MIT xPRO | Bootcamps

MIT IDSS and Great learning’s data science and machine learning course is an excellent 12 week course that gets you on your toes within the first two weeks into the course. The online tutorials are both  thorough and quite engaging.

 If you have a  daytime job be sure to work extra hard to keep up with the ever looming deadlines for submitting weekly exam quizzes and projects after completing each module. 

There is also some mandatory weekend mentorship sessions. Although they are recorded for if you fail to attend . I personally ensured that I attended 100% of the time. This is really important as it gets you the opportunity to engage with industry experts . You also get the opportunity to ask questions and get clarifications on  issues you may have missed or didn’t quite understand. Additionally the mentorship approach is structured in such a way that it fills like you’re breaking new ground into some subtle familiarities.
Their Program coordinators are very professional and accommodating. You can approach them for any questions clarifications or doubts. They always find ways to address your concerns .
  The prerecorded lectures conducted by MIT professors somewhat make you feel like you’re on campus. I am proud with myself for taking this course. I would greatly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn from the best in the field of Data science and machine learning. Read less

My great learning experience of data science and machine learning was excellent. I consider the staff quality, the lectures and the handouts  to be top in the world. I  always felt supported by the MIT staff, my WhatsApps were quickly answered  whenever I had a question,  and the weekly lectures were very important to clarify my doubts. I am very sure that I will continue taking more courses. Learning is a lifelong exciting road Read less

I recently completed a data science bootcamp program and I must say, it was an incredible experience. The course design was well-structured and the practical, hands-on approach to using Python was extremely effective. The techniques that were taught were up-to-date and could be easily applied to real-world business scenarios.The instructors and mentors were patient and always willing to address any questions or concerns that arose during the program. The program manager was also extremely helpful in coordinating schedule changes and assignment submissions to ensure a positive course experience and ultimate success.Overall, I highly recommend this data science bootcamp program to anyone looking to expand their skills and knowledge in this field. Additionally, if advanced and continuous course options become available, I would definitely consider taking them to further enhance my skills. Read less

As a senior researcher with over 15 years of experience in academia, I have found the Applied Data Science Program offered by MIT Professional Education, in collaboration with Great Learning, to be an exceptional learning experience. The program delivers a comprehensive and well-rounded understanding of data-driven business decisions and has enabled me to significantly upgrade my data analytics skills, including mastering Python. The meticulously designed curriculum covers essential topics such as machine learning, data visualization, time-series analysis, recommendation systems, and deep learning, striking a balance between theoretical knowledge and practical application. The live virtual classes and mentorship sessions are led by top MIT faculty members and industry experts, ensuring both academic rigor and industry relevance. The knowledge I have gained from this program will undoubtedly be instrumental in my future endeavors. I highly recommend this program to professionals seeking to expand their data science expertise and make a positive impact in their organizations. Read less

In Nov-2022 I completed the Fall MIT IDSS Data Science certification, operated by Great Learning (https://www.mygreatlearning.com/). This is a good course for anyone aspiring to learn how to implement popular machine learning and AI techniques using current state of the art technologies such as Python and Google Colab. The course is an ideal blend of theory and hands-on projects and workshops that combined, will help anyone who is already proficient with elementary discrete mathematics and object-oriented programming. There were approximately 350 enrolled students in my class broken into two cohorts by time-zone. A majority of my classmates appear to have readily understood the theory, but struggled with programming assignments. Thus in hindsight, I'd strongly recommend that you consider a beginner/refresher Python programming course prior to enrolling in this course.

The lectures consist entirely of online pre-recorded videos, along with copious curated collections of supplemental reading materials; nearly all of which are freely available on the web. There are a total of around a dozen lecturers, all of whom are MIT faculty and fellows of the Institute for Data Science & Society (IDSS). The faculty team is unequaled not only in their understanding of the course content but also in their collective ability to communicate complex subject matter in a way that nearly anyone can easily understand. They are in a word: gifted.

You'll learn the following in this course: analyzing structured and unstructured data, classification systems, predictive analytics, AI deep learning, recommendation systems, and some basic graph theory. The subject matter and examples are on par with the current state of the art that you see in large Internet platforms like Amazon.com and Netflix as well as inside industry leading academic research platforms like Broad Institute.

If you apply yourself then this course is a one-stop shop to catapult yourself into the current vanguard of machine learning and AI.

Good:

• The faculty. I learned from the world's greatest minds in ML and AI. Every instructor is inspiring, is exceptionally well-informed in their field, and demonstrate extraordinary communication skill.
• Mentors and Live Sessions. Great Learning provides semi-weekly live group video mentor sessions via Zoom. The mentors are as knowledgeable as the instructors, if not more so, largely because they all come from industry and thus are currently-practicing professionals.
• Code samples. You'll acquire a very nice library of working Python code for every subject covered in the course. I can't overstate the usefulness of these code samples.
• Networking. I met several dozen kindred spirits during this course. My colleagues were all, and without exception, bright and talented minds whom I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to meet and to stay in contact.
• Web platform. Great Learning has a proprietary online learning management system (LMS) that, while not without its shortcomings (see below), is fundamentally a robust and full-featured system that is mostly intuitive and easy to use.

Bad:

• Basic organization. The course lacked a concrete syllabus, with dates & times of lectures, homework assignments, and other graded activities. The course content remains in a locked state until you arrive to the date upon which someone at Great Learning decides that its time for you to gain access. After completing around half the course I finally figured out the rhyme to this insanity. Why anyone would lock content that you already paid for is anyone guess, but from a learner's perspective it's a galactically stupid policy.
• Required video sessions at weird hours. The mentors, as good as they truly are, ought to be valuable **optional** resource for learners. but that is not the case. Whether you need help or not, the live video mentor sessions are not only mandatory but your attendance in these sessions factors into your final course grade. If that wasn't bad enough, the session themselves were held at extremely peculiar hours like say, on Sunday mornings at 7:00am, lasting for 2.50 hours. Furthermore, Great Learning was generally awful at basic communication like say, in communicating when these sessions would be held, if at all. These, in my case pointless, video sessions were the bane of my existence for the duration of this course. They complicated my business travel logistics to no end, and frequently ruined my family plans. And lastly, the live mentor sessions were generally held after I'd already submitted my graded homework/quiz, making them even more pointless in my case.
  
  

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The machine learning course is been a very challenging one for me , but most important im enjoying this process , the stuff , teachers and head make this course really easy for you on the process to teach every aspect. They are always there to help you and answer every question you have  Read less

I am 19 years old and I recently graduated high school. I was looking for more affordable alternatives to getting a four year degree as I have no quarrels with furthering my education but college is prohibitively expensive for someone in my situation. That being said, I definitely did not find it here. This has, by far, been one of the most difficult times in my life and it is 100% because of this course. To start, there are no live lectures where you can ask questions. All you get are this little 1 hour sessions where people who don't know the first [redacted] thing about teaching work through some concept that go on once a week. Second off, ALL and yes I mean ALL of the course material is YEARS out of date. SO MUCH SO THAT MOST OF THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE BACK END PORTION OF THE CLASS, WHEN FOLLOWED, WILL NOT RUN.  This course is simply using MIT's name to sell you something that is outdated and will not help your learning progress at all. Read less

Having just finished this course, I write this review as a cautionary tale...do not waste your time and money on this program. While it is exciting to have the opportunity to learn from two MIT professors who are clearly very passionate and very skilled at what they do, that does not translate well in these videos. The majority of the videos are spent explaining bits and pieces of what  code was implemented, not why and/or how. You'll watch these videos multiple times and still have a hard time grasping the information because it's explained in such a poor, rambling manner. These videos/starter code files are nearly two years old and as a result, the majority of the code will be broken on the last two of the three sections of the course, most notably in the last course. The code editor that is used to submit assignments is very particular in its logic, so you'll spend more time trying to learn how to pass the coding assignments the way that the system wants you to, rather than actually learning how to code. I hoped that at the least I'd have a certificate with the MIT name on it and that's literally the only positive I can take out of this course six months later. 

The only reason why I've given an additional star under the instructors is for the live learning facilitators-they're incredible and one of the few bright spots in the mess of a program. One of the great benefits is that you have access to them five times a week. They already work in the field and do a very good job of providing support/walking through building projects and answering questions. That's really the only positive I can think of. I wouldn't recommend this course to anyone who does not already have a background in coding, because it's very hard to grasp the material. I feel like I've learned next to nothing and would consider legal action to get my money back if I thought I had a case.  Read less

Gosh, I wish I wasn't writing this review after the money that was put on my credit card. I feel like a fool but they totally used the MIT name in order to sell, sell, sell. Nothing about this bootcamp is beginner friendly but even if you put that aside, the assignments that work on a program called NextTech do not work half of the time. So even if your code is correct, you can't see it on the console. On top of that, you do not have accesses to any coders, so getting help on your home work is near impossible. I have a 'coder' husband who helped me through the beginning of the assignments before he finally said, cut your loses. There are so many typos in their code and you're able to pass your Next Tech assignments even if your code is wrong OR right. Anyway, this is almost scam level and I am personally surprised more people haven't reported them to better business bureau.  Read less

I would describe this Bootcamp as a: some knowledge and self-taught Bootcamp.

Professionally,  I have a degree in BS Computer Science and I've been a software engineer for over a decade, focusing more on technologies like Java.

I decided to take this Bootcamp because I wanted to learn new technologies and I wanted to force myself to complete it but I would say that even though it is described as a 0 experience/knowledge needed if you have some experience or knowledge it would be the best because a lot of the information is left out so you can research it and if you have no clue what to look for, it could be really frustrating.

On the positive side, modules are pretty interesting and they have slack groups where you get to meet and work with your classmates so you can also start building teamwork skills that are needed in the real world.

Finally,  they also have some sessions to help you to find jobs and how to get better at interviews so that can be useful for those ones looking for a change in their careers. Read less

The program gives a strong foundation to become a full-stack developer starting with no experience in the subject.  If you put the time & effort, study the lessons and the additional materials, attend to the live office hours, engage with your classmates & facilitators, and practice what you've learned, you really acquire the skills and knowledge to create great websites/apps  Read less

So in January this year,  I started researching about which industries had more jobs than the right candidates to fill the positions. 

Coding came up tops so I begun another research on the best institutions to learn how to code. Two days after I had started my search, I started seeing banner adverts of this course on social media. I scheduled a call with a course advisor who was so helpful and answered my questions in great detail. I joined the live information session on this course and after reading on the course instructors and what they have achieved in the coding fraternity, I immediately knew i wanted to study at MiT. 

The course is very demanding, It's designed in a way that makes you do a lot of research on the curriculum. The course work requires between 15-20 hours per week to complete. There are weekly assignments and quizzes which must be submitted in order to complete the course work for the week. 

The course is in three parts, the first part is web development which teaches how to layout a website, design it and create a logic for the site. At the end of each part, there's a project that every student must complete as part of the course work. The projects helps you practice what you've been taught.

The Next Tech platform which is a program we use to submit coding assignments is very opinionated and often leaves you frustrated when its not accepting your code. DO NOT GET FRUSTRATED, if you follow the instructions, next tech will accept the code for submission.

The best part of this bootcamp for me is the learning facilitators. Three facilitators meet with students 3 times a week at different times. The learning facilitators are so helpful and take their time to explain the concepts. They are like our number one fans and always look out for us. They have Q&A's during their office hours, interact with students on the course platform and are quick to reply emails.

I'm 20 weeks into this course and though I know I have a lot of learning to do in the area of coding, I often look back and realise how much I have learned about coding. The course also provides mentoring services for its students, as well us prepare you for your job search.

If you are a self learner, this is the course for you. 


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This course is highly professional. I like about having quizzes and guided exercises to work on throughout each module. Professors explain in a practical way, working also on practical examples/exercises. I find also the support/facilitators system working perfectly and giving full and quick support to all students whenever it's needed. Plus, there's plently of office hours videos, where learning facilitators take you through some exercises and some particular coding situatrions/cases. Read less

When I was planning to join this boot camp, i was littile hesitant since I had a very littile Expierence in coding but faculty, office hours and  course material definitely made it easy to learn and grow in this program. I highly recommend this program to with no coding background people too. They teach from basics and slowly everything will stay making sense. Read less

In my opinion this course is great for students who work well independently, basically self-taught learners.  If you are looking for a lot of one-on-one attention/help, the VIP treatment, holding your hand to help you early on in your learning this probably isn't the course for you.  There are no classes really, just recorded video some of which is hit or miss (this is why this course is NOT $30K, because it is mostly recorded video).    You get 3 hours of live office hours (which is kind of like a class) a week from one of your learning facilitators (LF) (not an MIT professor...they made the recorded videos).  The LFs are developers who are working in the field now which is great!  It depends on the each LF how you can interact in the live office hour.  Some let you use audio, some only text chat (all on Zoom).
I like the pace of the course.  It's not rushed like most bootcamps so you can really dig into subjects and gives you time to catch up.  The way material is presented is let's say...different.  It took me a little while to figure it out but what the course likes to do is give you a preview of what we are going to learn BUT they don't really say it's a preview.  So it's easy to freak out but DO NOT FREAK OUT!  Especially the FIRST WEEK.  They threw a ton of JavaScript at us on the official week 1 (the first week or two is just setting up your environment and learning your way around the terminal.)  One huge tip I can give is don't freak out when you get to week 1 because everything they throw at you they will go over in the subsequent weeks (and you have to definitely do some outside study/practice).  Because this course is 32-weeks you have tons of time to study/catch up but you definitely have to put in the work.  Just like anything in life, you get what you put into it.
The LFs are great and if you reach out to them they will get back to you but don't expect on-demand answers.  The fastest answers are Google of course but also your cohorts.  One of your cohorts will probably create a Slack or Discord server where everyone can help each other out.  If no one does, take the initiative and create one because the course does NOT have an official Slack channel like most bootcamps.  This course uses Canvas which is just a website email...so that can be very slow.  Tech support I believe is with Emeritus in Singapore so it can take 12 hours to get a tech issue reply (like if you are having trouble submitting an assignment.)
Overall I think this course is great bang for the buck but if you want 40+ hours of live class you are going to have to look elsewhere and shell out some serious cash.  If I was going to pay $20K to $30K I would want my class IN-PERSON because I would get a lot more out of it and it would be easier to form relationships with staff and cohorts.
One huge piece of advice is that I think no course can teach you everything.  Do not expect that.  You have to do a lot of things to learn this material.  Read docs, watch YouTube videos (a little, don't go crazy with it), read articles but above all else...practice, practice, practice!  BUILD PROJECTS! Don't just copy other peoples projects.  MAKE YOUR OWN PROJECTS!  Or improve the projects you coded along with.  My mistakes, struggle...that's how you learn. Read less

This course has been a game-changer for me. I've been curious about coding and after doing lessons on Khan Academy, I decided to take the plunge into a boot camp program. I looked at quite a few different options, but this one stood out to me for a few reasons.

First, the schedule is flexible enough to manage with an unusual work hours. You work at your own pace with new content each week, and the QA board and office hours allow you to ask questions and get feedback. Second, the cost was surprisingly affordable compared to my local universities, and payment plans are also offered. Lastly, MIT is a big name in STEM schools, and it shows in the curriculum. If you want a school that's got some weight behind it and aren't afraid of a challenge, this program is a good choice for you.

I've learned a tremendous amount about JavaScript, HTML, CSS and we are now covering React. I came into this program very green and it hasn't been easy, but the knowledge and skills I've gained are priceless.

For those who are interested, I would highly suggest reviewing the core concepts prior to enrollment because it can be overwhelming and some concepts are very abstract if you don't have a background in it. But overall, I believe this course can provide the necessary skills to thrive in a development environment. 



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Five stars! The MIT Applied AI course is an intensive, well-structured deep dive into the future of technology. The quality of the lectures, mentored learning sessions and the caliber of the peer community made the learning process incredibly engaging. It’s an essential investment for anyone serious about staying at the forefront of the AI revolution
Special shout out to the program managers team. Especially Sam, who was thorough and extremely helpful! 


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The program was both demanding and deeply rewarding. It covered a wide range of concepts in a relatively short time, but the strong support from the Great Learning team and mentors made the experience manageable and engaging. What stood out most was the emphasis on applying theory to real-world data. The hands-on projects were especially valuable, helping reinforce key concepts and build confidence in applying them in practical scenarios. Read less

Following my desire to grow my knowledge in AI, I decided to enroll on this journey with certain expectations, at the end these were overpassed and brought even more than expected. Good balance between theory and practice, interesting cases and great tools to work. Read less