Data science has become one of the most looked-for areas in the wake of big data. Whether you are a fresher entering into data science or you are an experienced professional looking to skill up, finding the right course pushes you absolutely to the roadmap for transformation.

Here we have jotted down 20 online data science courses that would be very prominent for 2024; all of the courses can either be taken for free or as a paid variant. These range from basic concepts and ideas to advanced techniques, so you can find whichever best applies to your needs.

1. Professional Certificate in Data Science by IBM (Coursera)

Course Description: Gain an understanding of how to do the basics in the field right with this comprehensive program offered by IBM, teaching you Python, SQL, data visualization, and machine learning, among many more.

Duration: 10 months

Cost: Paid, with the option of Financial Aid Availability

2. Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate (Coursera)

Course Description: This course is aimed at beginners and will help them get through cleaning, analyzing, and visualizing data with the tools available in SQL, R, and Tableau.

Duration: 6 months

Cost: Paid; Financial aid available

3. Data Science MicroMasters (edX)

Course Description: Offered by the University of California, Diego, this MicroMasters program will delve deeper into data science, with a focus on the practical application of knowledge gained.

Duration: 1 year

Cost: Paid

4. Machine Learning by Stanford University (Coursera)

Course Description: Machine Learning Andrew Ng. This course is one of the most popular online learning resources for learning concepts and applications of machine learning.

Duration: 11 weeks

Cost: Free, optionally with paid certificate

5. Introduction to Data Science Metis

Course Description: Free introductory course on the basics of data science: Python programming, data wrangling, and machine learning.

Duration: Self-paced

Cost: Free

6. Python for Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp Udemy

Course Description:  This class is an introduction to the basics of Python programming, NumPy, Pandas, data visualization, and basic machine learning algorithms.

Duration: 25 hours of video content

Cost: Paid

7. Data Science Specialization

Course Description: This is a ten-course specialization on how to do data science using R programming by Johns Hopkins University.

Duration: 11 months

Cost: Paid; optional financial aid is available.

8. Advance Machine Learning (Coursera)

Course Description: This specialization from National Research University Higher School of Economics covers advanced machine learning techniques.

Duration: 8 months

Cost: Paid

9. Data Science Career Track by Springboard

Course Description: This program includes mentorship, career-coaching, and real-world projects using data science tools and techniques; it also comes with a job guarantee.

Duration: 6-9 months

Cost: Paid

10. Deep Learning Specialization by Coursera

Course Description: Another course about deep learning and neural networks by Andrew Ng.

Duration: 3 months

Cost: Paid (with financial aid available)

11. HarvardX Data Science Professional Certificate (edX)

Course Description: Arm yourself with an integrated package of courses on R programming, followed up with lectures on statistics, machine learning, and data visualization.
Duration: 1 year

Cost: Paid

12. Data Science for Executives (edX)

Course Description: The aim of this course is to introduce managers and executives to how to apply data science strategically in business.

Duration: 10 weeks

Cost: Paid

13. Statistics and Data Science MicroMasters (edX)

Course Description: Courses are provided by MIT and range from probability and statistics to machine learning.

Duration:1 year

Cost: Paid

14. Applied Data Science with Python Specialization (Coursera)

Course Description: In this applied mild course, the University of Michigan covers data analysis, visualization, and machine learning with Python.

Duration: 5 months

Cost: Paid

15. Introduction to Probability and Data (Coursera)

Course Description: This introduction-to-probability course by Duke University will let novices understand the very basics of the field of probability, data analysis, and statistics.

Duration: 5 weeks

Cost: Free, Optional Paid Certificate

16. Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp (Udacity)

Course Description: This nanodegree program contains projects in the real world and covers Python, SQL, machine learning, and data visualization.

Duration: 4 months

Cost: Paid

17. Microsoft Professional Program in Data Science (edX)

Course Description: It is a thorough program that involves the foundation of Data Science, that is, data analysis, machine learning, and big data.

Duration: 6-8 months

Cost: Paid

18. Coursera's Data Science Ethics

Course Description: The University of Michigan designed this course to consider ethical practices in the field of data science.

Duration: 4 weeks

Cost: Free with optional paid certificate

19. Google Cloud Platform Big Data and Machine Learning Fundamentals (Coursera)

Course Description: In this course, you will learn the hard and soft skills that are required to work with big data and machine learning on the Google Cloud Platform.

Duration: 1 month

Cost: Free with optional paid certificate

20. Data Science: Foundations using R Specialization (Coursera)

Course Description: This is a Coursera specialization offered by Johns Hopkins University. It covers the foundational concepts of data science using R programming.

Duration: 6 months

Cost: Paid, with financial aid available

Picking the right course

As you choose a data science course, you should consider where in your development as a data scientist, what exactly you would like to do in your career, and within data science, which topics interest you the most. Free courses are really good for those who just want a taste and would not like to make a financial commitment; on the other side, if you need more deep content and recognized certificates, then opt for paid courses.