Optimize Your Excel Spreadsheets With VBA. Learn how to automate your Excel spreadsheets with Visual Basic for Applications

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3,534 ratings

Charlie Nuttelman

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Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving SpecializationUniversity of Colorado Boulder

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

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This Specialization is for learners wishing to dramatically change the way that they use Excel spreadsheets by unleashing the power to automate and optimize spreadsheets using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). The first two courses will teach learners the basics of VBA through the use of dozens of educational screencasts and a series of quizzes and in-application programming assignments. Finally, in Part 3 of the course, learners will complete 3 "real world" and somewhat open ended projects, which are graded through peer review.

Applied Learning Project

Learners will complete one easy project (chosen from two potential projects), one intermediate project (chosen from two potential projects), and a third, required Monte Carlo simulation project (intermediate in difficulty). Projects include: Real-Time Currency Converter, Geography Toolbox, Ultimate Organizer, Regression Toolbox, Monte Carlo Simulation, and Grade Manager.

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Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 4 months to complete

Suggested pace of 4 hours/week

English

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 4 months to complete

Suggested pace of 4 hours/week

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

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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 3 Courses in this Specialization

Course1

Course 1

Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 1

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3,958 ratings

"Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 1" is aimed at learners who are seeking to augment, expand, optimize, and increase the efficiency of their Excel spreadsheet skills by tapping into the powerful programming, automation, and customization capabilities available with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

This course is the first part of a three-part series and Specialization that focuses on the application of computing techniques in Excel/VBA to solve problems. In this course (Part 1), you will: 1) create macros to automate procedures in Excel; 2) define your own user-defined functions; 3) create basic subroutines to interface with the user; 4) learn the basic programming structures in VBA; and 5) automate Excel’s Goal Seek and Solver tools and use numerical techniques to create “live solutions” to solve targeting and optimization problems. New to computer programming? The extremely intuitive and visual nature of VBA lends itself nicely to teaching and learning - what a fun way to learn to code! No prior knowledge in programming nor advanced math skills are necessary yet seasoned programmers will pick up new and creative spreadsheet problem solving strategies. After you have learned the basics of VBA, each module will introduce foundational and broad problems inspired by situations that you might encounter in the real world. To pass each module, you'll need to pass a mastery quiz and complete a problem solving assignment. This course is unique in that the weekly assignments are completed in-application (i.e., on your own computer in Excel), providing you with valuable hands-on training.

Course2

Course 2

Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 2

4.9

stars

1,244 ratings

"Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 2" builds off of knowledge and skills obtained in "Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 1" and is aimed at learners who are seeking to augment, expand, optimize, and increase the efficiency of their Excel spreadsheet skills by tapping into the powerful programming, automation, and customization capabilities available with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

In Part 2 of the course, learners will: 1) learn how to work with arrays and import/export arrays from/to Excel using VBA code; 2) learn how to work with text strings and write data to .txt files and import information from .txt files; 3) automate the import, modification, and consolidation of information from multiple worksheets into a central worksheet as well as the import of information from multiple workbooks to a central workbook; and 4) gain experience with creating professional user forms to interface with the user, perform advanced calculations, and manipulate data on the spreadsheet. Learners who have a foundational understanding of VBA code and programming structures can jump right into Part 2 of the course without taking Part 1 and use the screencasts in Part 1 as reference. Each module will introduce foundational and broad problems inspired by situations that you might encounter in the real world. To pass each module, you'll need to pass a mastery quiz and complete a problem solving assignment. This course is unique in that the weekly assignments are completed in-application (i.e., on your own computer in Excel), providing you with valuable hands-on training.

Course3

Course 3

Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 3 (Projects)

4.9

stars

419 ratings

In this course, learners will complete several VBA projects. It is highly recommended that learners first take "Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 1" and "Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 2". This course builds off of skills learned in those two courses. This is a project-based course. Therefore, the projects are quite open-ended and there are multiple ways to solve the problems. Through the use of Peer Review, other learners will grade learners' projects based on a grading rubric.

Instructor

Charlie Nuttelman

Senior Instructor

Chemical and Biological Engineering

351,617 Learners

6 Courses

Offered by

University of Colorado Boulder

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. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
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?
Part 1 takes 5 weeks, Part 2 takes 4 weeks, and Part 3 takes 3-4 weeks. However, many learners who can devote more time to the coursework have completed the courses at an accelerated pace.
What background knowledge is necessary?
The course is designed for those without a programming background. It will greatly help if you have a knowledge of basic algebra and at least a foundational/introductory knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
Yes, it is strongly recommended that learners take the three courses in sequential order.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
At this time the University of Colorado Boulder does not offer a for-credit version of the Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving Specialization.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
After completing this Specialization, you will be competent and confident in using VBA to manipulate data in Excel spreadsheets, implement user forms to professionally interact with users, and have a strong foundation in programming skills.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving Specialization

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

Applied Learning Project