Getting a Head Start: Best FREE Online Prep Courses

Getting a Head Start: Best FREE online courses to get you ready!

Whether you were just accepted into the program of your dreams or whether you simply want to get a better feel of what the actual classes will look like, exploring these links is a MUST. We all have busy lives, whether you work or study full time, these online classes will help you put your (little or non-existent)free time to good use. Graduate programs are challenging, so starting with a good basis will set you up for success. 

Here are the top online courses we recommend you take a look at before the start of your program:

1. DataCamp

DataCamp is used by companies, universities and governmental organizations worldwide to help employees and students learn the fundamentals of data literacy. The classes are divided into chapters and easy to follow videos along the way. Our top choice! 

https://www.datacamp.com/

2. Coursera

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring videos, quizzes, and projects. You can earn official recognition for your work, and Coursera allows you to share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers. Coursera offers wide variety of data science courses! 

https://www.coursera.org/

3. edX

edX was founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012, edX offers an online learning destination by offering high-quality courses from the world’s best universities and institutions. edX offers a great selection of courses on data analysis and statistics courses. 

https://www.edx.org/

4. Udemy

Udemy is a global marketplace for learning and teaching online where students can learn by browsing from an extensive library of over 45,000 courses taught by expert instructors. A good option for getting comfortable with Hadoop! 

https://www.udemy.com/

5. Opening Learning Initiative 

OLI was founded by Carnegie Mellon University, and they aim to combine open, high-quality courses, continuous feedback, and research. Check them out! 

https://oli.cmu.edu/

6. MIT OpenCourseWare

This site offers all of the MIT course materials available online. MIT offers materials from 2,340 courses and has reached more than 200 million visitors. Another favorite! 

https://ocw.mit.edu/

7. Udacity

Udacity is not entirely free, but you can get started with a free one-week trial, and if you think it's worth the investment, give it a try! Udacity has partnered with leading companies to build a world-class curriculum that will give you the skills you need to get hired as a business analyst.

https://www.udacity.com/

8. Big Data University 

This website is another one of our favorites! You can choose different learning paths such as Big Data Fundamentals, Scala, Hadoop, Spark, Data Science Fundamentals, etc. Totally free and you can earn badges based on your accomplishments!


https://bigdatauniversity.com/

Enjoy!!!!!!!!