This Specialization is an introduction to building web applications for anybody who already has a basic understanding of responsive web design with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Web Applications for Everybody is your introduction to web application development. You will develop web and database applications in PHP, using SQL for database creation, as well as functionality in JavaScript, jQuery, and JSON. Over the course of this Specialization, you will create several web apps to add to your developer portfolio. This Specialization (and its prerequisites) will prepare you, even if you have little to no experience in programming or technology, for entry level web developer jobs in PHP. You’ll demonstrate basic concepts, like database design, while working on assignments that require the development of increasing challenging web apps. From installing a text editor to understanding how a web browser interacts with a web server to handling events with JQuery, you’ll gain a complete introductory overview of web application development.
Web Applications for Everybody Specialization
Build dynamic database-backed web sites.. Use PHP, MySQL, jQuery, and Handlebars to build web and database applications.
Offered By
What you will learn
Installing your development environment
Developing a database application with PHP and MySQL
Using JavaScript to interact with a PHP web app
Modeling many-to-many relationships
Skills you will gain
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
Building Web Applications in PHP
In this course, you'll explore the basic structure of a web application, and how a web browser interacts with a web server. You'll be introduced to the request/response cycle, including GET/POST/Redirect. You'll also gain an introductory understanding of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), as well as the basic syntax and data structures of the PHP language, variables, logic, iteration, arrays, error handling, and superglobal variables, among other elements. An introduction to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) will allow you to style markup for webpages. Lastly, you'll gain the skills and knowledge to install and use an integrated PHP/MySQL environment like XAMPP or MAMP.
Introduction to Structured Query Language (SQL)
In this course, you'll walk through installation steps for installing a text editor, installing MAMP or XAMPP (or equivalent) and creating a MySql Database. You'll learn about single table queries and the basic syntax of the SQL language, as well as database design with multiple tables, foreign keys, and the JOIN operation. Lastly, you'll learn to model many-to-many relationships like those needed to represent users, roles, and courses.
Building Database Applications in PHP
In this course, we'll look at the object oriented patterns available in PHP. You'll learn how to connect to a MySQL using the Portable Data Objects (PDO) library and issue SQL commands in the the PHP language. We'll also look at how PHP uses cookies and manages session data. You'll learn how PHP avoids double posting data, how flash messages are implemented, and how to use a session to log in users in web applications. We'll then build the first 'complete' application that has multiple screens to Create, Read, Update and Delete (CRUD) our data. This brings all the previous concepts together and will form the basis for all later web applications.
JavaScript, jQuery, and JSON
In this course, we'll look at the JavaScript language, and how it supports the Object-Oriented pattern, with a focus on the unique aspect of how JavaScript approaches OO. We'll explore a brief introduction to the jQuery library, which is widely used to do in-browser manipulation of the Document Object Model (DOM) and event handling. You'll also learn more about JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), which is commonly used as a syntax to exchange data between code running on the server (i.e. in PHP) and code running in the browser (JavaScript/jQuery). It is assumed that learners have already taken the Building Web Applications and Building Database Applications in PHP courses in this specialization.
Instructor
Charles Russell Severance
Clinical ProfessorAbout University of Michigan
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 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?
Can I take the course for free?
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?
For students seeing this material for the first time, it will take about 20 weeks to complete the specialization.
What background knowledge is necessary?
Students should know programming in general (i.e. the skills gained in the Python for Everybody specialization). While the course contains a very quick introduction to HTML and CSS, students would be better prepared if they took courses in the Web Design for Everybody specialization.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
The first two courses (Building Web Applications in PHP and Introduction to SQL) can be taken in any order.
Course 3 (Building Database Applications in PHP) and Course 4 (Javascript, jQuery, and JSON) assumes that the material in both Course 1 & 2 have been mastered.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
No, you will not earn university credit.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
This Specialization will prepare learners to take additional web application development courses in different languages or using different frameworks, successfully complete a web developer bootcamp; potentially qualify for a junior developer role in an organization that uses PHP, WordPress, Drupal or other PHP-based applications,
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
