Calculus for Machine Learning and Data Science (Coursera)

Offered by DeepLearning.AI,
Calculus for Machine Learning and Data Science (Coursera)

After completing this course, learners will be able to: analytically optimize different types of functions commonly used in machine learning using properties of derivatives and gradients; approximately optimize different types of functions commonly used in machine learning using first-order (gradient descent) and second-order (Newton’s method) iterative methods; visually interpret differentiation of different types of functions commonly used in machine learning; perform gradient descent in neural networks with different activation and cost functions.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Mathematics for Machine Learning and Data science is a foundational online program created in by DeepLearning.AI and taught by Luis Serrano. This beginner-friendly program is where you’ll master the fundamental mathematics toolkit of machine learning.
Many machine learning engineers and data scientists struggle with mathematics. Challenging interview questions often hold people back from leveling up in their careers, and even experienced practitioners can feel held by a lack of math skills.
This specialization uses innovative pedagogy in mathematics to help you learn quickly and intuitively, with courses that use easy-to-follow plugins and visualizations to help you see how the math behind machine learning actually works. Upon completion, you’ll understand the mathematics behind all the most common algorithms and data analysis techniques — plus the know-how to incorporate them into your machine learning career.
Course 2 of 3 in the Mathematics for Machine Learning and Data Science Specialization.

What You Will Learn

  • Analytically optimize different types of functions commonly used in machine learning using properties of derivatives and gradients
  • Approximately optimize different types of functions commonly used in machine learning
  • Visually interpret differentiation of different types of functions commonly used in machine learning
  • Perform gradient descent in neural networks with different activation and cost functions

Syllabus

Week 1 - Derivatives and Optimization
Week 2 - Gradients and Gradient Descent
Week 3 - Optimization in Neural Networks and Newton's Method

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Analysis of Algorithms (Coursera) Coursera
Princeton University

Analysis of Algorithms (Coursera)

This course teaches a calculus that enables precise quantitative predictions of large combinatorial structures. In addition, this course covers generating functions and real asymptotics and then introduces the symbolic method in the context of applications in the analysis of algorithms and basic structures such as permutations, trees, strings, words, and mappings.

Jul 6th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Single Variable Calculus (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Single Variable Calculus (Coursera)

Calculus is one of the grandest achievements of human thought, explaining everything from planetary orbits to the optimal size of a city to the periodicity of a heartbeat. This brisk course covers the core ideas of single-variable Calculus with emphases on conceptual understanding and applications. The course is ideal for students beginning in the engineering, physical, and social sciences. Distinguishing features of the course include: 1) the introduction and use of Taylor series and approximations from the beginning; 2) a novel synthesis of discrete and continuous forms of Calculus; 3) an emphasis on the conceptual over the computational; and 4) a clear, dynamic, unified approach.

Jul 6th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Regression Models (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Regression Models (Coursera)

Linear models, as their name implies, relates an outcome to a set of predictors of interest using linear assumptions. Regression models, a subset of linear models, are the most important statistical analysis tool in a data scientist’s toolkit. This course covers regression analysis, least squares and inference using regression models.

Jul 6th 2026
4 Weeks
Communicating Data Science Results (Coursera) Coursera
University of Washington

Communicating Data Science Results (Coursera)

Making predictions is not enough! Effective data scientists know how to explain and interpret their results, and communicate findings accurately to stakeholders to inform business decisions. Visualization is the field of research in computer science that studies effective communication of quantitative results by linking perception, cognition, and algorithms to exploit the enormous bandwidth of the human visual cortex. In this course you will learn to recognize, design, and use effective visualizations.

Jul 6th 2026
3 Weeks
Text Retrieval and Search Engines (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Text Retrieval and Search Engines (Coursera)

Recent years have seen a dramatic growth of natural language text data, including web pages, news articles, scientific literature, emails, enterprise documents, and social media such as blog articles, forum posts, product reviews, and tweets. Text data are unique in that they are usually generated directly by humans rather than a computer system or sensors, and are thus especially valuable for discovering knowledge about people’s opinions and preferences, in addition to many other kinds of knowledge that we encode in text.

Jul 6th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Probabilistic Graphical Models 1: Representation (Coursera) Coursera
Stanford University

Probabilistic Graphical Models 1: Representation (Coursera)

Probabilistic graphical models (PGMs) are a rich framework for encoding probability distributions over complex domains: joint (multivariate) distributions over large numbers of random variables that interact with each other. These representations sit at the intersection of statistics and computer science, relying on concepts from probability theory, graph algorithms, machine learning, and more. They are the basis for the state-of-the-art methods in a wide variety of applications, such as medical diagnosis, image understanding, speech recognition, natural language processing, and many, many more. They are also a foundational tool in formulating many machine learning problems.

Jul 6th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Calculus: Single Variable Part 1 - Functions (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Calculus: Single Variable Part 1 - Functions (Coursera)

Calculus is one of the grandest achievements of human thought, explaining everything from planetary orbits to the optimal size of a city to the periodicity of a heartbeat. This brisk course covers the core ideas of single-variable Calculus with emphases on conceptual understanding and applications. The course is ideal for students beginning in the engineering, physical, and social sciences.

Jul 6th 2026
4 Weeks
Data Manipulation at Scale: Systems and Algorithms (Coursera) Coursera
University of Washington

Data Manipulation at Scale: Systems and Algorithms (Coursera)

Data analysis has replaced data acquisition as the bottleneck to evidence-based decision making --- we are drowning in it. Extracting knowledge from large, heterogeneous, and noisy datasets requires not only powerful computing resources, but the programming abstractions to use them effectively. The abstractions that emerged in the last decade blend ideas from parallel databases, distributed systems, and programming languages to create a new class of scalable data analytics platforms that form the foundation for data science at realistic scales.

Jul 6th 2026
4 Weeks