MATLAB Essentials from edX

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Expand your data analysis and modeling skills in MATLAB, a programming and numeric computing platform used to analyze data, develop algorithms, and create models. Millions of engineers and scientists worldwide use MATLAB to study and build advanced applications in machine learning, deep learning, signal processing, communications, image processing, and control systems. They are shaping the future by modeling rockets that may someday take you into space, developing autonomous vehicles to travel safely and efficiently, and designing wave farms that harness the power of ocean waves to generate clean energy.

In this course, you'll use MATLAB to examine real-world problems and answer questions like:

How far does a blue whale swim each day?
What is the favorite topping in a pizza shop?
What is the ride quality of a car suspension?
How does the magnitude of an earthquake impact the strength of a tsunami?
What is the most expensive failure in a factory?

MATLAB makes it easy to see results quickly, so there are no pre-requisites for the course. Whether you're auditing or a verified learner, you will have free access to MATLAB for the duration of the course. You will learn how to process, analyze, and visualize data collected nearly everywhere in today's digital workplace. You'll use powerful templates and auto-generated code to start experimenting immediately and quickly process similar data sets. And you'll gain the essential programming skills needed to perform these exciting tasks.

Throughout the course, you'll have ample opportunities to practice your newly acquired skills – through auto-graded assignments, practice quizzes, interactive readings, and projects. By the end of the course, you'll be ready to analyze your own data sets and impress colleagues with word clouds, geographic plots, animations, and more.

Additionally, this course will give you the skills you need to prepare for the MathWorks Certified MATLAB Associate exam. Certification verifies valuable transferable skills, sets you apart in the job market, and can help accelerate professional growth.

What's inside

Learning objectives

Accessing data within a wide range of formats from spreadsheets and text files
Producing professional-quality visualizations for 2-d, 3-d, geographic, text, and time-series data
Performing typical analysis tasks such as group statistics or processing data

Creating animations to visualize changes over time
Sharing work with colleagues for collaboration

Accessing data within a wide range of formats from spreadsheets and text files
Producing professional-quality visualizations for 2-d, 3-d, geographic, text, and time-series data
Performing typical analysis tasks such as group statistics or processing data
Creating animations to visualize changes over time
Sharing work with colleagues for collaboration

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Develops essential programming skills for analyzing data sets using MATLAB

Provides ample opportunities for practicing newly acquired skills through assignments, quizzes, readings, and projects

Develops proficiency in MATLAB for industrial applications in industries such as machine learning, signal processing, and image processing

Prepares learners for the MathWorks Certified MATLAB Associate exam, enhancing their professional credibility and career growth

Emphasizes data visualization and analysis using MATLAB, making it accessible to learners with no prerequisites

Leverages real-world examples and case studies to illustrate the practical applications of MATLAB in various domains

Reviews summary

Matlab essentials well received

Learners say this MATLAB Essentials course gets learners up to speed who are brand-new to the software, with no coding experience being necessary. High praise is given for helpful instructors, engaging videos, and real-world section projects that let students try out what they have learned. Some students who have taken a college course in MATLAB in the past still say that this course is highly beneficial, as it can help with data manipulation and other aspects of the programming language.

Course is perfect for beginners with only basic knowledge.

"For beginners with only basic knowledge is perfect."

"Great course for a beginner, the teaching style is engaging and impressive..."

Course provides a strong foundation in data manipulation techniques.

"The course had a different emphasis than manipulating data that this course included."

"This course showed several key aspects of the programming that are very important, which include importing and manipulating data, by group data set analysis and creation and use of apps."

Videos and course content are well-made and interesting.

"The course developers certainly gave MATLAB an effective introduction, and the code along videos make you feel like a real engineer."

"The enthusiasm from the speakers, the well put together course content..."

Instructors are active and willing to help.

"The staff in the discussion forums are active, friendly and very willing to help..."

Section projects let students apply their knowledge to real-world problems.

"The highlight of the course for me are the section projects after each unit where we are given a real life problem and asked to code in MATLAB."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in MATLAB Essentials with these activities:

Organize Course Notes and Resources

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Organizing your notes and resources systematically will make it easier to review and refer to the key concepts covered in the course.

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Create a dedicated folder or notebook for the course.
Organize notes, assignments, quizzes, and exams into logical sections.
Review and update your notes regularly.

Review Basic Calculus Concepts

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Warming up with some basic calculus concepts will help you recall critical fundamentals necessary to succeed at a higher level in this course.

Browse courses on Calculus

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Review limits, derivatives, and integrals.

Complete MATLAB Tutorials

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Following guided tutorials will help you build a solid foundation in MATLAB's capabilities and best practices.

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Locate reputable online MATLAB tutorials.
Work through the tutorials step-by-step, completing all exercises.

Five other activities

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Join a MATLAB Study Group

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Participating in a study group allows you to discuss concepts, collaborate on projects, and learn from others' perspectives.

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Find or create a MATLAB study group with classmates or online.
Meet regularly to discuss course material, work on assignments, and share knowledge.

Solve MATLAB Programming Challenges

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Solving a variety of coding challenges will strengthen your MATLAB skills and your ability to apply your knowledge to real-world problems.

Browse courses on MATLAB Programming

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Find online MATLAB coding challenges.
Attempt to solve the challenges on your own.
Review solutions and discuss with peers or mentors.

Begin a MATLAB Portfolio Project

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Starting a portfolio project early on will allow you to showcase your MATLAB skills and progress throughout the course.

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Identify a specific area of interest or problem you want to explore using MATLAB.
Gather data, conduct research, and brainstorm potential solutions.
Start developing and implementing your project.

Develop a MATLAB Project

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Developing a project from scratch will allow you to apply your MATLAB skills to a practical problem and showcase your abilities.

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Identify a problem to solve or a project to build.
Design and implement a solution using MATLAB.
Test and refine your project.
Document your project with clear explanations and code comments.

Offer MATLAB Tutoring or Mentoring

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Mentoring others not only solidifies your own understanding but also allows you to contribute to the success of fellow students.

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Identify opportunities to assist fellow students who need support with MATLAB.
Provide guidance, support, and encouragement through tutoring sessions or online forums.

Career center

Learners who complete MATLAB Essentials will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Data Analyst

Data Analysts analyze data to solve problems and answer questions. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access and analyze data, create visualizations, and develop models. These skills are essential for Data Analysts who need to be able to communicate their findings to stakeholders. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as a Data Analyst.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Analyst

Data Scientist

Data Scientists use data to build models that can predict future outcomes. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access, analyze, and visualize data. You will also learn how to develop machine learning models and use them to solve real-world problems. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as a Data Scientist.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist

Machine Learning Engineer

Machine Learning Engineers design and implement machine learning models. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access, analyze, and visualize data. You will also learn how to develop machine learning models and use them to solve real-world problems. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as a Machine Learning Engineer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Machine Learning Engineer

Quantitative Analyst

Quantitative Analysts use mathematical and statistical models to analyze data. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access, analyze, and visualize data. You will also learn how to develop mathematical and statistical models and use them to solve real-world problems. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as a Quantitative Analyst.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quantitative Analyst

Software Engineer

Software Engineers design, develop, and implement software applications. This course will provide you with the programming skills needed to build software applications. You will also learn how to use MATLAB to automate tasks and develop models. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as a Software Engineer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer

Business Analyst

Business Analysts use data to improve business processes. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access, analyze, and visualize data. You will also learn how to develop business models and use them to identify opportunities for improvement. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as a Business Analyst.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Financial Analyst

Financial Analysts use data to make investment decisions. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access, analyze, and visualize data. You will also learn how to develop financial models and use them to evaluate investment opportunities. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as a Financial Analyst.

See salaries and explore the career path for Financial Analyst

Statistician

Statisticians use data to draw conclusions about the world around us. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access, analyze, and visualize data. You will also learn how to develop statistical models and use them to make inferences about the world around us. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as a Statistician.

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Operations Research Analyst

Operations Research Analysts use mathematical and statistical models to solve business problems. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access, analyze, and visualize data. You will also learn how to develop mathematical and statistical models and use them to solve real-world problems. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as an Operations Research Analyst.

See salaries and explore the career path for Operations Research Analyst

Computer Systems Analyst

Computer Systems Analysts design, develop, and implement computer systems. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access, analyze, and visualize data. You will also learn how to use MATLAB to automate tasks and develop models. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as a Computer Systems Analyst.

See salaries and explore the career path for Computer Systems Analyst

Database Administrator

Database Administrators manage and maintain databases. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access, analyze, and visualize data. You will also learn how to use MATLAB to automate tasks and develop models. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as a Database Administrator.

See salaries and explore the career path for Database Administrator

Web Developer

Web Developers design, develop, and implement websites. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access, analyze, and visualize data. You will also learn how to use MATLAB to automate tasks and develop models. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as a Web Developer.

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Information Security Analyst

Information Security Analysts protect data and systems from unauthorized access. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access, analyze, and visualize data. You will also learn how to develop security models and use them to protect data and systems. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as an Information Security Analyst.

See salaries and explore the career path for Information Security Analyst

Data Visualization Specialist

Data Visualization Specialists create visualizations that communicate data to others. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access, analyze, and visualize data. You will also learn how to use MATLAB to create professional-quality visualizations. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as a Data Visualization Specialist.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Visualization Specialist

Computer Programmer

Computer Programmers write code that runs on computers. This course will provide you with the skills needed to access, analyze, and visualize data. You will also learn how to use MATLAB to automate tasks and develop models. By taking this course, you can gain the skills you need to launch or advance your career as a Computer Programmer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Computer Programmer