Foundations of Python Programming, a new course from the University of Delaware’s Division of Professional and Continuing Studies (UD PCS), starts Feb. 3. This self-paced, flexible online course, taught by a defense industry computer engineer, is designed to equip people who have little or no programming experience with the essential skills and knowledge needed to excel in programming and data analysis.

Python is an excellent language choice for beginning programmers because:

1. Its syntax is simple and readable. Python is straightforward and easy to understand, allowing beginners to focus on learning programming concepts.
2. It’s a versatile programming language. Python is a general-purpose language that can be used for a wide range of applications.
3. It has a large community. Python has a vast and active community of developers where beginners can access a wealth of knowledge to overcome challenges.
4. It has readily available libraries and frameworks. Python boasts a rich ecosystem of libraries and frameworks that can simplify tasks.
5. It leads to career opportunities. Python is in demand in many fields, including software and web development, finance, healthcare, data science and analytics, and artificial intelligence and machine learning.

This UD PCS course covers essential programming concepts and advanced techniques. Starting with fundamental data types, variables and basic syntax, it progresses to control flow, functions and data structures like lists, dictionaries and queues. Advanced topics include recursion, exception handling and additional data structures.

An early bird discount is available through Jan. 21. For more information and to register, visit https://www.pcs.udel.edu/python-programming.