NANODEGREE PROGR AM SYLL ABUS

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.

I N CO L L A B O R AT I O N W I T H

Estimated Time: Prerequisites:

3 Months at No Experience
10hrs/week Required

Flexible Learning: Need Help?

Self-paced, so udacity.com/advisor
you can learn on Discuss this program
the schedule that with an enrollment
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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.

In this project, you’ll work with a relational database while working

Course Project with PostgreSQL. You’ll complete the entire data analysis process,
Investigate a Database starting by posing a question, running appropriate SQL queries to
answer your questions and finishing by sharing your findings.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Write common SQL commands including SELECT, FROM,

LESSON ONE Basic SQL and WHERE
• Use logical operators like LIKE, AND, and OR

• Write JOINs in SQL, as you are now able to combine data

from multiple sources to answer more complex business
LESSON TWO SQL Joins questions
• Understand different types of JOINs and when to use
each type

• Write common aggregations in SQL including COUNT,

SUM, MIN, and MAX
LESSON THREE SQL Aggregations
• Write CASE and DATE functions, as well as work with
NULLs

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

different situations
Advanced SQL
LESSON FOUR • Use other window functions including RANK, NTILE,
Queries
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.

You will use Python to answer interesting questions about bikeshare

Course Project trip data collected from three US cities. You will write code to collect
Explore US Bikeshare the data, compute descriptive statistics, and create an interactive
Data experience in the terminal that presents the answers to your
questions.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

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

Why Python the course
LESSON ONE
Programming • 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
Data Types and
LESSON TWO using Python’s operators: Arithmetic, Assignment,
Operators
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
LESSON THREE Control Flow functions to iterate over and manipulate lists, sets, and
dictionaries
• 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
LESSON FOUR 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
LESSON FIVE 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
LESSON SIX 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
LESSON SEVEN Pandas
DataFrames
• Load data into a DataFrame
• Deal with Not a Number (NaN) values

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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.

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

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• The Unix shell is a powerful tool for developers of all sorts.

LESSON ONE Shell Workshop Get a quick introduction to the basics of using it on your
computer.

• Learn why developers use version control and discover ways

Purpose & you use version control in your daily life
LESSON TWO
Terminology • Get an overview of essential Git vocabulary
• Configure Git using the command line

• Create your first Git repository with git init

• Copy an existing Git repository with git clone
LESSON THREE Create a Git Repo
• Review the current state of a repository with the powerful git
status

• Review a repo’s commit history git log

Review a Repo’s • Customize git log’s output using command line flags in order
LESSON FOUR
History to reveal more (or less) information about each commit
• Use the git show command to display just one commit

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 • Master the Git workflow and make commits to an example
project
Add Commits to a
LESSON FIVE • Use git diff to identify what parts of a file have been changed
Repo
in a commit
• Learn how to mark files as “untracked” using .gitignore

• Tagging, Branching, and Merging

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

• 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 Derek Steer

DATA S C I E N T I S T C E O AT M O D E

Josh has been sharing his passion for Derek is the CEO of Mode Analytics. He
data for nearly a decade at all levels of developed an analytical foundation at
university, and as Lead Data Science Facebook and Yammer and is passionate
Instructor at Galvanize. He’s used data about sharing it with future analysts. He
science for work ranging from cancer authored SQL School and is a mentor at
research to process automation. Insight Data Science.

Juno Lee R ichard K alehof f

C U R R I C U LU M L E A D I N S T R U C TO R

Juno is the curriculum lead for the School Richard is a Course Developer with a
of Data Science. She has been sharing her passion for teaching. He has a degree
passion for data and teaching, building in computer science, and first worked
several courses at Udacity. As a data for a nonprofit doing everything from
scientist, she built recommendation front end web development, to backend
engines, computer vision and NLP models, programming, to database and server
and tools to analyze user behavior. management.

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All Our Nanodegree Programs Include:

EXPERIENCED PROJECT REVIEWERS

RE VIE WER 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

M E N TO R S H I P S E R V I C E S

• 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

C A R E E R CO A C H I N G

• 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
PROGR AM OVERVIE W

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 PROGR AM

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.

S O F T WA R E A N D H A R D WA R E

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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