Target audience

The Starters Academy is for people who want to begin a career in data science. No previous data science knowledge is required, but this course does not teach Python from scratch.

It may suit:

• technical professionals moving into data science;
• students in technical fields who want to begin a data science career; and
• technically minded, independent learners with the required practical skills.

Prerequisites

Before applying, you should be comfortable with:

• written and spoken English;
• Python programming;
• the command line on a Unix-based operating system;
• basic Git; and
• basic quantitative reasoning. University-level algebra and statistics are helpful.

Python self-assessment

You should be able to use:

• if/else statements and loops;
• arrays, tuples, lists and dictionaries, including slicing and list comprehensions;
• strings and common data types;
• functions, lambda functions and map;
• try/except; and
• basic object-oriented programming, including classes, instances and methods.

Command line and Git self-assessment

You should be able to navigate directories and inspect files with commands such as cd, ls and pwd. You will regularly use common Git operations such as pull, push, add, commit and switching branches.

Readiness for the 2026/2027 edition

There is no admission exam in 2026/2027. Applicants are responsible for assessing their readiness against the checklist above. The Data Science Prep Course and its 2025 public materials can help you build or review the required foundations.

If you are not yet comfortable working independently in Python, complete the Prep Course materials before starting the Starters Academy. Specialization 1 begins immediately with data manipulation, visualization, statistics and machine-learning concepts.

Cost and conduct

The Academy charges a fee to cover infrastructure and support its long-term sustainability. Instructors are volunteers, and revenue is reinvested in future editions or donated to Python-based open-source initiatives. See the current prices in the Admissions Process.

All participants must follow the Code of Conduct.

Volunteering

See the membership types in the LDSA organization page for volunteering opportunities.