Today we’re excited to announce Specializations, a new type of program that allows students to develop mastery in a specific subject. Specializations take the learning experience beyond one course, offering multi-course series in cutting-edge fields from top institutions in the world.
The Specializations cover popular topics such as Data Science, Cybersecurity, Android Development, and Foundations of Teaching. Every Specialization will culminate with a unique capstone project or exam that allows students to apply what they’ve learned to relevant, real world scenarios. Students completing the series will receive a Specialization Certificate verifying their completion of a top-notch academic program.
“The knowledge and skills needed to master mobile cloud computing applications are far more complex than any one instructor could ever hope to cover in a single course,” said Doug Schmidt, professor of computer science and of computer engineering at Vanderbilt, and Adam Porter, professor of computer science at the University of Maryland. “The MOOCs we are teaching this spring build upon and codify decades of research and development we’ve conducted together and separately, and bring a level of collaboration to our teaching that simply was not possible before.”
Coursera will be launching an initial cohort of ten Specializations. Two of the Specializations — Mobile Cloud Computing with Android (from Vanderbilt and the University of Maryland) and Reasoning, Data Analysis and Writing (from Duke University) — have just begun and are open to enrollment. The other eight cover a range of topics applicable to a wide variety of professional pursuits:
10 NEW SPECIALIZATIONS
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Data Science |
 Mobile Cloud Computing with Android Specialization 
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 Reasoning, Data Analysis and Writing Specialization 
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 Foundations of Teaching for Learning Specialization 
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 Challenges in Global Affairs Specialization 
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 Modern Musician Specialization 
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 Systems Biology Specialization 
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 Cybersecurity Specialization 
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 Fundamental of Computing Specialization 
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 Virtual Teacher Program Specialization 
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“The new Specializations program is a great opportunity for people to solve problems by tapping into a variety of perspectives and viewpoints,” said Duke Provost Peter Lange. “We think the rigorous, high-quality courses Duke is offering will help students develop critical thinking and communication skills they will need regardless of their chosen field.”
“We are delighted at the interest from our partners in offering these Specializations, which provide coherent programs of study in which students everywhere can acquire a substantial set of skills and demonstrate their applicability in a unique capstone project or exam,” said Daphne Koller, Coursera’s co-founder and co-CEO. “This new program will also give universities new opportunities to collaborate on content and explore novel approaches to teaching.”
SPECIALIZATIONS AT-A-GLANCE
To learn more about upcoming Specializations, visit www.coursera.org/specializations