Where to Find
the Best Online Machine Learning Courses in 2021
Machine learning is one of the leading skills in the IT sector. Machine learning skills can be used in many different areas such as forecasting, data analytics, and finding issues in datasets. It is used in various industries such as digital marketing, healthcare, and finance.
If you’re interested in becoming a machine learning engineer, it’s a good idea to start by joining an online machine learning program. You can save money and test the waters before investing in a degree. This guide will help you find the best online machine learning courses in 2021.
What Is Machine Learning?
Machine learning is the process of programming a computer system to learn from experience without human intervention. It is considered a subdiscipline of artificial intelligence. Some of the fundamental principles of machine learning include decision trees, neural networks, and Python programming.
What Will You Learn in a Machine Learning Course?
Machine learning courses cover supervised and unsupervised learning, neural networks, Python, SQL, and statistics fundamentals. Online machine learning courses are usually introductory programs that teach you the basics of machine learning techniques.
Some courses require you to have programming and math skills, while others will train you from scratch. Certain schools will also provide career services to help you find a job once you complete your education.
Top Online Machine Learning Courses in 2021 at a Glance
We’ve compiled a list of some of the best online courses that will give you a strong introduction to machine learning. There are hundreds of online machine learning courses out there. Read on to make sure you pick the best course for you.
For each course, we’ve looked at the tuition cost, curriculum, and program length. This information has all been taken directly from their respective websites.
Provider and Course | Price | Length | Certificate |
---|---|---|---|
Codecademy Machine Learning |
Free | 20 Hours | Yes, for $15.99 per month |
Coursera Advanced Machine Learning Specialization |
Free to enroll | 10 Months | Yes |
Coursera Deep Learning Specialization |
Free to enroll | 5 Months | Yes |
Coursera and Stanford Online Machine Learning |
Free to enroll | 60 Hours | Yes |
Deeplearning.ai Deep Learning |
Free | 5 Months | Yes |
edX and Columbia University Machine Learning |
Free | 12 Weeks | Yes, for $249 |
Fast.ai Deep Learning for Coders |
Free | 12 Weeks | No |
Google Machine Learning Crash Course |
Free | 15 Hours | No |
Stanford School of Engineering Machine Learning |
Free | N/A | No |
Udemy Machine Learning A-Z |
$13.99 | 44 Hours | Yes |
Best Machine Learning Courses of 2021
Machine learning courses are currently in high demand. That’s why many online education providers have started to include it in their offered programs. Below we take a look at what each of the best machine learning courses offers in more detail.
Machine Learning by Codecademy
Codecademy offers a 20-hour machine learning course that will help you understand fundamentals such as linear regression, decision trees, and artificial intelligence. You will also learn about clustering K-means and logistic regression.
This course requires you to have previous knowledge of Python programming. Most Codecademy courses are free, including this one. However, if you want to earn a certificate, you must pay a monthly subscription of $15.99 per month. This subscription also includes career services.
Advanced Machine Learning Specialization by Coursera
This course covers topics such as deep learning, recurrent neural networks, Gaussian process, and Bayesian optimization. This course includes a capstone project where you’ll experiment with your new machine learning skills and demonstrate you are fully qualified to work as a machine learning engineer.
This program is 100 percent online and is available on a flexible schedule. You will need to invest between eight and 12 hours per week. This course is available in English, Italian, French, and Portuguese.
Deep LearningTensorFlow Developer by Coursera and Deeplearning.ai
Deep learning is a machine learning subfield that uses a deep neural network to imitate the human brain. This four-month Coursera course will teach you deep learning fundamentals but with a focus on TensorFlow. TensorFlow is an open-source framework used in ML processes.
This course will help you develop a natural language processing system with TensorFlow. You will also learn how to prevent overfitting. You will have to invest five hours a week to complete this course.
Machine Learning by Coursera and Stanford Online
Stanford University offers a machine learning course on Coursera’s platform. This program is conducted by Andrew Ng, the founder of Deeplearning.ai and Coursera’s co-founder. This program dives into machine learning fundamentals, covering topics like logistic regression, artificial neural networks, and machine learning algorithms.
You will also learn how to work with linear regression with one variable and how to use MATLAB and algebra for machine learning. This program might seem shorter than others, but it is intensive. It is also completely online and comes with a certificate at the end of the course.
Deep Learning by Deeplearning.ai
Deeplearning.ai is a computer science education provider founded by Andrew Ng. This platform offers a deep learning course that will help you master machine learning and artificial intelligence. This program is an intermediate-level course where you’ll need to invest at least seven hours a week.
The subjects you will learn in this course include artificial neural networks, Python programming, TensorFlow, recurrent neural networks, and convolutional neural networks. During the program, you will develop your own machine learning or deep learning project to put your skills into practice.
Machine Learning by edX and Columbia University
Columbia University offers this MOOC program through edX. This program is for advanced programmers with experience in calculus, coding, linear algebra, data manipulation, probability, and statistical subjects.
This course dives into computer science fundamentals like linear regression, data analysis, data modeling, supervised and unsupervised learning. Although the program is available for free, the certificate costs $249. The program is an advanced course and is relatively long compared to others.
Deep Learning for Coders by Fast.io
This introductory course in machine learning will guide you through the process of building your own data products and model validation. To participate in this program, you must have one year of experience in programming and understand math and statistics fundamentals.
This course implements classes from the University of San Francisco’s master’s degree in data science. It’s a flexible program, and you won’t have to spend more than ten hours a week to complete it. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t provide a certificate of completion. However, it’ll give you a strong foundation to continue learning from.
Machine Learning Crash Course by Google
Google has introduced its first introductory course in machine learning called the Google Machine Learning Crash Course. This is a hands-on program with interactive visualizations and real-world case studies to help you develop up-to-date skills.
This is a fast-paced course where you’ll learn about core machine learning principles such as deep neural networks and machine learning models. Although this program is completely free, it doesn’t provide a certificate after completing the course. However, these free courses by Google have a good reputation.
Machine Learning by Stanford School of Engineering
This reputable engineering department often offers free introductory courses to help students get familiar with certain careers such as machine learning. Topics covered include supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning. You will also learn principles like Q-learning, value function approximation, and generative learning algorithms.
If you’re still interested in machine learning after completing this course, you can join other advanced programs provided by the school. Stanford is a highly regarded university, so this crash course is a great choice.
Machine Learning A-Z by Udemy
This Udemy program will provide you introductory training on machine learning focusing on business decisions. You will learn about reinforcement learning, unsupervised learning, and supervised learning. This program also covers topics like data analysis and decision-making.
Keep in mind that this course only works with Python and R programming languages. It includes 44 hours of video resources that you can watch whenever you want and a certificate of completion at the end of the program.
Machine Learning Certifications
If you want to become a machine learning engineer, you don’t need to have a professional license or certification. However, it certainly helps you stand out from other applicants. There aren’t many certifications in this field, but Google’s certification has become very popular among data scientist professionals.
Professional Machine Learning Engineer
The professional machine learning engineer certification is perfect for demonstrating you are fully qualified to provide automation services. This credential validates that you can effectively prepare data, develop machine learning models, and troubleshoot data problems.
This certification exam costs $200 and lasts around two hours. It doesn’t have any prerequisites, but it’s helpful to have a couple of years of experience in the field. You can take the test either online or in person at your nearest Google center.
Next Steps After Your Course
After completing your online course in machine learning, keep building up your education and experience in the field. Pursuing a bachelor’s degree is a wise step if you’re interested in a career as a machine learning engineer.
You can also take other non-conventional options such as joining a coding boot camp that will provide you with core machine learning skills. Bootcamps are short, intensive courses on specialized subjects. They charge a significantly lower price than traditional universities.
Should You Learn Machine Learning?
Yes, you should learn machine learning. Machine learning has become so in demand that salaries for this profession have drastically increased. According to PayScale, the average salary of a machine learning engineer is $112,850, which is significantly higher than the average national salary for all professions.
If you already have programming or math skills, you should learn machine learning today and start your career path to becoming a machine learning engineer.