What are the differences between required, elective, and optional courses in a career track?

Career tracks allow you to experience a new way of learning. They build the right skills to excel in a specific data science role. Each career track consists of seven required courses, two electives, and one optional course. They’re organized logically, with each course building on what you’ve learned from the previous one.  

Required Courses – There are seven required courses in a career track. We allow you to complete these courses at your own pace in any order. You must pass the relevant course exam to take the final exam, whether or not you watch all video lessons in a required course.

Electives – A dropdown menu enables you to choose two electives in each career track.  You must pass the relevant course exam to take the final exam, whether or not you watch all video lessons in an elective. Again, we allow you to complete these courses at your own pace in any order.   

Optional Courses – There’s one optional course at the beginning of each career track. Completing an optional course exam is not a prerequisite for taking a final exam, nor does it play a part in the overall exam criteria. It’s simply a way to gain additional knowledge at your discretion. You’re still eligible for a Course Certificate once you pass an optional course exam.  

Since everyone joins our program at different proficiency levels, you can take the career track courses in any order. You don’t need to complete a preceding course to unlock the following one. We strongly recommend watching all video lessons included in a career track. But those of you who feel you have sufficient knowledge of the topics covered in a course can directly proceed to the course exam without watching all the videos. Whether you fail or pass on your first attempt, you must watch at least 30 minutes of the course content each time you wish to retake a course exam.