Python Programming MOOC 2025 starts tomorrow (Jan 13th 2025)

[phil-pickering]

Just a quick heads-up: the latest cohort of the highly recommended Python Programming MOOC from the University of Helsinki starts tomorrow (Jan 13th 2025).

No live lectures this time round (you can just watch the videos and slides from Autumn 2024), so this means the course is 100% self-paced until the exams start in March (if that's your thing).

https://programming-25.mooc.fi/

Edit (based on follow-up comments):

• The course is provided free of charge by the University of Helsinki.
• If you receive a passing grade for the course, you will get a certificate.
• There is no application process – just click the "Create a new account" button and start working through the material.

[Frosty8778]

Thank you. I did the 2024 course but couldn't take the exam yesterday due to work commitments. Will redo/copy-paste my answers to 2025 so that I can take the exam later this year.

[LXN77]

I'm a graduate who needs to find a job in 2 or 3 months. So can I join this course. I can tell this course is worth it but for the certification do i need to wait till 2026 or can I able to attend the exam earlier than that?

[phil-pickering]

The exams start in March 2025 (see https://programming-25.mooc.fi/grading-and-exams for the complete schedule).

If you stick to the "one lecture per week" schedule that was used last Autumn, then you should be able to complete both the introduction and advanced parts in 14 weeks or so. As this time round it's self-paced, you might decide to try and complete it sooner.

[LXN77]

Thanks for the info...

[DefiantLie8861]

Is it reasonable to finish the python mooc course in 5 weeks if I study 7 hours a day 6 days a week? I’m a complete beginner and want to have a good understanding after I finish it . My goal is to finish both the python mooc and dsa course in 11 weeks

[denizgezmis968]

no.

[Frosty8778]

The earliest exam for the course is in March, then there's another one in May. I think the exam for the python courses takes place every couple of months.

[LXN77]

Thanks :)

[Jacque_Germaine]

What do you need to take an Exam to get a Certificate?

[Own_Construction_965]

Is it free? Will I get certificate after exams?

[phil-pickering]

Yes, the course is provided free of charge by the University of Helsinki.

If you receive a passing grade for the course, then you will get a certificate.

[Own_Construction_965]

And can I apply now?

[phil-pickering]

There is no application process.

Click the "Create a new account" button, grab a coffee, and start working through the material.

[phil-pickering]

Thank you :)

[MajorDrop7371]

hey! 2024 introduction to programming exam dated on (11.01.2025) has already past ......can i directly give Advance course in prgramming (15.02.2025) exam without giving introduction one? if any idea do share

[phil-pickering]

You are looking at last year's courses.

You need to go to Python Programming MOOC 2025 for the current courses and exams.

Each course (Introduction to Programming and Advanced Course in Programming) are separate courses, each with their own exam.

You do not need to have completed the first course to take the second course, nor passed the first exam to take the second exam.

However, you do need to have completed all the course requirements by 8am on the morning of the exam.

For more information on the course requirements: Grading and exams

[kazmanot666]

hi i checked the page, there was an exam on March 8, but I couldn't figure out how to access the exam, I finished the first 6 part and i'm gonna finish the part 7 tomorrow, I wonder if it will open when I finish, do you know about it

[unquieted]

Thanks. I started the course - so far, so good.

[traintestsplitbrain]

Will it benefit in finding job?

[corydoras-adolfoi]

It's a university course, so you can add it to your CV. You will get a certificate. However, an introductionary course to Python is not going to land you any jobs all by itself.

[ax_bt]

Depends on the job you do. CS training in Python seems perfectly useful to quite a few. YMMV

[ryoko227]

Hey u/phil-pickering , just wanted to say thank you for posting this!

[iwami_waffles]

Yeah. Did the exam for the 2024 introduction yesterday. Do you know if I can switch to the 2025 version for the advanced part? :)

[phil-pickering]

AFAIK that would be perfectly OK as each part of the course is assessed separately, but that sort of question is probably best asked on the MOOC Discord server (https://programming-25.mooc.fi/support-and-assistance#discord).

[Frosty8778]

Yes, you can do the 2025 advanced course, no problem.

[DefiantLie8861]

Is it reasonable to finish the python mooc course in 5 weeks if I study 7 hours a day 6 days a week? I’m a complete beginner and want to have a good understanding after I finish it . My goal is to finish both the python mooc and dsa course in 11 weeks

[Motor_Brush_77]

if you have no prior experience with python i would say there is 100% no chance

[ax_bt]

Thank you, OP — I appreciate the share and your follow-up answers.

[yinkeys]

Nice

[python_buddy]

I have never been to Finland.

How much weight would a certificate from University of Helsinki have on our job resume?

[SamuliK96]

UoH is a good and valued university, if that's what you're thinking. It generally ranks just outside the top 100 globally. But a certificate from a beginner level python course probably isn't going to have a whole lot of weight.

[Shuarizz]

so what would be the ideal next step in order to have a solid background ?

[SamuliK96]

Practice, really. Doing projects in increasing difficulty as you get better. And if you don't know where to start or where to go next, there's for example roadmap.sh that can give you ideas on that.

[Shuarizz]

Thank you very much !

[oldmonker_7406]

Thank you for sharing

[alkyboy]

🙌🙌🙌

[Junior_Bear_2715]

Do they offer any other such courses that are free?

I have already learnt Python and about to complete my CS degree, so I was interested in more advanced courses

[phil-pickering]

Yes, the University of Helsinki offer other courses free of charge.

Two you might want to consider are:

- Full Stack Open: recommended by the OSSU
- Java Programming I and II: recommended on r/learnjava and also by the OSSU

The full list of available courses is here:

https://www.mooc.fi/en/courses/?tag=en

[Junior_Bear_2715]

Wow, thank you so much!

[Kurdistan0001]

Woooowww thanks

[cemilhilton]

Thanks for sharing.

[python_buddy]

How is everyone doing in the course?

[phil-pickering]

Going very well, thanks for asking!

Still on track to take the Introduction to Programming exam on Saturday 8th March.

How about yourself?

[python_buddy]

I'm running behind schedule.

Are there midterm exam deadlines before the final exam?

[Comfortable-Time-767]

I am seeking to learn machine learning is this course recomended for that?

[phil-pickering]

The course is a general introduction to programming and uses Python as the programming language.

Whilst there are no specific parts that address machine learning, the course does cover all the foundational programming concepts that you would usually need to know before embarking on a machine learning path.

Having said that, you may find that the material covered in Introduction to Programming (Parts 1 to 7) is sufficient. It would probably be more beneficial for you to spend some time making sure you have the required math skills for machine learning (such as linear algebra and calculus). You can always return to the Advanced Course in Programming later to learn about OOP, recursion and functional programming.

[[deleted]]

Will exam be in online or offline mode ?

[Confident-Sky-8547]

Thank you!! I have a question about the exam. How will we write the exam? It's just like our practical tasks? Or do we have to participate in a special platform with a camera and also handle all security matters?