The most effective way to start learning data science and get accepted into today’s top data science bootcamps
In this free data science online course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of Python and be introduced to Machine Learning. Our course provides a thorough data science tutorial, covering the basic principles of data science so you can be ready to apply to the most selective data science bootcamps in the country.

To become a data scientist, you have to start somewhere. This is that place. Our free course — there’s no catch, and not even a credit card required — is made to be accessible to anyone, regardless of their background. We want to give you the practical opportunity to learn while also giving you the opportunity to gauge your interest in the field.

Our curriculum is designed to be both thorough and accessible, insuring students quickly grasp the basic concepts of data science, such as Python, SQL and Machine Learning, while going deep in the areas needed to qualify for top bootcamp programs.

This course is the best way to experience Flatiron School’s curriculum, community, and culture firsthand – and to explore whether you’re passionate about pursuing data science as a career.

Data Science Bootcamp Prep students who apply to Flatiron School are fast-tracked through our own admissions process as priority applicants to our full-time Immersive Data Science Bootcamp course.
Start coding like a data scientist
Our free prep course begins by teaching students how to code in Python, one of the most popular programming languages utilized by data scientists. An introduction to data science and Python is a key component that allows students to move beyond data analysis and into data science.
Units: DataTypes, Variables, Collections
Python is one of the leading programming languages used by data scientists today. Fundamental data types and how you use them are covered — including strings, booleans, variables, lists, and dictionaries

Units: Gradient Descent, Calculus
Our machine learning section will delve into the tools and math background you’ll need to understand what your data is telling you and how you can draw conclusions from it.
Units: Understanding Graphs, Calculus
Perfect for individuals looking to brush up on their math skills, this section covers linear equations and graphs, derivatives with single variable calculus, and multiple variable calculus.
Start building your data science portfolio
At Flatiron School, students learn by building. Data Science Bootcamp Prep students leave the course with the beginnings of an impressive project portfolio to demonstrate their proficiency with fundamental data science concepts.

Use data from NYC taxi rides to predict how long a taxi ride will be. The project is for an imaginary taxi company that wants to camp out at the locations that will bring it the longest rides. We’ll use our first machine learning algorithm — nearest neighbors — to do so.
Built with: Python, Folium

Use your new knowledge of machine learning and gradient descent to predict movie revenue. We’ll look at over 300 movies to train our model to predict movie revenue.
Built with: Python, Plotly
Learn.co Features
Learn.co, the proprietary learning platform that powers Flatiron’s free coding bootcamp, is the world’s most sophisticated product for learning code. Students on Learn.co interact with a worldwide community of students and instructors and harness real developer tools to truly learn by doing.

Learning is most effective when it’s social. Learn.co makes online learning a more dynamic, human experience with tools to connect, code, and collaborate with fellow students and instructors in real-time – including video study groups, peer-pairing, and the ability to “friend” others in the program.

You can’t learn real skills without real tools. Learn.co utilizes the same tools and workflows that professional data scientists employ on the job, including using Jupyter Notebooks for writing and documenting your code and git and GitHub for tracking your changes and being able to collaborate with others.

We ensure that students always get the most relevant technical skills by embracing an open-source curriculum – a living course of study featuring thousands of updates a year to reflect industry trends and student feedback.
Ready to learn how to code?
Start learning data science basics – for free and on your schedule. Setup is quick and works on virtually any computer so you can be coding in minutes.
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