Probabilistic Graphical Models Specialization

• 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?

  The Specialization has three five-week courses, for a total of fifteen weeks.

• What background knowledge is necessary?

  This class does require some abstract thinking and mathematical skills. However, it is designed to require fairly little background, and a motivated student can pick up the background material as the concepts are introduced. We hope that, using our new learning platform, it should be possible for everyone to understand all of the core material.

  Though, you should be able to program in at least one programming language and have a computer (Windows, Mac or Linux) with internet access (programming assignments will be conducted in Matlab or Octave). It also helps to have some previous exposure to basic concepts in discrete probability theory (independence, conditional independence, and Bayes' rule).

• Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?

  For best results, the courses should be taken in order.

• Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?

  No.

• What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?

  You will be able to take a complex task and understand how it can be encoded as a probabilistic graphical model. You will now know how to implement the core probabilistic inference techniques, how to select the right inference method for the task, and how to use inference to reason. You will also know how to take a data set and use it to learn a model, whether from scratch, or to refine or complete a partially specified model.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.