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Certificate

Python Programming

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About the Python Programming Program

Master Python—One of the Most Popular and Versatile Programming Languages in the World

Looking to start a career in tech or boost your programming skills? Our Python Programming Certificate Program is designed for learners of all levels—from beginners to experienced developers—who want to gain hands-on experience with one of the most in-demand coding languages.

Why Learn Python?

Its clean syntax and intuitive structure make Python easy to learn and powerful to use. Whether you're automating tasks, analyzing big data, or building scalable applications, Python is the go-to language for professionals and organizations worldwide.
Python consistently ranks among the top 5 programming languages globally and is widely used in industries such as:

  • Software Development
  • Data Science
  • Machine Learning & AI
  • Cybersecurity
  • Web Development
  • Finance & Automation

What You’ll Learn

This comprehensive program covers both foundational and advanced Python programming concepts, including:

  • General Programming Concepts: Variables, expressions, functions, branching, looping statements, and data storage
  • Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): Classes, objects, inheritance, and encapsulation
  • Testing & Test-Driven Development (TDD): Using Python’s built-in unittest module and the powerful pytest framework
  • Coding Best Practices: Writing clean code, documentation standards, and working in collaborative project environments
  • Python Libraries & Packages: Leveraging the Python Standard Library and popular third-party packages
  • Web Development Frameworks: Introduction to Flask, Django, and Pyramid for building scalable web applications
  • Data Analytics with Python: Using tools like Pandas, NumPy, and Matplotlib for data analysis and visualization

Why Choose This Program?

Whether you're automating tasks, analyzing big data, or building web applications, Python gives you the flexibility and power to succeed in today’s tech-driven world. Python’s open-source nature and extensive standard library make it ideal for rapid application development and integration with other technologies.

  • Flexible learning for beginners and busy professionals
  • Hands-on projects to build real-world experience
  • Career-ready skills for high-demand tech roles including software development, data science, and IT automation
  • Skills applicable to other areas including Data Sciences, Finance, Accounting, Web development, AI and Machine Learning
  • Showcase your expertise by obtaining your certificate

Who Will Benefit

  • Anyone interested in learning programming to enhance their career opportunities
  • Professionals that want to update their skill sets
  • Recent graduates building off of existing knowledge in computer engineering or computer science disciplines.
 

Enroll today and start building your future with Python—one of the most powerful and accessible programming languages available.
Online
12 months
or 4 quarters
$2,925
Includes only required courses and one elective. Certificate fee not included.

How to Apply

Students may enroll in individual courses without applying to the certificate program. For students pursuing the certificate, there will be a one-time $125 certificate fee.

Get More Information

For detailed information, please contact our Science & Technology department.

Python Programming
Classroom type:
Live Online
In-Person
Online
Hybrid
Download Course List

Required Courses

All three courses are required.

Elective Courses

One Required

Course of Interest

Not required for Certificate

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FAQs

Format: Online asynchronous. There are no set meeting times, however, students follow a weekly schedule and there will be deadlines to meet in terms of course requirements. This course cannot be completed at an accelerated rate. UC San Diego Extended Studies operates in Pacific Standard Time and therefore any deadline is considered 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Upon successful completion of the two summer courses, students may elect to earn a certificate or use the coursework as preparation for applying to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) degree in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation.

This structure allows students to begin with a certificate while maintaining the option to apply to the MAS program in a subsequent academic year.


 

Students accepted into this program will take the 2 courses alongside Scripps Institution of Oceanography(SIO) Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) degree in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (MBC) students. The program will be completed over the established 9-week summer period (June 26- August 28, 2026), by taking the two required classes SIO-295S and SIO-295LS.

To begin your application, click on the "Apply Now" button on the certificate page. If you do not already have an Application Portal and a My Extension student account, you will be prompted to create one for each to complete your application. Once submitted, your application cannot be changed. You can track the progress of your application at My Extension.

Register at: Apply Now
Select the Program of Interest: Interdisciplinary Marine Conservation
Term: Summer 2026
Applications are open until April 30th, 2026. Applicants are encouraged to apply early as our available slots may fill. The application includes an application fee of $50 that can be paid with a major credit card. A deposit of $1,000 is required upon accepting the offer of admission. The remaining balance of US $18,995 is due by the start of the program. Payment plans are available.

When you have paid your certificate fee and successfully completed all program requirements, you will need to request an audit by Student Services. To request an audit:
  • In your MyExtension account, click on “My Courses.”
  • On the right side of the page under “My Certificates,” click on the name of the certificate.
  • On the right side of the page under “Tools,” click on “Request Certificate Audit.”
  • Complete and submit the form that appears.
Once you have formally submitted your audit request, your certificate will be mailed to the address we have on file for you within ten business days.
Each student has their own learning style so this can vary greatly. As a rule of thumb, expect to spend an average of two hours studying for every hour you spend in-class. For online courses, students should plan to spend approximately 8-10 hours per week viewing lectures and completing coursework.
Once the course is completed, the instructor has 10 business days to submit your grades. Once grades have been posted, you can view and print them from your MyExtension account.
Yes! This program is designed for you to take it online in the convenience of your own home or office. We are currently using Canvas as our online Learning Management System for all our online courses in this program. While students do not get access to their respective courses until the first day of the course, we encourage students who are new to Canvas to click on the following link to Canvas and Take the free tour of Canvas.
Yes, you may take any course in this program without registering for the certificate.
Yes, you may enroll in the program at any time. However, it is recommended that you enroll as soon as possible. The program curriculum may be updated at any time; if certificate requirements change, you must adhere to the curriculum at the time of your enrollment into the certificate. Enrolling in the certificate also gives you access to quarterly, personalized enrollment reminders from the program manager.

When registering, students may choose between a Letter Grade or Pass/No Pass option. As long as a student receives a passing score (70% or higher), they will earn the same certificate of completion and any related documents, regardless of the grading method selected.

If you're pursuing employer reimbursement, we recommend checking with your company to confirm whether a Letter Grade is required for reimbursement eligibility.

Students can update their grading option via their MyExtension student portal anytime before 12:00 a.m. on the final class meeting.

 

Please contact Student Services at (858) 534-3400 or unex-reg@ucsd.edu if you experience any issues logging in to any of our systems.
The courses in this program are post-baccalaureate, professional-level, credit bearing courses. Credit earned in these courses may lead to the award of a formal certificate by UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies or may be applied toward an academic degree or professional credential, subject to the approval of the receiving institution.

If you wish to transfer credit, it is your responsibility to confer with the receiving institution before enrolling, as each individual academic institution decides whether or not to accept Extension’s credits.
Our classes post to our website and become open for enrollment approximately two months prior to the new quarter starting. If you’d like to get an email reminder you can sign up for our newsletter(s) in MyExtension, under the “Preferences” tab.
Enrollment in a course may be closed for one or more of the following reasons:
  • The course is at capacity. If the course is at capacity you will only be able to join the waitlist. If space becomes available in the course, students on the waitlist are contacted in the order they joined the waitlist.
  • The course has progressed to a point where students will no longer be able to make-up missed work and be successful in the course.
  • The course is cancelled due to low enrollments.
For all three of these reasons we recommend students enroll early in the courses they are interested in.
Please visit the course page on our website to see when courses are typically offered. You can also see a full program schedule by clicking on the “View Schedule” button under the “Courses” section on this page.
The refund deadline for courses in this program is typically 3 days after the start of the course. This allows you to enroll in a course and participate in the first class meeting to determine if the course is a good fit. Then, if needed, either you may either transfer your enrollment to a different course or submit a drop request by emailing Student Services at unex-reg@ucsd.edu. The exact refund deadline for each section is listed in the section notes on the course page in our website, and you can also find it in MyExtension by clicking on “My Courses” and then the name of the course.
We recommend enrolling as soon as possible, as occasionally classes will reach capacity.
If you have enrolled at least three days before the course begins, you will have access starting on the first day of class. You should receive an email from Student Services with instructions for how to login to the course. If you have enrolled on or after the start date of the course, you will have access to the course within one business day.
 

You will have access to the online Canvas course on the official start date of the class/exam/info session.  Access will be available at 12:01am Pacific Time.

Enrollment to online classes can take up to 24 hours to process and sync up to our online platform, Canvas. For example, if a class started on Tuesday and that is the day a student enrolled, they will likely not have full access to the class until 24 hours later on Wednesday.

Advisory Board

Diane Chen

Independant Consutant; Instructor

Michael Galarnyk

Data Scientist
Scripps

Nadia Polikarpova, PhD

Assistant Professor
UC San Diego

Duane Wesley

CSE Department Chair
Mesa College

Victor Wintriss

Founder and Board Member
League of Amazing Programmers

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