7 Free Data Science Courses for Beginners: Discover Best Certificates

Dear Readers! Have you ever wondered how Google predicts your searches? Or YouTube making recommendations for what you might be looking for? This is the power of data science courses. It is the new oil, which is empowering next-generation systems. This may also be why more people are enrolling in data science courses. According to Education Times (2023), the data science education market would reach 378.7 billion dollars by 2030.

In India alone, it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 56.73% by 2027. Thus, building your career in this field is one of the ideal choices for the upcoming years. With this blog, we shall provide you with the best free data science courses for beginners. Explore these courses to know their duration, skills offered, benefits, and more. Also, you would learn about the best data science career options as you scroll down. So, let’s get started.

What is Data Science? A Brisk Overview

Data science is an interdisciplinary approach, combining maths and computer science. It involves using statistics and computational methods with computer programming to extract insightful information. It is an integral field of AI-driven technologies and devices. Data science uses methods to analyse, process, and visualise data. It discovers hidden patterns and creates information content for various purposes. AI devices leverage this information to make accurate predictions.

Also Read: Online MBA in Data Science: A to Z Guide

7 Free Data Science Courses for Beginners: Your Road to a Brighter Career

Many esteemed platforms nowadays offer free data science courses for beginners. These courses often cover foundational concepts. Serve as an overview guide or demo classes that help you understand a specific field’s difficulties, challenges, and strengths. Congratulations, you are eligible to build a data science career if you can cope with these foundational courses. Here we have listed the best 7 data science free courses for beginners. Let’s explore:

1. Introduction to Data Science by Great Learning

Great Learning offers you this foundational course in data science. It is specially designed for beginners with no background in data science. Beginning from the overview of data science, you would move on to the lifecycle of data and distribution. Big data and database models like SQL and NoSQL will be covered at the end of the course.

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  Duration: 1.5 Hours
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  Benefits: Short-duration and self-paced learning
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  Minimum Eligibility: Anyone with a relevant interest
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  Certification: Free learning / paid certification

2. Data Science for Beginners by Udemy

Think of this course as your Google Map to navigate your data science career. It introduces you to data science, its roles, industries, and career growth opportunities.Excel for business analytics, fundamentals of SQL, and MySQL framework are covered thoroughly. As one of the best data science free courses, it offers you a deep dive into databases and spreadsheets.

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  Duration: 1 Hour 57 Minutes
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  Benefits: Self-paced learning and in-depth knowledge
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  Minimum Eligibility: No prerequisites
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  Certification: Free learning / certification for paid courses only

3. Python for Data Science by Great Learning

If coding was a language, Python would be the easiest one to transfer your thoughts. This is simply another one of the best free data science courses by Great Learning. Python andR are primary languages for data science. You could choose either of them. However, Python is a more beginner-friendly language. Thus, enrolling in this course to kickstart your career in data science would be a great approach. The course covers data science, its architecture, components, introduction to Python, etc.

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  Duration: 3 Hours
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  Benefits: Self-paced learning and quizzes to solve
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  Minimum Eligibility: Anyone with relevant interest
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  Certification: Free learning / paid certificate

4. Introduction to Data Science Specialisation by Coursera

Ever wondered what getting cricket tips from Sachin Tendulkar would feel like? The same as receiving tech mentorship from IBM. Coursera offers you this data science specialisation in collaboration with IBM. This is why it is among the best free data science courses. The specialisation contains 4 separate courses. You could enroll in any of them accordingly. Upon completion, you would gain data analysis, machine learning, and Python programming skills. Additionally, enrolling in each course of the specialisation makes you eligible for a certificate per course.

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  Duration: 1 Month (varies in hours by courses)
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  Benefits: Self-paced learning, extendable deadlines, learning from renowned IBM mentors.
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  Minimum Eligibility: Any new beginner or individuals with relevant interest.
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  Certification: Free learning; free certificate (depending on your choice)

Did You Know?

5. Data Science by Alison

It is Alison’s one of the best free data science courses for beginners. Introduces you to the fundamentals of machine learning and data science. Furthermore, the course contains 3 modules. One focuses on data science concepts and workflow. The second module emphasises machine learning and its algorithms. Meanwhile, the last module contains a detailed assessment for you to test your learning.

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  Duration: 4-5 Average Hours
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  Benefits: Self-paced learning, CPD-accredited course.
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  Minimum Eligibility: Anyone with an interest in a data science career.
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  Certification: Free learning / paid certificates.

6. IBM: R Programming Basics for Data Science by edX

EdX offers this free data science course in collaboration with IBM. It introduces you to R programming and its fundamentals. Learn how R is used for data science practices. It also emphasises hands-on experience. Thus, you would learn to work on R language frameworks such as RStudio—Jupyter Notebooks and Watson Studio, which you would use for your final project work.

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  Duration: 5 Weeks
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  Benefits: Self-paced learning, studying from an IBM instructor.
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  Minimum Eligibility: Anyone seeking an introduction to data science.
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  Certification: Free learning/certification for paid courses.

7. Introduction to Data Science using Python (Module 1/3) by Udemy

Still unsure which course to take?

According to Udemy, 9,37,195 students have been enrolled in this course by now. It contains a total of 12 lectures, in which machine learning, data science, and Python programming are covered. It also introduces you to machine learning algorithms. Thus, as a beginner, if you are unsure whether data science is for you, this course would provide you with a detailed overview.

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  Duration: 2 Hours 32 Minutes
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  Benefits: Free and self-paced learning.
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  Minimum Eligibility: Anyone with a relevant interest in data science.
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  Certification: Free learning/certification for paid courses.

Top 7 Data Science Job Roles and Salary Prospects

Data science is an enormous field. Having expertise in this domain also opens your pathways to careers in machine learning and AI. Here are the top job roles you could consider when seeking a career in data science. Also, find the data science salary for various roles. Take a look: 

Source: AmbitionBox

Top 10 Data Science Recruiters

The demand for data science is high in different companies worldwide. Employers are actively seeking candidates with expertise in machine learning and data science skills. Here are the top recruiters that you can consider for entry-level to advanced roles:

Signing Off

Data science is an emerging field with a strong career scope in the future. Building a foundation in this field could be your next step towards a promising and stable future. However, making the first step is always the hardest. And here come these free data science courses for beginners handy.

Apart from providing academic data science knowledge, they offer you a career outlook. Thus, you could evaluate your skills, interests, strengths and weaknesses to determine whether a data science career suits you. Mentioned above are the best hand-picked free courses in data science. Check it out again to compare and choose your best.