Computer Science · Year 1 · Foundations

S1 Programming and algorithmic thinking

Learn to program in Python, from the first script to interactive programs, then tackle recursion, search and graphs.

177hours of coursework

18weeks at 10 h

2steps

12new courses

2universities

The Fundamentals of Computing final exam, then a Python strategy game with a minimax AI and a test suite.

Courses this semester

79 h

University of MichiganBeginnerPython, SQL, SQLite

Stated prerequisites: No prerequisites; designed as an on-ramp to programming

Show the 5 courses

Course	Level	Length	Rating (reviews)
Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python)	Beginner	17 h	4.8 (233,775)
Python Data Structures	Beginner	20 h	4.9 (97,365)
Using Python to Access Web Data	Beginner	19 h	4.8 (44,591)
Using Databases with Python	Beginner	14 h	4.8 (21,659)
Capstone: Retrieving, Processing, and Visualizing Data with Python	Beginner	9 h	4.7 (14,483)

98 h

Rice UniversityBeginnerPython

Stated prerequisites: High school mathematics; no programming required

Show the 7 courses

Course	Level	Length	Rating (reviews)
An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python (Part 1)	—	19 h	4.8 (3,322)
An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python (Part 2)	Beginner	16 h	4.9 (1,214)
Principles of Computing (Part 1)	Intermediate	19 h	4.7 (584)
Principles of Computing (Part 2)	Intermediate	16 h	4.8 (365)
Algorithmic Thinking (Part 1)	Intermediate	14 h	4.6 (385)
Algorithmic Thinking (Part 2)	Intermediate	13 h	4.7 (220)
The Fundamentals of Computing Capstone Exam	Intermediate	1 h	4.8 (116)

Take Fundamentals of Computing alongside the second half of Python for Everybody.
Rice uses CodeSkulptor, a browser-based Python environment.

This semester takes 177 hours, about 4 months at 10 hours a week. A Coursera Plus subscription gives access to most of its courses during that time.