Even though machine learning, a subfield of AI, sounds like a very new field, it was actually distinguished as a separate subject back in the 1990s. Using AI, especially machine learning, companies have managed to save millions of dollars. In fact, back in 2018 Netflix managed to save $1 billion by only recommending personalized TV shows and movies that was possible due to its Machine Learning algorithm.
There are multiple reasons why people choose to learn artificial intelligence. Some want to optimize their work processes to save time, others need it to land a better job offer, and so on. Whatever your reasons are for looking at Stanford AI courses, this knowledge is completely worth it.
Today, we’ll take a look at the top Stanford AI courses and specializations online. You can take a quick glance at the options that we’re going to discuss:
- Machine Learning
- AI in Healthcare Specialization
- Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Healthcare
- Evaluations of AI Applications in Healthcare
Also, for those of you who want to find the very best artificial intelligence courses, I will provide additional options. Even though they’re not offered by Stanford, these AI courses are very well evaluated among students. Here are the ones that we’re going to discuss:
- AI for Everyone: Master the Basics
- CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python
- Professional Certificate in Applied AI
You will also find out more about the benefits of learning online, what and where artificial intelligence is used, and how to pick the very best online learning platform for AI courses.
Now let’s jump further into and find out more about online Stanford AI courses.
Table of Contents
- 1. Stanford AI Courses: Why Should You Start Learning Online?
- 2. Machine Learning (Enroll HERE)
- 3. AI in Healthcare Specialization (Enroll HERE)
- 4. Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Healthcare (Enroll HERE)
- 5. Evaluations of AI Applications in Healthcare (Enroll HERE)
- 6. Alternatives to Stanford AI Courses Online
- 6.1. AI for Everyone: Master the Basics (Enroll HERE)
- 6.2. CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python (Enroll HERE)
- 6.3. Professional Certificate in Applied AI (Enroll HERE)
- 7. Things You Should Know About Artificial Intelligence
- 8. Choosing the Best Online Learning Platform for Stanford AI Courses
- 9. Conclusions
Stanford AI Courses: Why Should You Start Learning Online?
When it comes to online courses, it’s important to understand that they won’t provide you with the same experience as traditional education. I’m talking about the whole on-campus experience, meeting new people, and so on.
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However, there are actually multiple benefits that online courses have over traditional learning institutions, especially when it comes to the times that we live in. Yes, I’m talking about the COVID-19. Due to the pandemic, the majority of universities have transferred classes online, so why not simply choose online classes in the first place?
Now, talking about Stanford, everyone knows that it’s one of the most prestigious universities in the world. This means that thousands of students apply to Stanford university every year. The only problem is that the Stanford acceptance rate is only 4.3%. People actually have lower chances of getting into Stanford than, Harvard, Yale, and other prestigious universities.
Now, when it comes to online courses, everyone is accepted. There are no tests or enrollment exams that test your knowledge, all you need to do is find a course that’s suitable for your level of knowledge and start learning instantly. Talking about Stanford AI courses, you’ll be able to find them in various levels, including introductory, intermediate, and expert.
Another reason for choosing Stanford AI courses is the price. Stanford costs about $70 thousand per year. Needless to say, the majority of individuals have to take loans and are paying back for years. In fact, loans related to graduate degrees account for 50% of the total student loan debt.
What’s amazing about online classes is that they tend to be very affordable, especially when it comes to such online learning platforms as edX and Coursera. The truth is, you will be able to enroll in the majority of Stanford AI courses as well as other recommended classes completely free. The only thing that’s paid when it comes to such courses is a certificate of completion.
The final aspect that should be mentioned is that you can study online courses anywhere and anytime. This means that you don’t need to worry about heavy traffic and commuting to university, you can study from the comfort of your home.
Also, there are no flexible deadlines, meaning that you can take it at your own pace and study whenever you find the time. That works especially great for people who have full-time jobs and do not have the luxury of studying 5 hours per day.
It’s evident that there are some significant benefits when it comes to Stanford AI courses online. So now that it’s clear, let’s take a look at some of the best-rated options.
Machine Learning (Enroll HERE)
- Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 11 weeks (60 hours)
- Price: FREE
- Certificate: $79
- Level: Introductory
- Apply HERE
When looking for the very best AI course online, you will definitely come across the Machine Learning course offered by Coursera. It’s one of the most popular courses not only when it comes to machine learning but also in general, with almost 4 million students enrolled. That counts for something, don’t you think?
This course is suitable for beginners as it will cover all the machine learning basics. What is more, you should be able to complete it within 11 weeks or 60 hours. What’s amazing is that you can enroll in this course completely free, the only thing that’s paid is a certificate of completion, however, it’s also very affordable - only $79.
This Stanford AI course mostly focuses on the introduction to machine learning, data mining and statistical pattern recognition, however, you’ll be covering a whole lot more than that, including linear regression, linear algebra concepts, how to use Octave or MATLAB, neural networks, applying machine learning in practice, and multiple other subjects.
The instructor of this course is Andrew Ng. He’s a founder of DeepLearning. What is more, Andrew NG is an AI, General Partner at AI Fund, Chairman and Co-Founder of Coursera as well as Adjunct Professor at Stanford University. The instructor has worked on multiple research and projects based on machine learning, robotics, and other similar fields. That said, you’ll be learning from the expert in his field.
After completing the Stanford Machine Learning course, you will gain expertise in these areas:
- Artificial neural networks.
- Machine learning as well as machine learning algorithms.
- Logistic regression.
There’s a reason why this course is so popular, so do not hesitate to start learning.
AI in Healthcare Specialization (Enroll HERE)
- Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 9 months (2 hours/week)
- Price: FREE for 7 days
- Certificate: $79 per month after trial ends
- Level: Introductory
- Apply HERE
This one’s a bit different, as it’s rather a specialization than a course, however, that’s even better. Wondering why? You see, specialization includes multiple courses that will help you to get in-depth knowledge.
In this specialization, you will be learning about the application of AI in healthcare, including currently used and future techniques and methods. It’s suitable not only for healthcare providers but is also highly recommended for computer science experts who are working in this field.
The specialization includes 5 Stanford artificial intelligence courses, including Introduction to Healthcare, Introduction to Clinical Data, Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Healthcare, Evaluations of AI Applications in Healthcare, and AI in Healthcare Capstone.
The Specialization should take about 9 months to complete when learning about 2 hours per week. However, since you’ll be learning at your own pace, you can complete it much faster to gain the knowledge that you need. Also, Coursera provides you with a 7-day free trial for these Stanford artificial intelligence courses, after that, it will cost you $79 per month to continue learning.
The knowledge that you will gain after completing this specialization includes:
- The ability to analyze AI effects in patient care safety, quality, and research.
- Understand how AI is related to practice, science as well as the business of medicine.
- Innovate and understand emerging technologies by applying AI building blocks.
- Understand the issues in medicine that can be solved by AI.
The specialization is completely free for 7 days, so why not start learning now?
Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Healthcare (Enroll HERE)
- Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 7 weeks
- Price: FREE trial
- Certificate: $79 per month after trial ends
- Level: Introductory
- Apply HERE
Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Healthcare course is a part of AI in Healthcare specialization. Since it’s one of the more popular Stanford AI courses, I would also like to take a look at this course separately.
Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Healthcare course will provide you with the basic knowledge of machine learning and how it can be applied in medicine and healthcare. What is more, you will explore different machine learning approaches, metrics unique to healthcare as well as other practices that are important in this field.
In this Stanford university AI online course, you will be learning from two experts: Matthew Lungren and Serena Yeung. Matthew Lungren is the Co-Director of the Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, while Serena Yeung is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Data Science at Stanford University. Needless to say, both of them are highly skilled and have more than enough experience to teach you valuable knowledge.
The course should take you about 7 weeks or 12 hours to complete. Since it’s a part of the specialization, it will cost you $79 per month after the trial ends. Also, once it’s finished, you will get a professional certificate. It will help you to land a better job offer or a promotion.
This course will teach you valuable knowledge and skills, including:
- The ability to understand and define the relationship between the fields of machine learning, biostatistics, and traditional computer programming.
- Learn about advanced neural network architectures that are used for processes from text classification to object detection and segmentation.
- Learn how to test machine learning models, train and validate them using the right approaches.
- Be aware of the impact of dynamic medical practice and discontinuous timelines on the application development and deployment of clinical machine learning.
As you can see, there’s a lot to learn. You can choose to take this course separately or choose the AI in Healthcare specialization that includes not only this one but also multiple other courses for more in-depth knowledge.
Evaluations of AI Applications in Healthcare (Enroll HERE)
- Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 7 weeks
- Price: FREE trial
- Certificate: $79 per month after trial ends
- Level: Introductory
- Apply HERE
Evaluations of AI Applications in Healthcare is another course that’s a part of AI in Healthcare specialization. This course focuses on the principles of AI deployment in healthcare as well as different frameworks that are to examine the downstream effects of AI healthcare solutions.
The course contains multiple classes, including evaluations of AI in healthcare, AI deployment, the regulatory environment for AI in healthcare, best ethical practices for AI in healthcare, and so on.
Depending on your pace, you should be able to easily complete this course within 7 weeks or even faster. After that, you’ll get a professional certificate offered by Coursera. It’s verified and accredited, so you’ll be able to add it to your CV or portfolio instantly.
The course is taught by two instructors: Tina Hernandez-Boussard and Mildred Cho. Tina Hernandez-Boussard is an Associate Professor of Medicine (Biomedical Informatics) of Biomedical Data Sciences, and of Surgery at Stanford University, while Mildred Cho is a Professor in the Division of Medical Genetics of the Department of Pediatrics and in the Division of Primary Care and Population Health of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University. As you probably know, in order to become an expert, you need to learn from the very best in their field.
After completing this course, you will understand more about:
- Different practices and principles of AI integration into the clinical workflows.
- The practices of AI applications that are used to promote fair and equitable solutions for healthcare.
- Standard evaluation metrics.
- AI applications and challenges in their regulation.
This course is highly recommended by students, no matter if you enroll in a separate course or choose a specialization.
Now that we’re done with the most recommended Stanford AI courses online, it’s time to focus on the alternative options.
Alternatives to Stanford AI Courses Online
There are some truly great Stanford AI courses to choose from. However, you might be interested in checking out a few recommended alternatives that could help you to become an expert in this field.
The provided alternatives are also offered by reliable universities and other institutions of education, so you can be sure that the courses are of the highest quality.
AI for Everyone: Master the Basics (Enroll HERE)
- Institution: IBM
- Platform: edX
- Duration: 4 weeks (1-2 hours per week)
- Price: FREE
- Certificate: $99
- Level: Introductory
- Apply HERE
Once you’re done with Stanford AI courses, or in case you decide that they’re not the right fit for you, you can always check out some of the most recommended AI courses online. AI for Everyone is one of those courses.
The course will provide you with AI basics, explain to you what it is as well as how it can be used to make our lives easier. You will also explore such concepts as deep learning, machine learning and neural networks.
If you’re learning about 1-2 hours per week you should be able to finish this course within 4 weeks. Since it’s self-paced, feel free to study whenever you find the time. Also, the good news is that you can enroll in this course completely free, or choose to get a professional and accredited certification for $99. Needless to say, that's completely for you to decide.
This course will definitely teach you a lot, including:
- Basics of AI and how it can be used in everyday lives.
- Understanding of AI-related terms, such as deep learning, machine learning and neural networks.
- Ethical concerns that are surrounding AI.
- Get advice from experts in the field on AI career as well as how to easier master it.
If you want to become an expert in AI, you will need to put a lot of effort and time into learning. However, the knowledge is completely worth it in the end.
CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python (Enroll HERE)
- Institution: HarvardX
- Platform: edX
- Duration: 7 weeks (10-30 hours per week)
- Price: FREE
- Certificate: $199
- Level: Introductory
- Apply HERE
CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python is one of the more popular courses that will provide you with AI basics as well as teach you how to use machine learning with Python.
In this course, you’ll be exploring the concepts and algorithms of artificial intelligence. What is more, you’ll be analyzing such topics as machine translation, handwriting recognition, game-playing engines, and so much more.
Even though you might be able to complete this course within 7 weeks, it’s rather extensive. That’s because it’s recommended that you study 10-30 hours per week. Of course, it’s completely self-paced, so it’s up to you how much time you spend learning.
This course will cover in-depth information, so you’ll definitely learn a lot, including:
- How the graph search algorithms work.
- What probability theory is.
- Markov models.
- The understanding of machine learning and neural networks.
- How natural language processing works.
- ...
Since it’s an introductory-level course, it’s definitely a great place to start.
Professional Certificate in Applied AI (Enroll HERE)
- Institution: IBM
- Platform: edX
- Duration: 6 months (3-5 hours per week)
- Price: $534.60
- Certificate: YES
- Level: Introductory
- Apply HERE
The final option that’s one of the better alternatives to Stanford University AI online courses is the Professional Certificate in Applied AI. The certificate will introduce you to artificial intelligence and its key concepts, such as machine learning, deep learning and neural networks. What is more, you will learn about building, analyzing, deploying and monetizing chatbots. Also, you’ll be practicing how to use Python for data science, and so much more.
Professional Certificate in Applied AI consists of 6 self-paced courses that will provide you with in-depth knowledge in AI. These courses include AI for Everyone: Master the Basics, Introduction to Watson AI, AI Chatbots without Programming, Python Basics for Data Science, Ai Applications with Watson, and Computer Vision Fundamentals with Watson and OpenCV.
Since it’s a certification, it will take longer to complete - about 6 months. Also, it’s no longer free, currently, it costs $534.60. Compared with traditional learning institutions, it’s very affordable. Also, it will help you to get a professional certification that might be a key to your dream career.
After completing the Professional Certificate in Applied AI, you will learn:
- Concepts such as deep learning, machine learning and neural networks.
- Building and training image classifiers using Watson, Python and OpenCV.
- How to create a customer support chatbot.
- Understanding computer vision and its implications.
- AI basics, and how it can be used to help our lives.
- How to deploy speech-enabled virtual assistants.
There’s even more information that this specialization covers, however, that should help you to have a pretty clear idea of the topics that you’ll be covering.
Things You Should Know About Artificial Intelligence
Even though so many people are looking for Stanford AI courses, it seems that not everyone understands the importance of it as well as where AI is used nowadays. So let’s fix that.
It might sound shocking, however, artificial intelligence has been in existence in one form or another for about 50 years. Artificial intelligence is capable of performing actions that typically require people’s interference and intelligence. In other words, it can possess some level of human intelligence.
Nowadays, there are three different ways in which AI operates: assisted intelligence, augmented intelligence and autonomous intelligence. Assisted intelligence helps people and companies to improve what they’re already doing. Augmented intelligence allows people to perform tasks that they weren’t able to do previously. Autonomous intelligence is still being developed, its main goal is to enable cars to be driving on their own.
As I already said, AI is used in our daily lives, let me give you a few examples:
- eCommerce. Artificial intelligence analyzes your previous choices and manages to provide you with recommendations based on what you were looking for.
- Cybersecurity. AI is used in cybersecurity to help recognize cyber attacks, it can instantly spot different types of malware on a network.
- Self-driving cars and other vehicles. An increasing number of AI-powered vehicles come into the market today. It can help to avoid accidents and other dangers on the road.
- Smart homes. AI is used in smart home thermostats, it works by learning from your behavior in order to save energy.
- Machine translation. To improve translations and provide you with recommendations, AI is used in language translation software, whether we’re talking about written or spoken texts.
- Smartphones. It’s pretty obvious that smartphones are using AI to provide you with personalized services. One of the examples is virtual assistants that provide you with recommendations and help you to make plans.
There are multiple other examples of where AI is and can be used, however, these are the most common examples.
Choosing the Best Online Learning Platform for Stanford AI Courses
When it comes to Stanford AI courses as well as other online classes, it’s important to choose a reliable and high-rated MOOC provider. That will make the entire learning experience so much better.
Now that it’s said, let’s take a look at the factors that you should consider when it comes to picking an online learning platform.
- The quality of the courses.
The very first thing that you need to pay attention to is the quality of courses. To ensure that you get access to high-quality content, it’s important to choose a reliable online learning platform. When it comes to Stanford AI courses online, the most recommended one is Coursera. However, talking about the alternative AI classes that are recommended for everyone who wants to become an expert in this field, many of them are available on edX. It's also one of the leading online learning providers.
- Learning from the experts.
If you want to become an expert, you have to learn from the best. For this reason, it’s recommended to choose MOOC providers that allow you to choose from classes offered by reliable institutions. Both edX and Coursera will provide you with not only Stanford courses but also online classes and programs offered by other leading institutions of higher education, such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and many more.
- Getting accredited and verified certificates.
You should know that while the majority of MOOC providers offer certified courses, those certificates are rarely accredited and verified. This means that they’re not as valuable as you would hope them to be. Speaking about that, there are a few platforms that offer professional and verified certificates. That included edX and Coursera. As mentioned, Coursera offers a variety of Stanford AI courses, whereas edX can provide you with alternative options that can help you to get in-depth knowledge.
- Affordable prices.
Even though online courses are so much more affordable than traditional learning institutions, some of them tend to be a bit pricey. That’s why, before deciding which MOOC provider to choose, you should check out the prices. It’s best if you have an opportunity to learn completely free, especially when it comes to Stanford AI courses as well as other similar options. In fact, Coursera offers a variety of courses that you can learn completely free, Stanford artificial intelligence courses included.
Now that you know what you need to be looking for, your decision should be way easier.
Did you know?
Have you ever wondered which online learning platforms are the best for your career?
Conclusions
Artificial intelligence is used everywhere around us, for example, eCommerce, cars, cybersecurity, healthcare, and many other fields. Understanding how AI works and being able to apply it in the real world could open new future opportunities, especially when it comes to your career.
Now, it’s not easy to find worthy courses, however, Stanford AI courses online that we already discussed are definitely worth it. That being said, if you don’t know where to begin, simply check each of these courses out:
- Machine Learning
- AI in Healthcare Specialization
- Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Healthcare
- Evaluations of AI Applications in Healthcare
Also, if you want to continue learning AI to deepen your knowledge, you should take the alternative courses into account:
- AI for Everyone: Master the Basics
- CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python
- Professional Certificate in Applied AI
Since there are so many choices when it comes to learning Stanford AI courses online, you can start right now!