Science is the pursuit of knowledge through a systematic, evidence-based methodology. The scientific method begins with observation and measurement of a phenomenon, proceeds to the formulation of a hypothesis that attempts to explain it, and then the testing of this hypothesis through replicable experiments, followed by confirmation or modification of the hypothesis based on the resulting evidence. Understanding the power and promise of science is enormously important to understanding our world today - and how it might change in the future.

The importance of science is often experienced most directly in the world of medicine and public health. Progress in epidemiology and biotechnology made it possible to develop our understanding of COVID-19’s spread and enabled vaccine development far more quickly than in the past, and advances in genetics and biology are offering important clues for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Science is also critical to our comprehension of the natural world, from the biology, zoology, and botany that underlie our understanding of plants and animals to the chemistry and atmospheric science that have made it possible to understand the systems governing the Earth’s climate - and how human activity is impacting it. On an even broader scale, physics and astronomy have steadily broadened the horizons of humanity, allowing us to explore space and deepening our contemplations of the nature of the universe and time itself.

The scientific method can be applied to human society as well, with insights from psychology, economics, political science, and other social science fields yielding important insights into the way humans live and work together as well as how we can make the world a better place. Underlying many of these advances, as well as advances in the natural sciences, is the information revolution enabled by computer science and data science, which has allowed scientific researchers in all fields to gather and use unprecedented amounts of data to inform their work.

A background in science can be a gateway to an incredibly wide range of exciting careers, limited only by the frontiers of science itself. For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics gathers data on nearly 30 different jobs in scientific fields, including biochemists and wildlife biologists in the life sciences, geoscientists and materials scientists in the physical sciences, economists and sociologists in the social sciences, and many more. As we come to increasingly depend on the insights and applications delivered by various scientific fields in our daily lives, BLS also projects these jobs in science to grow faster than average across the rest of the economy, and they paid a median annual wage of $68,160 in 2019.

Certainly. As the world’s leading online education platform, Coursera brings together fantastic opportunities to learn about almost any scientific field from astronomy to zoology and everything in-between. You can take individual courses and Specializations spanning multiple courses from top-ranked universities from around the globe, including Stanford University, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Arizona, Tel Aviv University, and University of Tokyo.

And, because you can view course materials and complete assignments on a flexible schedule, learning on Coursera is a great choice whether you’re a science student who wants to expand your curriculum, a working professional looking to add new knowledge and skills, or simply someone hoping to deepen their appreciation and understanding of the world in their spare time.