NANODEGREE PROGRAM SYLLABUS

Programming for
Data Science with
Python

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Overview
Learn the programming fundamentals required for a career in data science. By the end of the
program, you will be able to use Python, SQL, Command Line, and Git.

IN COLLABORATION WITH

Estimated Time: 3 Months at 10hrs/week

Flexible Learning: Self-paced, so

you can learn on the schedule that works best for you

Prerequisites: No Experience Required

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Course 1: Introduction to SQL
Learn SQL fundamentals such as JOINs, Aggregations, and Subqueries. Learn how to use SQL to
answer complex business problems.

Course Project

Investigate a Database

In this project, you’ll work with a relational database while working with PostgreSQL. You’ll complete
the entire data analysis process, starting by posing a question, running appropriate SQL queries to
answer your questions and finishing by sharing your findings.
LESSON ONE

LESSON TWO

LESSON THREE

LESSON FOUR

SQL Joins

• Write JOINs in SQL, as you are now able to combine data from multiple sources to answer more
complex business questions

• Understand different types of JOINs and when to use each type

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Basic SQL

SQL Aggregations
Advanced SQL Queries

• Write common SQL commands including SELECT, FROM, and WHERE

• Use logical operators like LIKE, AND, and OR

• Write common aggregations in SQL including COUNT, SUM, MIN, and MAX

• Write CASE and DATE functions, as well as work with NULLs

• Use subqueries, also called CTEs, in a number of different situations

• Use other window functions including RANK, NTILE, LAG, LEAD new functions along with partitions
to complete complex tasks
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Course 2: Introduction to Python

Programming
In this part, you’ll learn to represent and store data using Python data types and variables, and use
conditionals and loops to control the flow of your programs. You’ll harness the power of complex
data structures like lists, sets, dictionaries, and tuples to store collections of related data. You’ll
define and document your own custom functions, write scripts, and handle errors. You will also
learn to use two powerful Python libraries - Numpy, a scientific computing package, and Pandas, a
data manipulation package.

Course Project

Explore US Bikeshare Data

You will use Python to answer interesting questions about bikeshare trip data collected from three
US cities. You will write code to collect the data, compute descriptive statistics, and create an
interactive experience in the terminal that presents the answers to your questions.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

LESSON ONE
LESSON TWO

Why Python Programming

Data Types and Operators

• Gain an overview of what you’ll be learning and doing in the course

• Understand why you should learn programming with Python

• Represent data using Python’s data types: integers, floats, booleans, strings, lists, tuples, sets,
dictionaries, compound data structures

• Perform computations and create logical statements using Python’s operators: Arithmetic,
Assignment, Comparison, Logical, Membership, Identity

• Declare, assign, and reassign values using Python variables • Modify values using built-in functions
and methods
• Practice whitespace and style guidelines
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 • Write conditional expressions using if statements and boolean expressions to add
decision making to your Python programs

• Use for and while loops along with useful built-in functions to iterate over and
manipulate lists, sets, and dictionaries
Control
Flow
• Skip iterations in loops using break and continue
• Condense for loops to create lists efficiently with list

comprehensions
• Define your own custom functions
• Create and reference variables using the appropriate scope • Add documentation to
functions using docstrings
Functions • Define lambda expressions to quickly create anonymous

functions
• Use iterators and generators to create streams of data
• Install Python 3 and set up your programming environment

• Run and edit python scripts

• Interact with raw input from users
Scripting • Identify and handle errors and exceptions in your code • Open, read, and write to files
• Find and use modules in Python Standard Library and

third-party libraries
• Experiment in the terminal using a Python Interpreter
 • Create, access, modify, and sort multidimensional NumPy arrays (ndarrays)

• Load and save ndarrays

• Use slicing, boolean indexing, and set operations to

select or change subsets of an ndarray

NumPy • Understand difference between a view and a copy of

ndarray
• Perform element-wise operations on ndarrays
• Use broadcasting to perform operations on ndarrays of

different sizes.
• Create, access, and modify the main objects in Pandas, Series and DataFrames

• Perform arithmetic operations on Series and DataFrames

Pandas

• Load data into a DataFrame

• Deal with Not a Number (NaN) values
LESSON THREE

LESSON FOUR

LESSON FIVE

LESSON SIX

LESSON SEVEN
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Course 3: Introduction to Version Control
Learn how to use version control and share your work with other people in the data science
industry.

Course Project

Post your work on Github

In this project, you will learn important tools that all programmers use. First, you’ll get an
introduction to working in the terminal. Next, you’ll learn to use git and Github to manage versions
of a program and collaborate with others on programming projects. In this project you will post two
different versions of a Jupyter Notebook capturing your learnings from the course, and add
commits to your project Git repository.
LEARNING OUTCOMES

LESSON ONE

LESSON TWO

LESSON THREE

LESSON FOUR

Purpose & Terminology

• Learn why developers use version control and discover ways you use version control in your daily
life

• Get an overview of essential Git vocabulary • Configure Git using the command line

Shell Workshop

• Create your first Git repository with git init

• Copy an existing Git repository with git clone
Create a Git • Review the current state of a repository with the powerful git
Repo
status
Review a Repo’s History

• Review a repo’s commit history git log

• Customize git log’s output using command line flags in order

to reveal more (or less) information about each commit • Use the git show command to display just
one commit

• The Unix shell is a powerful tool for developers of all sorts. Get a quick introduction to the basics
of using it on your computer.
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 • Master the Git workflow and make commits to an example project

• Use git diff to identify what parts of a file have been changed in a
Add Commits to a Repo commit

• Learn how to mark files as “untracked” using .gitignore

• Tagging, Branching, and Merging
• Organize your commits with tags and branches
Tagging, Branching, and • Jump to particular tags and branches using git checkout
Merging • Learn how to merge together changes on different branches

and crush those pesky merge conflicts

LESSON FIVE

LESSON SIX

• Learn how and when to edit or delete an existing commit LESSON SEVEN Undoing Changes • Use
git commit’s -amend flag to alter the last commit

• Use git reset and git revert to undo and erase commits
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Our Classroom Experience
REAL-WORLD PROJECTS

Build your skills through industry-relevant projects. Get personalized feedback from our network of
900+ project reviewers. Our simple interface makes it easy to submit your projects as often as you
need and receive unlimited feedback on your work.

KNOWLEDGE

Find answers to your questions with Knowledge, our proprietary wiki. Search questions asked by
other students, connect with technical mentors, and discover in real-time how to solve the
challenges that you encounter.

STUDENT HUB

Leverage the power of community through a simple, yet powerful chat interface built within the
classroom. Use Student Hub to connect with your fellow students in your Executive Program.

WORKSPACES

See your code in action. Check the output and quality of your code by running them on workspaces
that are a part of our classroom.
QUIZZES

Check your understanding of concepts learned in the program by answering simple and auto-
graded quizzes. Easily go back to the lessons to brush up on concepts anytime you get an answer
wrong.

CUSTOM STUDY PLANS

Preschedule your study times and save them to your personal calendar to create a custom study
plan. Program regular reminders to keep track of your progress toward your goals and completion
of your program.

PROGRESS TRACKER

Stay on track to complete your Nanodegree program with useful milestone reminders.

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Learn with the Best
Josh Bernhard
DATA SCIENTIST

Josh has been sharing his passion for data for nearly a decade at all levels of university, and as Lead
Data Science Instructor at Galvanize. He’s used data science for work ranging from cancer research
to process automation.
Derek Steer
CEO AT MODE

Derek is the CEO of Mode Analytics. He developed an analytical foundation at Facebook and
Yammer and is passionate about sharing it with future analysts. He authored SQL School and is a
mentor at Insight Data Science.
Juno Lee
CURRICULUM LEAD

Juno is the curriculum lead for the School of Data Science. She has been sharing her passion for
data and teaching, building several courses at Udacity. As a data scientist, she built
recommendation engines, computer vision and NLP models, and tools to analyze user behavior.

Richard Kalehoff
INSTRUCTOR

Richard is a Course Developer with a passion for teaching. He has a degree in computer science,
and first worked for a nonprofit doing everything from front end web development, to backend
programming, to database and server management.
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All Our Nanodegree Programs Include:

EXPERIENCED PROJECT REVIEWERS

REVIEWER SERVICES

• Personalized feedback & line by line code reviews • 1600+ Reviewers with a 4.85/5 average rating
• 3 hour average project review turnaround time
• Unlimited submissions and feedback loops

• Practical tips and industry best practices

• Additional suggested resources to improve
TECHNICAL MENTOR SUPPORT

MENTORSHIP SERVICES

• Questions answered quickly by our team of technical mentors

• 1000+ Mentors with a 4.7/5 average rating • Support for all your technical questions

PERSONAL CAREER SERVICES

CAREER COACHING

• Personal assistance in your job search

• Monthly 1-on-1 calls
• Personalized feedback and career guidance • Interview preparation
• Resume services
• Github portfolio review
• LinkedIn profile optimization

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Frequently Asked Questions
PROGRAM OVERVIEW

WHY SHOULD I ENROLL?

The Programming for Data Science with Python Nanodegree program offers you the opportunity to
learn the most important programming languages used by data scientists today. Get your start into
the fascinating field of data science and learn Python, SQL, terminal, and git with the help of
experienced instructors.

WHAT JOBS WILL THIS PROGRAM PREPARE ME FOR?

This is an introductory program that is not designed to prepare you for a specific job. However, as a
graduate of this program, you will be proficient in the programming skills used in many data analysis
and data science roles, including Python, SQL, Terminal, and Git.

HOW DO I KNOW IF THIS PROGRAM IS RIGHT FOR ME?

If you are interested in taking the first step into the field of Data Science, this course is for you. This
course will quickly teach you the foundational data science programming tools (Python, SQL, Git).
This course requires no pre- requisite knowledge so you can get started now. Having mastered
these in demand tools you will be able to tackle real world data analysis problems.
Learning to program Python and SQL, the main programing languages used by data scientists and
analysts, is the core of this program. If you decide
to take the Programming for Data Science with Python, you’ll also learn specialized data libraries for
Python including Pandas and Numpy, and use Git and the Terminal to share your work and learn
about version control. By learning these foundational programming skills, you will be ready to
advance your career in data.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PYTHON TRACK AND THE R TRACK?
We offer two tracks to this program, one teaching Python and one teaching R. These are both
popular among data scientists. You can enroll in one or the other, not both.

Both tracks cover the same fundamental concepts, but use a different programming language. The
SQL, command line, and Git curriculum is the same in both tracks. This includes the first and third
projects, which are the same between the two tracks.

The programming course and project are different between the two tracks. One course relies on
Python, while the other relies on R. The projects for the two courses rely on the same dataset and
skills, but they differ in the

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FAQs Continued
approach and final deliverable. Learn more about the Programming for Data Science with R
Nanodegree program.

WHAT IS THE SCHOOL OF DATA SCIENCE, AND HOW DO I KNOW WHICH PROGRAM TO CHOOSE?
Udacity’s School of Data consists of several different Nanodegree programs, each of which offers the
opportunity to build data skills, and advance your career. These programs are organized around
career roles like Business Analyst, Data Analyst, Data Scientist, and Data Engineer.

The School of Data currently offers three clearly-defined career paths in Business Analytics, Data
Science, and Data Engineering. Whether you are just getting started in data, are looking to augment
your existing skill set with in-demand data skills, or intend to pursue advanced studies and career
roles, Udacity’s School of Data has the right path for you! Visit How to Choose the Data Science
Program That’s Right for You to learn more.

ENROLLMENT AND ADMISSION

DO I NEED TO APPLY? WHAT ARE THE ADMISSION CRITERIA?

No. This Nanodegree program accepts all applicants regardless of experience and specific
background.

WHAT ARE THE PREREQUISITES FOR ENROLLMENT?

There are no prerequisites for enrolling aside from basic computer skills and English proficiency.
You should feel comfortable performing basic operations on your computer like opening files and
folders, opening applications, and copying and pasting.

TUITION AND TERM OF PROGRAM

HOW IS THIS NANODEGREE PROGRAM STRUCTURED?

The Programming for Data Science with R Nanodegree program is comprised of content and
curriculum to support three (3) projects. We estimate that students can complete the program in
three (3) months, working 10 hours per week.

Each project will be reviewed by the Udacity reviewer network. Feedback will be provided, and if you
do not pass the project, you will be asked to resubmit the project until it passes.

CAN I SWITCH MY START DATE? CAN I GET A REFUND?

Please see the Udacity Nanodegree program FAQs for policies on enrollment in our programs.
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FAQs Continued
HOW LONG IS THIS NANODEGREE PROGRAM?

Access to this Nanodegree program runs for the length of time specified in the payment card above.
If you do not graduate within that time period, you will continue learning with month to month
payments. See the Terms of Use and FAQs for other policies regarding the terms of access to our
Nanodegree programs.
I HAVE GRADUATED FROM THE PROGRAMMING FOR DATA SCIENCE WITH R NANODEGREE
PROGRAM AND I WANT TO KEEP LEARNING. WHERE SHOULD I GO FROM HERE?
Check out our Data Analyst Nanodegree program to take the programming skills you have learned
and apply them to real world Data Analyst business problems. Working on these more complex
projects will deepen your knowledge of coding and make you a more attractive candidate to be
hired as an data analyst.

You could also consider the Data Engineer Nanodegree program, which focuses on data models,
data warehouses, and data pipelines.

WHAT SOFTWARE AND VERSIONS WILL I NEED IN THIS PROGRAM?

To enroll, students should have basic computer skills, a Gmail account, and a Facebook account to
complete the projects.

SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE

WHAT SOFTWARE AND VERSIONS WILL I NEED IN THIS PROGRAM?

For this Nanodegree program, you will need a 64-bit computer and access to the Internet.
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