Programming Fundamentals – Online Microcredential

Gain skills that are at the heart of the global computing industry

Whether you’re looking to take the first step toward a career in computing or you want to develop skills from expert faculty to help you move up in your current job, Oregon State University’s online microcredential in programming fundamentals will equip you with a solid understanding of core skills that can lead to new opportunities.

Build a foundation in programming and set the stage for additional learning once you earn Oregon State’s programming fundamentals microcredential online. Watch the video »

The courses in this microcredential offer the vital, fundamental skills to learn a new programming language or set of tools that would be required for an entry-level programming job.

Coursework

Required courses (11-12 credits)

• CS 161 - Introduction to Computer Science I (4) or ENGR 103 - Engineering Computation and Algorithmic Thinking (3)
• CS 162 - Introduction to Computer Science II (4)
• CS 261 - Data Structures (4)

Prerequisite courses

• CS 225 – Discrete Structures in Computer Science (4)* or MTH 231 – Elements of Discrete Mathematics (4)*
• MTH 112 – Elementary Functions (4): You have the opportunity to test out of the prerequisite, or you can complete the course online through OSU Ecampus prior to enrolling in the microcredential courses.

* – These courses are required unless you already met this prerequisite.

Skills

The in-demand skills you'll develop as a student in this microcredential will give you what you need to stand out and level up in your career.

• Data structures
• Exception handling
• Fundamentals of object-oriented programming
• GitHub and git usage
• Programming in Python
• Recursion
• Time complexity
• Unit testing

Start on a pathway toward a full computer science degree

Oregon State offers two computer science degree programs online, and the microcredential credits you earn can be directly applied toward either one — a bachelor’s degree or a postbaccalaureate degree that is designed for those who already have a bachelor’s degree.

If you plan to apply these credits toward a full degree, we encourage you to first contact the program to learn about the degree requirements. Please note that acceptance into a microcredential does not guarantee acceptance into a degree program.