Specializations were first introduced by MOOC Platform, Coursera, in January 2014 aiming to allow students to develop "mastery in a specific subject" through a series of related courses that often end with a capstone project. With only a handful of such learning programs available at the start, Coursera now offers over 160 Specializations in a variety of subject areas, but primarily focused on Computer Science, Data Science, and Business.
Let's take a look at 5 of Coursera's Top Specializations*
Deep Learning
By deeplearning.ai
Starts September 12th
There was a lot of excitement following the announcement of this new course being the work of Coursera's co-founder, Andrew Ng whose initial course Machine Learning was instrumental in the making of Coursera back in 2011.
The new Deep Learning Specialization was developed by deeplearning.ai, Andrew Ng's new venture which "strives for providing comprehensive AI education beyond borders". The Specialization is made up of five courses covering Neural Networks, Structuring Machine Learning Projects, Convolutional Neural Networks & Sequence Models.
Using Python and TensorFlow (which are taught), learners work on case studies from healthcare, autonomous driving, sign language reading, music generation, and natural language processing, mastering not only the theory, but also its application in industry. In addition, students gain from input from many top leaders in Deep Learning who also provide career advice.
According to Andrew Ng, Deep Learning is one of the most highly sought after skills in tech, and this course will help you break into AI. Learn more ...
Digital Marketing
By the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Starts September 20th
The Digital Marketing Certificate was the top coveted certificate on Coursera in 2015 based on the rates of course completers posting their Certificates to LinkedIn. The same year, INC Magazine rated the first course, Marketing in a Digital World, as one of "The 10 Hottest Online Classes for Professionals in 2015." In addition, this course was ranked in the top five courses across multiple MOOC providers by MOOC directory, ClassCentral. And to top it all off the Digital Marketing Specialization made it to the top 10 specializations in terms of enrollments in 2016.
Created by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, this Specialization covers topics such as digital marketing analytics, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and 3D Printing, giving learners a richer understanding of the foundations of the new digital marketing landscape. In addition, students gain a set of stories, concepts, and tools giving them the skills to digitally create, distribute, promote and price products and services. Learn more ...
Financial Reporting
By the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Starts September 25th
The Financial Reporting Specialization focuses on the role of financial accounting principles and processes in creating and reporting an organization’s financial statements. Learners who complete this specialization will be able to (1) use financial accounting principles to create and/or process an organization’s financial statements and (2) analyze financial statements to assess an organization’s financial position.
The 5-course program includes multiple projects and practice activities, including analyses of statements and cases, which will be peer-reviewed. In addition, the specialization includes one capstone course, which is comprised of a full case analysis of an actual company’s financial statements. Learn more ...
Python for Everybody
By The University of Michigan
Started August 28th
Python for Everybody is one of Coursera's most popular Specializations covering the latest version of Python (3). The first course of the 5-course series, Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python), featured in ClassCentral's Top 50 MOOCs of All Time based on user reviews.
This Specialization introduces fundamental programming concepts including data structures, networked application program interfaces, and databases, using the Python programming language. The program culminates in a Capstone Project where learners use the technologies learned throughout the Specialization to design and create their own applications for data retrieval, processing, and visualization. Learn more ...
Full Stack Web and Multiplatform Mobile App Development
By The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Started September 4th
This newly updated Specialization teaches front-end and hybrid mobile development, with server-side support, for implementing a multi-platform solution. Through 5 courses, students learn to master front-end frameworks (Bootstrap 4 and Angular) and also learn to create hybrid mobile applications, using the Ionic framework, Cordova and NativeScript. On the server side, you’ll learn to implement NoSQL databases using MongoDB, work within a Node.jsenvironment and Express framework, and communicate to the client side through a RESTful API. Learners enrolling in this Specialization are expected to have prior working knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
The Specialization offers hands-on exercises, culminating in development of a full-fledged application at the end of each course. Each course also includes a mini-Capstone Project as part of the Honors Track where you’ll apply your skills to build a fully functional project. Learn more ...
*Based on information obtained from Coursera | Online Courses From Top Universities. Join for Free
Let's take a look at 5 of Coursera's Top Specializations*
Deep Learning
By deeplearning.ai
Starts September 12th
There was a lot of excitement following the announcement of this new course being the work of Coursera's co-founder, Andrew Ng whose initial course Machine Learning was instrumental in the making of Coursera back in 2011.
The new Deep Learning Specialization was developed by deeplearning.ai, Andrew Ng's new venture which "strives for providing comprehensive AI education beyond borders". The Specialization is made up of five courses covering Neural Networks, Structuring Machine Learning Projects, Convolutional Neural Networks & Sequence Models.
Using Python and TensorFlow (which are taught), learners work on case studies from healthcare, autonomous driving, sign language reading, music generation, and natural language processing, mastering not only the theory, but also its application in industry. In addition, students gain from input from many top leaders in Deep Learning who also provide career advice.
According to Andrew Ng, Deep Learning is one of the most highly sought after skills in tech, and this course will help you break into AI. Learn more ...
Digital Marketing
By the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Starts September 20th
The Digital Marketing Certificate was the top coveted certificate on Coursera in 2015 based on the rates of course completers posting their Certificates to LinkedIn. The same year, INC Magazine rated the first course, Marketing in a Digital World, as one of "The 10 Hottest Online Classes for Professionals in 2015." In addition, this course was ranked in the top five courses across multiple MOOC providers by MOOC directory, ClassCentral. And to top it all off the Digital Marketing Specialization made it to the top 10 specializations in terms of enrollments in 2016.
Created by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, this Specialization covers topics such as digital marketing analytics, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and 3D Printing, giving learners a richer understanding of the foundations of the new digital marketing landscape. In addition, students gain a set of stories, concepts, and tools giving them the skills to digitally create, distribute, promote and price products and services. Learn more ...
Financial Reporting
By the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Starts September 25th
The Financial Reporting Specialization focuses on the role of financial accounting principles and processes in creating and reporting an organization’s financial statements. Learners who complete this specialization will be able to (1) use financial accounting principles to create and/or process an organization’s financial statements and (2) analyze financial statements to assess an organization’s financial position.
The 5-course program includes multiple projects and practice activities, including analyses of statements and cases, which will be peer-reviewed. In addition, the specialization includes one capstone course, which is comprised of a full case analysis of an actual company’s financial statements. Learn more ...
Python for Everybody
By The University of Michigan
Started August 28th
Python for Everybody is one of Coursera's most popular Specializations covering the latest version of Python (3). The first course of the 5-course series, Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python), featured in ClassCentral's Top 50 MOOCs of All Time based on user reviews.
This Specialization introduces fundamental programming concepts including data structures, networked application program interfaces, and databases, using the Python programming language. The program culminates in a Capstone Project where learners use the technologies learned throughout the Specialization to design and create their own applications for data retrieval, processing, and visualization. Learn more ...
Full Stack Web and Multiplatform Mobile App Development
By The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Started September 4th
This newly updated Specialization teaches front-end and hybrid mobile development, with server-side support, for implementing a multi-platform solution. Through 5 courses, students learn to master front-end frameworks (Bootstrap 4 and Angular) and also learn to create hybrid mobile applications, using the Ionic framework, Cordova and NativeScript. On the server side, you’ll learn to implement NoSQL databases using MongoDB, work within a Node.jsenvironment and Express framework, and communicate to the client side through a RESTful API. Learners enrolling in this Specialization are expected to have prior working knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
The Specialization offers hands-on exercises, culminating in development of a full-fledged application at the end of each course. Each course also includes a mini-Capstone Project as part of the Honors Track where you’ll apply your skills to build a fully functional project. Learn more ...
*Based on information obtained from Coursera | Online Courses From Top Universities. Join for Free
