Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python)
- Free to audit
- Paid certificate
- Beginner
- 7 weeks
Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python) is the University of Michigan's first Python course on edX, written for people with no programming background at all. It covers what a program is, how to store data in variables, conditional execution with if statements, repeated execution with loops, and functions and code reuse. The homework is done in the web browser, so the page notes you can complete the programming assignments on a phone or a public computer without installing anything.
edX lists it at introductory level, self-paced, at seven weeks of two to four hours a week. The audit track is free and includes the course material for a limited period, with edX stating that audit access expires after the estimated course length; graded assignments and the certificate are not included. The verified track, with graded work and a certificate, is priced at 59 US dollars on the course page.
What you’ll learn
- Explain what a program is and how Python executes it
- Store and use data in variables
- Control which code runs with if statements
- Repeat work with for loops
- Write functions and reuse code
Who it’s for
True beginners who want to learn Python without any setup; if you already know another language you may move through it quickly.
Instructor
- Charles Severance Professor, School of Information
Course details
- Skills covered
- Data Structures
- Mathematics
- Python (Programming Language)
- Web Browsers
On edx.org
Rated 4.7 out of 5 by 182 learners; 599,248 enrolled, as shown on the course page on 20 Oct 2026. These are edx.org’s own figures, not ours.
Source: edX (opens in a new tab) · Verified · Report a change
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