How much math and programming do you need to take the Deep Learning Specialization on Coursera?

The Deep Learning Specialization is one of the most popular online courses.

Andrew Ng’s goal to train the next million AI experts begins with this Specialization on Coursera. It’s been one of my favorite Specializations to take, and I found it very accessible to most people. However, there are some prerequisites required before you begin the course to get the most out of it.

However, if you don’t have these prerequisites, don’t worry! It’s actually not hard to get the background knowledge necessary to implement these deep learning algorithms.

Python Programming

“Intermediate” Python programming experience is suggested, so you should know the basics of the programming language, including Python data structures, loops, and how to write a function. If you’re completely new to Python, I recommend the Python for Everybody Specialization from the University of Michigan. Course 1 and Course 2 cover most of the information you need to know to be successful in the Deep Learning Specialization, in terms of Python knowledge. Though machine learning and deep learning use concepts and libraries that you may be less familiar with (like Python broadcasting and using the numpy library), the courses do provide optional assignments and cover these topics as well.

Of course, if you’re new to Python, I really recommend doing all the optional assignments!