Innovate with the Next Frontier in Technology. Learn how the blockchain is leading to a paradigm shift in decentralized application programming

4.6

stars

4,280 ratings

Bina Ramamurthy

48,993 already enrolled

Offered By

University at Buffalo

The State University of New York

Blockchain SpecializationUniversity at Buffalo

What you will learn

Understand smart contracts, a core idea and computational model of blockchain that enables automation, autonomy, scalability and transparency.

Have an understanding and working knowledge of the emerging blockchain technology.

How to design and program smart contracts and decentralized application.

How to think of innovative application models, leveraging the blockchain technology.

Skills you will gain

Smart ContractEthereumBlockchainsSolidityCryptographyBitcoinCryptocurrencyBlockchainRemix IDEMetaMask clientDecentralized ApplicationsTruffle IDE

About this Specialization

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This specialization introduces blockchain, a revolutionary technology that enables peer-to-peer transfer of digital assets without any intermediaries, and is predicted to be just as impactful as the Internet. More specifically, it prepares learners to program on the Ethereum blockchain. The four courses provide learners with (i) an understanding and working knowledge of foundational blockchain concepts, (ii) a skill set for designing and implementing smart contracts, (iii) methods for developing decentralized applications on the blockchain, and (iv) information about the ongoing specific industry-wide blockchain frameworks. The specialization covers a range of essential topics, from the cryptographic underpinnings of blockchain technology to enabling decentralized applications on a private Ethereum blockchain platform. It is ideal for programmers and designers involved in developing and implementing blockchain applications, and anyone who is interested in understanding its potential.

Applied Learning Project

Learners will apply the concepts covered in the courses to deploy an instance of a blockchain and carry out peer-to-peer transactions, program and test smart contracts using Solidity language; and analyze, design and code a blockchain-based solution for decentralized applications.

Learner Career Outcomes

50%

Started a new career after completing this specialization.

20%

Got a pay increase or promotion.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Intermediate Level

Knowledge of at least one modern, high-level programming language is required.

Approximately 4 months to complete

Suggested pace of 4 hours/week

English

Subtitles: English, Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, German, Russian, Spanish

Learner Career Outcomes

50%

Started a new career after completing this specialization.

20%

Got a pay increase or promotion.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Intermediate Level

Knowledge of at least one modern, high-level programming language is required.

Approximately 4 months to complete

Suggested pace of 4 hours/week

English

Subtitles: English, Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, German, Russian, Spanish

How the Specialization Works

Take Courses

A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.

Hands-on Project

Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.

Earn a Certificate

When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

There are 4 Courses in this Specialization

Course1

Course 1

Blockchain Basics

4.6

stars

5,036 ratings

•

1,260 reviews

This first course of the Blockchain specialization provides a broad overview of the essential concepts of blockchain technology – by initially exploring the Bitcoin protocol followed by the Ethereum protocol – to lay the foundation necessary for developing applications and programming. You will be equipped with the knowledge needed to create nodes on your personal Ethereum blockchain, create accounts, unlock accounts, mine, transact, transfer Ethers, and check balances.

You will learn about the decentralized peer-to-peer network, an immutable distributed ledger and the trust model that defines a blockchain. This course enables you to explain basic components of a blockchain (transaction, block, block header, and the chain) its operations (verification, validation, and consensus model) underlying algorithms, and essentials of trust (hard fork and soft fork). Content includes the hashing and cryptography foundations indispensable to blockchain programming, which is the focus of two subsequent specialization courses, Smart Contracts and Decentralized Applications (Dapps). You will work on a virtual machine image, specifically created for this course, to build an Ethereum test chain and operate on the chain. This hands-on activity will help you understand the workings of a blockchain, its transactions, blocks and mining. Main concepts are delivered through videos, demos and hands-on exercises.

Course2

Course 2

Smart Contracts

4.6

stars

1,647 ratings

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310 reviews

This second course of the Blockchain specialization will help you design, code, deploy and execute a smart contract – the computational element of the blockchain technology. Smart contracts allow for implementing user-defined operations of arbitrary complexity that are not possible through plain cryptocurrency protocols. They allow users to implement conditions, rules and policies of the domain applications. Smart contracts are a powerful feature that, when properly designed and coded, can result in autonomous, efficient and transparent systems.

Course3

Course 3

Decentralized Applications (Dapps)

4.6

stars

870 ratings

•

137 reviews

This third course of the Blockchain specialization prepares you to design and develop end-to-end decentralized applications (Dapps) – which provide anyone with access to the blockchain’s features and services. You will use Truffle IDE, smart contracts, a simple web client and a MetaMask client. You will learn about the architecture of a Dapp: the front-end client interface, backed by the blockchain and smart contracts. The course covers the basic design of a Dapp, Truffle development process and commands (init, develop, test and migrate), test-driven development of Dapp, Dapp application models and emerging standards that are essential for predictable Dapp behavior.

Course4

Course 4

Blockchain Platforms

4.6

stars

809 ratings

•

139 reviews

This fourth course of the Blockchain specialization provides learners with an understanding of the broader blockchain ecosystem. Learners are introduced to other blockchain platforms, details of two decentralized application use cases, and challenges such as privacy and scalability. They are prepared to discuss permissioned blockchain architectures of Hyperledger and Microsoft Azure's blockchain as a service model and analyze the Augur and Grid+ decentralized application platforms. Course material includes emerging alternative decentralization models such as IPFS and Hashgraph, challenges in broader blockchain adoption, and continuous improvement solutions.

Instructor

Bina Ramamurthy

Teaching Professor

Computer Science and Engineering Department

136,128 Learners

4 Courses

Offered by

University at Buffalo

The University at Buffalo (UB) is a premier, research-intensive public university and the largest, most comprehensive institution of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. UB offers more than 100 undergraduate degrees and nearly 300 graduate and professional programs.

The State University of New York

The State University of New York, with 64 unique institutions, is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States. Educating nearly 468,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs both on campus and online, SUNY has nearly 3 million alumni around the globe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the refund policy?
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Yes, Coursera provides financial aid to learners who cannot afford the fee. Apply for it by clicking on the Financial Aid link beneath the "Enroll" button on the left. You'll be prompted to complete an application and will be notified if you are approved. You'll need to complete this step for each course in the Specialization, including the Capstone Project. Learn more.
Can I take the course for free?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
How long does it take to complete the Specialization?
Time to completion can vary based on your schedule, but learners can expect to complete the Specialization in 4 to 6 months.
What background knowledge is necessary?
Knowledge of at least one modern, high-level programming language is required. Learners should have an understanding of object-oriented design and programming, as well as the command line interface of a Linux-like system. This object-oriented knowledge is necessary for understanding and designing a smart contract. Basic working knowledge of web applications, HTML and javascript are necessary for developing Dapps. Also required is a laptop or a desktop of this specification: 64 bit machine with minimum 4Gb ram, 10Gb free space and Windows 7 or above , or ubuntu 16.04 or Mac os x 10.0+.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
It is important that learners take the courses in order, since the concepts and projects are developed based on the previous course, as described below.
· The first course focuses on essential concepts and does not require programming.
· The second course explores the smart contract, gradually building the skills to program smart contracts in Solidity and test them using the Remix IDE. It features a programming project.
· The third course drills deeper into developing end-to-end applications for the blockchain. It features interaction of a blockchain ecosystem with traditional web applications. Learners will develop applications and a project in the Truffle environment.
· The fourth course introduces other blockchain platforms and business applications. Learners will compose a white paper that compares industry blockchain platforms.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
No.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
On completion of this specialization, a learner will recognize foundational concepts of blockchain, and apply these program concepts on the blockchain, including:
· Algorithms and techniques enabling trust in a decentralized peer-to-peer network
· Transactions, account, block and the structure of a blockchain
· The distributed immutable ledger of transactions
· Smart contracts, a core idea and computational model of blockchain that enables automation, autonomy, scalability and transparency
· The blockchain application stack and orchestrating blockchain Dapp solutions for business use cases
· Ongoing industry-wide blockchain efforts, such as Hyperledger (supply chain) and R3 Corda (financial)
More specifically, on successful completion of the specialization, a learner will able to
· Have an understanding and working knowledge of the emerging blockchain technology
· Design and program smart contracts and decentralized application
· Evaluate the applicability of the blockchain technology to their current business problems
· Think of innovative application models leveraging the blockchain technology
· Contribute to protocol improvement of the blockchain

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.