What is a career learning path?

A career learning path is a set of curated courses that together comprise a learning plan for achieving the skills necessary to land a specific role, and launch and advance a specific career.

How do you choose the courses for each career learning path?

We work with experts in a given career field to understand the skills needed, and with our own career and content teams to ensure we're recommending the right courses to help learners achieve their career goals and learn the right skills.

How long does it take to complete a career learning path?

Time to completion varies based on your schedule and experience level, but based on the experience of other learners, you can expect to complete all the courses in a learning path in about 6-8 months.

Do I need to take these courses in a particular order?

We suggest following courses in the order recommended in the path especially if you’re just getting started in the field. Depending on how much experience you may already possess, you can potentially start with more advanced content. The paths are flexible, however, so you should feel free to adapt a suggested path to suit your particular goals.

Can I subscribe to a career learning path?

If you are interested in taking multiple courses in a career learning path, we recommend Coursera Plus, a subscription plan that provides unlimited access to over 3000+ courses. Visit the Coursera Plus page to make sure the courses you plan to take are included, and to learn more about how you can save money on your learning with a subscription model.

Will I earn a certificate or credit for completing a career learning path?

You will earn shareable Certificates for each course, Guided Project, Specialization, or Professional Certificate that you complete as a part of a career learning path. You do not earn a separate certificate for the career path itself. If you are interested in earning credit that can count toward a degree program, we encourage you to explore a MasterTrack™ Certificate or degree program offering on Coursera.

What happens if the career that I am interested in does not have an associated career learning path?

We’re working hard to develop more career learning paths based on the needs of learners on Coursera and we’d love to get your feedback. Please fill out this brief survey to suggest a career learning path you’d like to see offered.

Data Science Career Learning Path

Data Science Math Skills by Duke University

Data Science Math SkillsFoundational Learning

Course

4.512,168 Ratings

This course introduces the core math that data science is built upon, introducing unfamiliar ideas and math symbols one-at-a-time.

Inferential Statistics by Duke University

Inferential StatisticsFoundational Learning

Course

4.82,709 Ratings

This course covers commonly used statistical inference methods for numerical and categorical data.

IBM Data Analyst

Professional Certificate (8 Courses)

4.720,823 Ratings

Unlock your potential in data analytics. Build job-ready skills for an in-demand career as a data analyst. No degree or prior experience required.

Machine Learning Pipelines with Azure ML Studio

Guided Project

4.6777 Ratings

Learn how to use the Adult Income Census data set to train a model to predict an individual's income.

Python for Everybody by University of Michigan

Python for EverybodyFoundational Learning

Specialization (5 Courses)

4.8213,972 Ratings

This Specialization introduces fundamental programming concepts including data structures, networked application program interfaces, and databases, using the Python programming language.

Data ScienceFoundational Learning

Specialization (10 Courses)

4.538,748 Ratings

Learn to ask the right questions, manipulate data sets, and create visualizations to communicate results.

IBM Data Science

Professional Certificate (9 Courses)

4.676,438 Ratings

Data science is one of the hottest professions of the decade, and the demand for data scientists who can analyze data and communicate results to inform data driven decisions has never been greater. This Professional Certificate from IBM will help anyone interested in pursuing a career in data science or machine learning develop career-relevant skills and experience. It’s a myth that to become a data scientist you need a Ph.D. Anyone with a passion for learning can take this Professional Certificate – no prior knowledge of computer science or programming languages required – and develop the skills, tools, and portfolio to have a competitive edge in the job market as an entry level data scientist. The program consists of 9 online courses that will provide you with the latest job-ready tools and skills, including open source tools and libraries, Python, databases, SQL, data visualization, data analysis, statistical analysis, predictive modeling, and machine learning algorithms. You’ll learn data science through hands-on practice in the IBM Cloud using real data science tools and real-world data sets. Upon successfully completing these courses, you will have built a portfolio of data science projects to provide you with the confidence to plunge into an exciting profession in data science. In addition to earning a Professional Certificate from Coursera, you'll also receive a digital badge from IBM recognizing your proficiency in data science.

Deep Learning

Specialization (5 Courses)

4.9134,940 Ratings

Learn the foundations of Deep Learning, understand how to build neural networks, and learn how to lead successful machine learning projects.

Stories from the Coursera Community

"I was in a Physics Phd program and realized that I no longer wanted to pursue a career in Physics but rather one in Data Science. I had never had formal training in computer science, machine learning, or statistics, so I knew that I would have to acquire these skills to successfully make the transition. I took several classes on Coursera, which I thoroughly enjoyed, while still in grad school. Taking these classes and comparing them to their equivalents on campus led me to drop out of grad school and become a data scientist. I wouldn't have my job without you guys! Coursera provided me with the jumpstart I needed to leave my grad program and pursue a new career in a field I love."

Stories from the Coursera Community

"I went from no programming experience, with an undegraduate degree in foreign languages and literature, to a data engineer within 1.5 years of intense self study. When I started on this self-teaching road, there were many online resources to choose from but I stopped at Coursera because unlike other platforms, it offers a complete experience: lectures, readings, tutorials, and real-life projects for hands-on practice. I like that courses cover introductory, intermediate, and advanced material, so that the learning continues whatever stage I’m at. It’s also important to know that I’m being taught by experts in the field who have the knowledge and training to be teaching in these subjects.

I listed all my certificates on LinkedIn and the projects that I completed in my Coursera courses on Github. Recruiters reached out to me and many of these conversations turned into interviews. My course certificates conveyed that I’m a persistent and dedicated learner. While not all my interviews resulted in a job offer, they gave me the opportunity to better understand my weaknesses and knowledge gaps. I jumped right back into online courses to address those needs and fill in those gaps. I am happy that Coursera offered me the chance to gain knowledge in a lot of new topics that are in demand and prove that I have the skills needed for the job!"

Stories from the Coursera Community

When I started the IBM Data Science Professional Certificate, I was a manager in food service. I knew I wanted to break into analytics and felt like courses on Coursera were the perfect way to start. After completing IBM Data Science Professional Certificate program in less than a month, I’m thrilled to say that I’ve gotten many internship interviews which led to some incredible opportunities. In fact, I recently completed an internship in analytics at a non-profit, and am currently working as a data science intern at an industrial sales company. The IBM Data Science Professional Certificate helped fast track my technical skills and professional development, allowing me to completely transition into analytics.

Stories from the Coursera Community

Online Degrees

Transform your resume with a Master's degree

Explore top-quality degrees that you can complete at your pace from a world-class university. Many degrees have courses or Specializations you can start today. After you are accepted to the program, the material you complete will count toward your degree coursework.

Frequently Asked Questions

You will earn shareable Certificates for each course, Guided Project, Specialization, or Professional Certificate that you complete as a part of a career learning path. You do not earn a separate certificate for the career path itself. If you are interested in earning credit that can count toward a degree program, we encourage you to explore a MasterTrack™ Certificate or degree program offering on Coursera.‎

Career Learning Paths

Data Science

Data Analyst

Entry level

Key Skills to Learn

Data Scientist

Entry level

Key Skills to Learn

Data Scientist

Senior Level

Key Skills to Learn

Stories from the Coursera Community

Stories from the Coursera Community

Stories from the Coursera Community

Stories from the Coursera Community

Stories from the Coursera Community

Stories from the Coursera Community

Stories from the Coursera Community

Stories from the Coursera Community

Stories from the Coursera Community

Stories from the Coursera Community

Stories from the Coursera Community

Stories from the Coursera Community

Stories from the Coursera Community

Stories from the Coursera Community

Online Degrees

Transform your resume with a Master's degree

Master of Applied Data Science

Master of Science in Data Science

Master of Science in Machine Learning and Data Science

Master of Computer Science

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a career learning path?‎

How do you choose the courses for each career learning path?‎

How long does it take to complete a career learning path?‎

Do I need to take these courses in a particular order?‎

Can I subscribe to a career learning path?‎

Will I earn a certificate or credit for completing a career learning path?‎

What happens if the career that I am interested in does not have an associated career learning path?‎