Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning (Coursera)

Offered by IBM,
Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning (Coursera)

This course introduces you to two of the most sought-after disciplines in Machine Learning: Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning. Deep Learning is a subset of Machine Learning that has applications in both Supervised and Unsupervised Learning, and is frequently used to power most of the AI applications that we use on a daily basis. First you will learn about the theory behind Neural Networks, which are the basis of Deep Learning, as well as several modern architectures of Deep Learning.

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

Once you have developed a few Deep Learning models, the course will focus on Reinforcement Learning, a type of Machine Learning that has caught up more attention recently. Although currently Reinforcement Learning has only a few practical applications, it is a promising area of research in AI that might become relevant in the near future.
After this course, if you have followed the courses of the IBM Specialization in order, you will have considerable practice and a solid understanding in the main types of Machine Learning which are: Supervised Learning, Unsupervised Learning, Deep Learning, and Reinforcement Learning.
By the end of this course you should be able to:
Explain the kinds of problems suitable for Unsupervised Learning approaches
Explain the curse of dimensionality, and how it makes clustering difficult with many features
Describe and use common clustering and dimensionality-reduction algorithms
Try clustering points where appropriate, compare the performance of per-cluster models
Understand metrics relevant for characterizing clusters
Who should take this course?
This course targets aspiring data scientists interested in acquiring hands-on experience with Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning.
What skills should you have?
To make the most out of this course, you should have familiarity with programming on a Python development environment, as well as fundamental understanding of Data Cleaning, Exploratory Data Analysis, Unsupervised Learning, Supervised Learning, Calculus, Linear Algebra, Probability, and Statistics.
Course 5 of 6 in the IBM Machine Learning Professional Certificate

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Introduction to Neural Networks
This module introduces Deep Learning, Neural Networks, and their applications. You will go through the theoretical background and characteristics that they share with other machine learning algorithms, as well as characteristics that makes them stand out as great modeling techniques for specific scenarios. You will also gain some hands-on practice on Neural Networks and key concepts that help these algorithms converge to robust solutions.

WEEK 2
Neural Network Optimizers and Keras
You can leverage several options to prioritize the training time or the accuracy of your neural network and deep learning models. In this module you learn about key concepts that intervene during model training, including optimizers and data shuffling. You will also gain hands-on practice using Keras, one of the go-to libraries for deep learning.

WEEK 3
Convolutional Neural Networks
In this module you become familiar with convolutional neural networks, also known as space invariant artificial neural networks, a type of deep neural networks, frequently used in image AI applications. There are several CNN architectures, you will learn some of the most common ones to add to your toolkit of Deep Learning Techniques.

WEEK 4
Recurrent Neural Networks and Long-Short Term Memory Networks
In this module you become familiar with Recursive Neural Networks (RNNs) and Long-Short Term Memory Networks (LSTM), a type of RNN considered the breakthrough for speech to text recongintion. RNNs are frequently used in most AI applications today, and can also be used for supervised learning.

WEEK 5
Deep Learning with Autoencoders
In this module you become familiar with Autoencoders, an useful application of Deep Learning for Unsupervised Learning. Autoencoders are a neural network architecture that forces the learning of a lower dimensional representation of data, commonly images. In this module you will learn some Deep learning-based techniques for data representation, how autoencoders work, and to describe the use of trained autoencoders for image applications

WEEK 6
Deep Learning Applications and Reinforcement Learning
In this module you become familiar with other novel applications of Neural Networks. You will learn about Generative Adversarial Networks, frequently referred to as GANs, which are an application of Neural Networks to generate new data. Finally, you learn about Reinforcement Learning, one of the big promises for A.I., based on training algorithms by using rewards, instead of using a method to minimize error, which is what we have been using throughout the course.

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

Related Courses

Reproducible Templates for Analysis and Dissemination (Coursera) Coursera
Emory University

Reproducible Templates for Analysis and Dissemination (Coursera)

This course will assist you with recreating work that a previous coworker completed, revisiting a project you abandoned some time ago, or simply reproducing a document with a consistent format and workflow. Incomplete information about how the work was done, where the files are, and which is the most recent version can give rise to many complications.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Practical Machine Learning on H2O (Coursera) Coursera
H2O.ai

Practical Machine Learning on H2O (Coursera)

In this course, we will learn all the core techniques needed to make effective use of H2O. Even if you have no prior experience of machine learning, even if your math is weak, by the end of this course you will be able to make machine learning models using a variety of algorithms. We will be using linear models, random forest, GBMs and of course deep learning, as well as some unsupervised learning algorithms.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Matrix Methods (Coursera) Coursera
University of Minnesota

Matrix Methods (Coursera)

Mathematical Matrix Methods lie at the root of most methods of machine learning and data analysis of tabular data. Learn the basics of Matrix Methods, including matrix-matrix multiplication, solving linear equations, orthogonality, and best least squares approximation. Discover the Singular Value Decomposition that plays a fundamental role in dimensionality reduction, Principal Component Analysis, and noise reduction.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Principles of fMRI 1 (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Principles of fMRI 1 (Coursera)

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is the most widely used technique for investigating the living, functioning human brain as people perform tasks and experience mental states. It is a convergence point for multidisciplinary work from many disciplines. Psychologists, statisticians, physicists, computer scientists, neuroscientists, medical researchers, behavioral scientists, engineers, public health researchers, biologists, and others are coming together to advance our understanding of the human mind and brain. This course covers the design, acquisition, and analysis of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data, including psychological inference, MR Physics, K Space, experimental design, pre-processing of fMRI data, as well as Generalized Linear Models (GLM’s).

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
Mathematical Biostatistics Boot Camp 1 (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Mathematical Biostatistics Boot Camp 1 (Coursera)

This class presents the fundamental probability and statistical concepts used in elementary data analysis. It will be taught at an introductory level for students with junior or senior college-level mathematical training including a working knowledge of calculus. A small amount of linear algebra and programming are useful for the class, but not required.

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
Design Computing: 3D Modeling in Rhinoceros with Python/Rhinoscript (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Design Computing: 3D Modeling in Rhinoceros with Python/Rhinoscript (Coursera)

Why should a designer learn to code? As our world is increasingly impacted by the use of algorithms, designers must learn how to use and create design computing programs. Designers must go beyond the narrowly focused use of computers in the automation of simple drafting/modeling tasks and instead explore the extraordinary potential digitalization holds for design culture/practice.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Think Again III: How to Reason Inductively (Coursera) Coursera
Duke University

Think Again III: How to Reason Inductively (Coursera)

Want to solve a murder mystery? What caused your computer to fail? Who can you trust in your everyday life? In this course, you will learn how to analyze and assess five common forms of inductive arguments: generalizations from samples, applications of generalizations, inference to the best explanation, arguments from analogy, and causal reasoning. The course closes by showing how you can use probability to help make decisions of all sorts.

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
Interprofessional Healthcare Informatics (Coursera) Coursera
University of Minnesota

Interprofessional Healthcare Informatics (Coursera)

Interprofessional Healthcare Informatics is a graduate-level, hands-on interactive exploration of real informatics tools and techniques offered by the University of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota's National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. We will be incorporating technology-enabled educational innovations to bring the subject matter to life. Over the 10 modules, we will create a vital online learning community and a working healthcare informatics network.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Infonomics I: Business Information Economics and Data Monetization (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Infonomics I: Business Information Economics and Data Monetization (Coursera)

Thriving in the Information Age compels organizations to deploy information as an actual business asset, not as an IT asset or merely as a business byproduct. This demands creativity in conceiving and implementing new ways to generate economic benefits from the wide array of information assets available to an organization. Unfortunately, information too frequently is underappreciated and therefore underutilized.

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks