolio to showcase your competencies in related skills.

Instructor Expertise

Choose courses taught by instructors with relevant industry experience and expertise in data science. Their practical knowledge and insights will enhance your learning experience.

Student Reviews and Testimonials

Read learner reviews and testimonials to get a sense of the overall learning experience and the course’s effectiveness in helping students achieve their goals.

The Top Data Science Online Courses in 2024

Let’s explore the top data science courses that can help you kickstart or advance your career in this exciting Data science field.

1. GUVI: Data Science Zen class

GUVI’s Data Science Zen class program is an expert-led and flexible online course that helps you become a Data Scientist with IIT Certification in Advanced Programming. It is an integrated course directed by GUVI – an IIT-Madras incubated company and instructed by the Data Science industry’s best Technical Experts.

The most impressive feature of this course is that you can learn this course in languages like Tamil, English, and Hindi. This course also offers placement assistance and IIT certification after the course completion. By joining this course, you’ll get access to GUVI’s practice platforms like Webkata, Codekata, and GUVI IIDE to practice and get insights into practical learning.

From this course, you’ll learn the latest data science tools like Tableau, Power BI, Machine learning, Data Visualization, Python, NLP, NumPy, Pandas, MongoDB, and more.

This course is a win-win as it offers flexible online classes and unlimited lifetime access to the course content. You can build a GitHub portfolio and attract job offers after completing this course by successfully attempting real-world technical projects like Sentiment Analysis, Gender and age detection, COVID-19 data visualization, oil price prediction, and more from the course.

This is an interactive course that has a vibrant community of learners and experts. You can also get benefitted from one-on-one and ask-me-anything sessions with experts from this course. The duration of this course is 3 months (weekday classes) to 5 months (weekend classes).

2. Udemy: The Data Science Course: Complete Data Science Bootcamp

Udemy offers a comprehensive data science course designed for beginners. This course starts with an in-depth introduction to data science and covers essential components such as statistics, math, and data visualization. You’ll also delve into topics based on machine learning and deep learning. This is a 30-hour paid course that comes with a certificate of completion.

The course includes a section on programming with Python, where you’ll learn how to apply Python for linear regression, logistic regression, cluster analysis, and k-means clustering. You’ll also gain hands-on experience with popular data science libraries like Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib, Seaborn, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, and Tableau.

One of the highlights of this course is the inclusion of real-life case studies, enabling you to practice applying the concepts you’ve learned to solve practical business problems. This Data Science course by Udemy has no prerequisites. Additionally, this program provides a vibrant community of students and an active Q&A support forum where you can interact with fellow learners and get your questions answered.

3. Coursera: Data Science Specialization

If you prefer a more structured and comprehensive program, you can opt for the Data Science Specialization on Coursera. This is a free Data Science online course that comes with certification. It is curated by instructors from John Hopkins University, Jeff Leek, Roger D. Peng, and Brian Caffo. This program consists of 10 self-paced courses that could be learned in 7 months.

The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, starting with data science fundamentals to more advanced concepts such as statistical inference, regression models, and machine learning. You’ll also learn how to use R and GitHub for managing data science projects, extracting data from various sources, and organizing data for analysis.

One of the standout features of this specialization is its capstone project, where you’ll apply your practical knowledge and skills to build a data product using real-world datasets. The course also provides graded quizzes and assignments with feedback from peers and instructors, helping you gauge your progress and receive valuable insights.

The Prerequisites of this course are a stable internet connection and a basic understanding of Programming.

4. StackSocial: The A to Z Data Science & Machine Learning Bundle

If you prefer a more flexible and customizable learning experience, the A to Z Data Science & Machine Learning Bundle on StackSocial is worth considering. This bundle consists of seven separate courses that let you curate your own data science learning journey based on your interests and goals. This course is a paid, certified program with 55.5 hours long content.

The bundle covers a wide range of topics, including Python fundamentals, data cleaning, and processing, data visualization, applied probability and statistics, and deep learning with Keras. Each course is designed to provide hands-on experience with practical exercises and real-world applications.

One of the unique features of this bundle is the course on applied probability and statistics, which uses a code-oriented approach with Python and NumPy to teach essential concepts like random values, spread, central tendency, regression, and more.

Additionally, the course on deep learning with Keras provides a comprehensive introduction to neural networks and their applications. This course is more suitable for beginners with no programming or data science experience. But it doesn’t consist of any evaluation modules or quizzes to help learners understand their competency.

5. Coursera: Data Science Fundamentals with Python/SQL

The Data Science Fundamentals course on Coursera is designed to equip you with the skills needed to tackle advanced data science projects. Taught by senior data scientists, Aije Egwaikhide, Svetlana Levitan, Romeo Kienzler, Joseph Santarcangelo, Azim Hirjani, Murtaza Haider, Rav Ahuja, and Hima Vasudevan from IBM.

This course is divided into five mini-courses that cover various aspects of data science. There are no prerequisites for this 48-hrs, free course that comes with a certificate.

In the first mini-course, you’ll gain a working knowledge of data science tools such as Jupyter Notebooks, R Studio, and Watson Studio. The second mini-course focuses on using Python for data science, covering topics like data structures, calling APIs, and working with libraries like Pandas and NumPy.

The third mini-course is a data science project where you’ll analyze a real-world dataset and identify patterns and trends. The fourth and fifth mini-courses cover statistical analysis techniques and SQL for data science, respectively. You’ll learn about hypothesis testing, descriptive statistics, probability distribution, regressions, and data visualization.

6. edX: Harvard Professional Certificate in Data Science

“The Professional Certificate in Data Science” is another comprehensive Data Science course offered by Harvard University on edX is an excellent choice. This program covers a wide range of topics, starting from the basics of R programming to advanced data science concepts. This program is instructed by Rafael Irizarry, Professor of Biostatistics, at Harvard University.

Throughout the free program, you’ll learn about data visualization, Bayesian statistics, probability, data wrangling, linear regression, inference, predictive modeling, and more. You’ll also gain practical experience using tools like Tidyverse, ggplot2, Unix/Linux, RStudio, Git, and GitHub.

This program gives you the opportunity to build a data product as part of a capstone project. You’ll be awarded a certificate of course completion and also have access to a vibrant community of students worldwide, allowing you to network and learn from your peers. Additionally, the program provides ongoing support even after you complete the course, helping you build your confidence and further refine your skills.

7. Udacity: Data Science Nanodegree Program

The Data Science Nanodegree program offered by Udacity provides a hands-on approach to learning data science. This program covers topics such as natural language processing(NLP), data pipelines, data transformation, machine learning, and deep learning.

Throughout the program, you can work on various projects, including a recommendation engine, a disaster response pipeline, and a final capstone project of your choice. Additionally, you’ll develop software engineering skills essential for data scientists, such as creating unit tests, code reviews, and using classes.

The program is taught by experienced data engineers, Josh Bernhard, Juno Lee, Luis Serrano, Andrew Paster, Mike Yi, David Drummond, and Judit Lantos from top tech companies like Google and Netflix.

You’ll also have access to career services, including GitHub portfolio review and LinkedIn profile optimization, to help you land a data science job and prepare for interviews. This data science online course by Udacity is a 4-month long paid course that comes with a recognized certificate upon your course completion.

8. DataCamp: Introduction to Data Science in Python

If you’re looking for a short and short-term course to get a taste of data science, the Introduction to Data Science in Python course on DataCamp is an excellent choice. It is thought by the instructor, Hillary Green-Lerman who is a Lead Data Scientist at Looker. With just 4 hours of content, this course provides a quick introduction to data science using Python. So, the course is absolutely beginner-friendly.

The course covers the basics of Python programming, data loading, data manipulation with Pandas, and data visualization with Matplotlib. It is designed to be beginner-friendly and includes numerous colorful images and illustrations to aid visual learners.

While this course does not provide an in-depth exploration angle of data science topics, it serves as a great starting point for individuals curious about the field. It also provides a solid foundation for further learning in data science.

9. Udemy: Data Science A-Z: Hands-On Exercises and ChatGPT Bonus

The Data Science A-Z course on Udemy is a comprehensive program created by Kirill Eremenko, a data science expert with extensive industry experience. This course covers a wide range of data science topics, starting from data visualization to machine learning.

The course starts with an introduction to data science and progresses to more advanced topics such as data preprocessing, regression analysis, clustering, and natural language processing. It also provides hands-on exercises and real-life case studies to help you apply the concepts you’ve learned. It is a 21-hour, paid course with course completion certification.

The notable feature of this course is the inclusion of data science assignments with solutions, allowing you to practice your skills and receive feedback. It is suitable for both beginners and advanced learners, making it a versatile choice for individuals at different stages of their data science journey.

10. Educative: Grokking Data Science

If you prefer an interactive and hands-on learning experience, the Grokking Data Science course on Educative is an excellent choice. This course is designed to provide a practical understanding of data science concepts through interactive code snippets and real-world examples.

The course covers a wide range of topics, including data cleaning, data preprocessing, exploratory data analysis, feature engineering, model selection, and evaluation. It also provides exercises and quizzes to reinforce your learning and ensure a solid understanding of the material.

Grokking Data Science online course is suitable for beginners as it covers the fundamental concepts necessary to become a proficient data scientist. The course provides a unique learning experience, allowing you to actively engage with the course material and apply your practical knowledge in real-world scenarios.

Closing Thoughts

Data science is a rapidly growing field with infinite career opportunities. The courses mentioned in this guide will offer comprehensive learning experiences, hands-on exercises, and real-world projects to help you gain industry-level experience and build a strong foundational knowledge in data science.

As you embark on your data science journey, consider your learning style, goals, industry exposure, and budget when selecting the right course for you. Whether you choose a comprehensive program or a shorter course to get a taste of data science, investing in your education and acquiring the skills needed in this data-driven world can open doors to exciting career opportunities.

Remember, data science is a constantly evolving field, and staying updated with the latest trends is the key to staying ahead. So, choose a course that not only provides a strong foundation but also keeps you up to date with the latest trends and advancements in data science. Happy Learning!

FAQs

1. Is data science still in demand in 2024?

Absolutely! Data science is definitely still in high demand in 2024, and it shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, the demand for data scientists has been steadily increasing over the years since the pandemic, and this trend is expected to continue well into the future. Data science has become a crucial component of many industries and sectors, including technology, finance, healthcare, marketing, and more. Companies of all sizes are recognizing the value of data-driven decision-making and are actively seeking professionals who can turn raw data into actionable insights. One of the main reasons why data science is in such high demand is because of the immense amount of data being generated on a daily basis.

2. Why learn the Data science online course?

Learning Data Science online course equips you with powerful and latest Data science tools, real-life case studies, and industry insights to thrive in today’s fast-paced, data-driven work environment. It opens up career opportunities in the world of Data science.

3. Why choose GUVI’s Zen Class for learning the Data Science course?

GUVI’s Zen Class- Data Science Bootcamp is a certified online program that offers IIT certification for advanced programming along with placement assistance. This course is instructed by top industrial experts and it is available in Tamil, English, and Hindi.

4. What are the benefits of earning a Data Science course certification?

Earning a Data Science course certification helps showcase your expertise and competency in job interviews. It enhances your credibility, establishes your proficiency, and offers an edge in today’s competitive job market.  

5. How long does it take to learn the Data science course?

The time it takes to learn Data Science will depend on your commitment, dedication, and interest in the topics. In general, you can learn the Data Science course in 3 to 5 months.