IBM · on edX

Machine Learning with Python: A Practical Introduction

Beginner 25 hours English Course CertificateFREE
SkillsMachine learningPythonRegressionClassificationClusteringscikit-learn

Is this course right for you?

Our take
{"A practical, applied first machine-learning course in Python, for people who already know some Python. It is free to audit.

Good for: python learners who want a practical first machine-learning course.

Skip if: you are new to Python, or you want deep mathematical theory.

IBM covers supervised and unsupervised learning, regression, classification (k-NN, decision trees, logistic regression, SVMs), clustering, dimensionality reduction and recommenders, taught through scikit-learn labs rather than lectures alone. It sits between Harvard's statistical R-based course and the deeper academic foundations of CS50's AI.

What it does not do is go deep into the mathematical theory, and it assumes some Python, so a non-programmer should take a Python course first instead. The certificate is an optional paid extra; the material is applied and kept current.","Compare and evaluate common ML algorithms on real data"}

Comparison · LBS

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About this course

Machine Learning with Python: A Practical Introduction is IBM's hands-on, Python-based entry into ML. Over about five weeks it covers supervised vs unsupervised learning, regression, classification (k-NN, decision trees, logistic regression, SVMs), clustering and dimensionality reduction, and recommender systems — turning theory into skill through labs rather than lectures alone.

Instructor

SA
Saeed Aghabozorgi
edX instructor

Taught by Saeed Aghabozorgi, PhD, a Senior Data Scientist at IBM specialising in machine learning and statistical modelling on large datasets.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, some. It is pitched at an intermediate level and assumes you can already write basic Python, plus a little comfort with maths. It is not a Python course — it uses the language to apply machine-learning algorithms — so if Python is brand new, learn the fundamentals first. With that basic grounding, the course handles the machine-learning concepts without expecting deep prior ML knowledge.

The core classical machine-learning toolkit in Python with scikit-learn: regression, classification with K-nearest neighbours, decision trees and logistic regression, clustering with k-means, hierarchical and DBSCAN, and dimensionality reduction with PCA and related methods. It rounds this out with portfolio projects like churn prediction, so you finish having actually built and evaluated models rather than only studying the theory.

A balance, leaning practical. It explains how each algorithm works conceptually, then has you apply it hands-on in Python notebooks against real datasets, ending in projects you can keep. It does not go deep into the underlying mathematics — it is about using the algorithms competently rather than deriving them — which suits people who want applied skills over theoretical rigour.

It is a component course in several IBM programs, including the IBM Data Science and AI Engineering certificates, where it serves as the applied machine-learning building block. You can take it standalone for the scikit-learn skills, but it is designed to sit within that broader path — so if you enjoy it, the surrounding certificate courses extend naturally from here.

You can audit the course on Coursera to watch the videos at no cost, but the graded labs and the certificate — plus the IBM digital badge — require a subscription, and some exercises are locked behind it. Since the hands-on notebooks are where the learning happens, the paid track is worth it if you want to actually build the models rather than just follow along.
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