Course Catalog
Introduction to Python
95-898
Units: 6
Description
Python is a powerful, versatile cross-platform programming language that has a strong
presence in diverse software engineering disciplines including web development, information
security, network scripting, data science, and embedded systems. While Python itself may be
a deceptively simple language, the vast array of frameworks and tools available for use
across a variety of specialized fields make it a formidable tool in the arsenal of any
technologist with areas of focus from Machine Learning to Cybersecurity.
This course will provide a pragmatic and hands-on introduction to the Python programming
language, with a focus on practical applications and projects, rather than theoretical topics.
Students will design and build software to solve problems from various disciplines each week
using Python. As the course progresses, students will learn to work with packages, data
structures, object-oriented programming, and tools for data science and cybersecurity.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will achieve:
- Familiarity with the Python programming language and associated development tools (IDEs, pip)
- Hands-on experience using various Python data structures, and reading and writing files in Python
- Experience with Object-Oriented design in Python, including polymorphism
- Experience leveraging powerful 3rd party packages for Python, as well as creating your own custom Python packages for reuse and distribution
- Exposure to Python tools and techniques used to solve problems in real fields such as data science and cybersecurity
- A working understanding of when to use Python, and the various packages available to you, as opposed to other programming tools
Prerequisites Description
None