Drive better business decisions with an overview of how big data is organized, analyzed, and interpreted. Apply your insights to real-world problems and questions.
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Do you need to understand big data and how it will impact your business? This Specialization is for you. You will gain an understanding of what insights big data can provide through hands-on experience with the tools and systems used by big data scientists and engineers. Previous programming experience is not required! You will be guided through the basics of using Hadoop with MapReduce, Spark, Pig and Hive. By following along with provided code, you will experience how one can perform predictive modeling and leverage graph analytics to model problems. This specialization will prepare you to ask the right questions about data, communicate effectively with data scientists, and do basic exploration of large, complex datasets. In the final Capstone Project, developed in partnership with data software company Splunk, you’ll apply the skills you learned to do basic analyses of big data.
Big Data Specialization
Unlock Value in Massive Datasets. Learn fundamental big data methods in six straightforward courses.
Offered By
How the Specialization Works
Take Courses
A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.
Hands-on Project
Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.
Earn a Certificate
When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.
There are 6 Courses in this Specialization
Course1
Introduction to Big Data
4.6
4,414 ratings
Interested in increasing your knowledge of the Big Data landscape? This course is for those new to data science and interested in understanding why the Big Data Era has come to be. It is for those who want to become conversant with the terminology and the core concepts behind big data problems, applications, and systems. It is for those who want to start thinking about how Big Data might be useful in their business or career. It provides an introduction to one of the most common frameworks, Hadoop, that has made big data analysis easier and more accessible -- increasing the potential for data to transform our world!
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
* Describe the Big Data landscape including examples of real world big data problems including the three key sources of Big Data: people, organizations, and sensors.
* Explain the V’s of Big Data (volume, velocity, variety, veracity, valence, and value) and why each impacts data collection, monitoring, storage, analysis and reporting.
* Get value out of Big Data by using a 5-step process to structure your analysis.
* Identify what are and what are not big data problems and be able to recast big data problems as data science questions.
* Provide an explanation of the architectural components and programming models used for scalable big data analysis.
* Summarize the features and value of core Hadoop stack components including the YARN resource and job management system, the HDFS file system and the MapReduce programming model.
* Install and run a program using Hadoop!
This course is for those new to data science. No prior programming experience is needed, although the ability to install applications and utilize a virtual machine is necessary to complete the hands-on assignments.
Hardware Requirements:
(A) Quad Core Processor (VT-x or AMD-V support recommended), 64-bit; (B) 8 GB RAM; (C) 20 GB disk free. How to find your hardware information: (Windows): Open System by clicking the Start button, right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties; (Mac): Open Overview by clicking on the Apple menu and clicking “About This Mac.” Most computers with 8 GB RAM purchased in the last 3 years will meet the minimum requirements.You will need a high speed internet connection because you will be downloading files up to 4 Gb in size.
Software Requirements:
This course relies on several open-source software tools, including Apache Hadoop. All required software can be downloaded and installed free of charge. Software requirements include: Windows 7+, Mac OS X 10.10+, Ubuntu 14.04+ or CentOS 6+ VirtualBox 5+.
Course2
Big Data Modeling and Management Systems
4.3
1,740 ratings
Once you’ve identified a big data issue to analyze, how do you collect, store and organize your data using Big Data solutions? In this course, you will experience various data genres and management tools appropriate for each. You will be able to describe the reasons behind the evolving plethora of new big data platforms from the perspective of big data management systems and analytical tools. Through guided hands-on tutorials, you will become familiar with techniques using real-time and semi-structured data examples. Systems and tools discussed include: AsterixDB, HP Vertica, Impala, Neo4j, Redis, SparkSQL. This course provides techniques to extract value from existing untapped data sources and discovering new data sources.
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
* Recognize different data elements in your own work and in everyday life problems
* Explain why your team needs to design a Big Data Infrastructure Plan and Information System Design
* Identify the frequent data operations required for various types of data
* Select a data model to suit the characteristics of your data
* Apply techniques to handle streaming data
* Differentiate between a traditional Database Management System and a Big Data Management System
* Appreciate why there are so many data management systems
* Design a big data information system for an online game company
This course is for those new to data science. Completion of Intro to Big Data is recommended. No prior programming experience is needed, although the ability to install applications and utilize a virtual machine is necessary to complete the hands-on assignments. Refer to the specialization technical requirements for complete hardware and software specifications.
Hardware Requirements:
(A) Quad Core Processor (VT-x or AMD-V support recommended), 64-bit; (B) 8 GB RAM; (C) 20 GB disk free. How to find your hardware information: (Windows): Open System by clicking the Start button, right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties; (Mac): Open Overview by clicking on the Apple menu and clicking “About This Mac.” Most computers with 8 GB RAM purchased in the last 3 years will meet the minimum requirements.You will need a high speed internet connection because you will be downloading files up to 4 Gb in size.
Software Requirements:
This course relies on several open-source software tools, including Apache Hadoop. All required software can be downloaded and installed free of charge (except for data charges from your internet provider). Software requirements include: Windows 7+, Mac OS X 10.10+, Ubuntu 14.04+ or CentOS 6+ VirtualBox 5+.
Course3
Big Data Integration and Processing
4.4
1,221 ratings
At the end of the course, you will be able to:
*Retrieve data from example database and big data management systems
*Describe the connections between data management operations and the big data processing patterns needed to utilize them in large-scale analytical applications
*Identify when a big data problem needs data integration
*Execute simple big data integration and processing on Hadoop and Spark platforms
This course is for those new to data science. Completion of Intro to Big Data is recommended. No prior programming experience is needed, although the ability to install applications and utilize a virtual machine is necessary to complete the hands-on assignments. Refer to the specialization technical requirements for complete hardware and software specifications.
Hardware Requirements:
(A) Quad Core Processor (VT-x or AMD-V support recommended), 64-bit; (B) 8 GB RAM; (C) 20 GB disk free. How to find your hardware information: (Windows): Open System by clicking the Start button, right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties; (Mac): Open Overview by clicking on the Apple menu and clicking “About This Mac.” Most computers with 8 GB RAM purchased in the last 3 years will meet the minimum requirements.You will need a high speed internet connection because you will be downloading files up to 4 Gb in size.
Software Requirements:
This course relies on several open-source software tools, including Apache Hadoop. All required software can be downloaded and installed free of charge (except for data charges from your internet provider). Software requirements include: Windows 7+, Mac OS X 10.10+, Ubuntu 14.04+ or CentOS 6+ VirtualBox 5+.
Course4
Machine Learning With Big Data
4.5
1,017 ratings
Want to make sense of the volumes of data you have collected? Need to incorporate data-driven decisions into your process? This course provides an overview of machine learning techniques to explore, analyze, and leverage data. You will be introduced to tools and algorithms you can use to create machine learning models that learn from data, and to scale those models up to big data problems.
At the end of the course, you will be able to:
• Design an approach to leverage data using the steps in the machine learning process.
• Apply machine learning techniques to explore and prepare data for modeling.
• Identify the type of machine learning problem in order to apply the appropriate set of techniques.
• Construct models that learn from data using widely available open source tools.
• Analyze big data problems using scalable machine learning algorithms on Spark.
Software Requirements:
Cloudera VM, KNIME, Spark
Instructors
Ilkay Altintas
Chief Data Science OfficerSan Diego Supercomputer Center
Amarnath Gupta
Director, Advanced Query Processing LabSan Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC)
Mai Nguyen
Lead for Data AnalyticsSan Diego Supercomputer Center
Industry Partners
About University of California San Diego
UC San Diego is an academic powerhouse and economic engine, recognized as one of the top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report. Innovation is central to who we are and what we do. Here, students learn that knowledge isn't just acquired in the classroom—life is their laboratory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the refund policy?
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Can I take the course for free?
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
This Specialization doesn't carry university credit, but some universities may choose to accept Specialization Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more.
How long does it take to complete the Specialization?
Time to completion can vary based on your schedule, but most learners are able to complete the Specialization in about 7 months.
What background knowledge is necessary?
This course is for those new to data science. No prior programming experience is needed, although the ability to install applications and utilize a virtual machine is necessary to complete the hands-on assignments.
What are the software requirements?
This specialization relies on several open-source software tools, including Apache Hadoop. All required software can be downloaded and installed free of charge (except for data charges from your internet provider). Software requirements include: Windows 7+, Mac OS X 10.10+, Ubuntu 14.04+ or CentOS 6+ VirtualBox 5+
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
We recommend taking the courses in the order presented, as each subsequent course will build on material from previous courses.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
You will be able to process, analyze, and interpret massive and complex data using current big data technologies. You will have the basic skills to model, manage and process big data of various sources and formats.
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
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