570+ Free Online Programming & Computer Science Courses You Can Start in April
As a full-stack developer with over a decade of experience in the tech industry, I know firsthand how valuable programming and computer science skills can be in today‘s job market. Companies across virtually every industry are scrambling to hire talented developers to create the software, apps and systems that power the digital world.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of software developers is projected to grow 22% from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. This translates to over 316,000 new software development jobs within the next decade in the U.S. alone. Data scientists and other CS-related professions are seeing similarly explosive growth and demand.
Not only are coding and CS skills in high demand, they‘re also highly lucrative. The median annual wage for software developers was $107,510 in May 2019. Experienced developers in high-cost-of-living tech hubs like Silicon Valley can easily command salaries of $200k+. Even developers in more modest markets can earn very comfortable salaries while enjoying excellent job security and growth opportunities.
But entering into these exciting and rewarding careers doesn‘t necessarily require investing years and tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars into a traditional university degree. While a CS degree is still a great option, the rise of high-quality MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) has made it possible for anyone to gain employable programming skills through free online learning.
To help aspiring developers take advantage of these learning opportunities, I‘ve compiled this list of over 570 completely free online programming and computer science courses that you can start in April 2021. Offered by some of the world‘s most prestigious universities, including Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Princeton and others, these courses provide an amazing chance to learn from the best instructors on the planet without spending a dime on tuition.
Course Difficulties & Prerequisites
The 570+ courses are broken down into three difficulty categories:
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Beginner (160 courses): These courses require no prior programming or computer science experience. They start with the basics of coding and CS fundamentals. Beginners can expect to learn introductory programming concepts and syntax, basic data types, control flow (loops, conditionals), functions, and simple object-oriented principles. Some courses also cover beginner-friendly topics like web development (HTML/CSS/JS), SQL databases, and using the command line.
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Intermediate (307 courses): These courses assume some prior coding experience, whether from an introductory MOOC or self-study. They tend to focus on more advanced programming concepts, data structures and algorithms. Common topics include object-oriented design principles, algorithm complexity analysis, graphs, trees, hash tables, sorting algorithms, dynamic programming, and other core CS concepts. Some courses delve into specific domains like artificial intelligence, blockchain, or cybersecurity.
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Advanced (101 courses): Designed for experienced programmers and CS students, these courses tackle complex, often graduate-level and specialized topics. Advanced courses may assume significant prior knowledge of math, algorithms and advanced programming. Topics span the CS gamut and include machine learning, robotics, compilers, advanced cryptography, computer vision, natural language processing and more. Many include challenging research and implementation projects.
Course Highlights & Statistics
Here are some of the highlights and most popular free courses from each difficulty level:
Beginner Highlights
| Course Name | University | Rating | # Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS50‘s Intro to Computer Science | Harvard | 4.8 | 53 |
| Intro to Python Programming | Microsoft | 4.7 | 4 |
| Algorithms, Part I | Princeton | 4.9 | 48 |
| Machine Learning for All | U. of London | 4.7 | 6 |
Intermediate Highlights
| Course Name | University | Rating | # Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algorithms, Part 2 | Princeton | 4.9 | 21 |
| Software Security | U. of Maryland | 4.8 | 22 |
| Using Python for Research | Harvard | 4.8 | 6 |
| Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies | Princeton | 4.7 | 18 |
Advanced Highlights
| Course Name | University | Rating | # Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computation Structures | MIT | 4.9 | 11 |
| Machine Learning | Columbia | 4.7 | 14 |
| Robotics | Columbia | 4.8 | 6 |
| Quantum Cryptography | Caltech | 4.6 | 3 |
In total, the 570+ courses span a huge variety of computer science topics and programming languages. Popular topics include web development, machine learning, algorithms, cybersecurity, mobile apps, databases, software engineering, and more. Commonly used programming languages in these courses include Python, Java, C/C++, JavaScript, SQL, and R.
The most reviewed and highly-rated overall courses are:
| Course Name | University | Rating | # Ratings | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machine Learning | Stanford | 4.9 | 261 | Intermediate |
| Algorithms, Part I | Princeton | 4.9 | 48 | Beginner |
| Cryptography I | Stanford | 4.9 | 45 | Intermediate |
| Software Security | U. of Maryland | 4.8 | 22 | Intermediate |
Personal Experience & Tips
As someone who transitioned from a non-technical background into software development, I‘m a huge believer in the power of free online courses to jumpstart a programming career. Early in my journey, I relied heavily on free resources like Codecademy, freeCodeCamp, and various MOOCs to learn the basics of coding and computer science.
While there‘s no perfect substitute for a structured, in-person CS degree, I found that the focused and practical nature of online courses allowed me to gain employable skills quickly and cost-effectively. Within a year of starting to learn to code through free courses, I landed my first paid development gig. I‘ve since worked my way up to a senior full-stack developer position at a top tech company.
For aspiring programmers looking to replicate this success, here are my top tips for getting the most out of free online courses:
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Code along with courses: It‘s tempting to just passively watch videos, but you‘ll learn far more by actually writing code as you go. Pause videos frequently to try implementing concepts yourself.
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Build your own projects: Courses provide great templates, but the real learning comes from striking out on your own. Think of a fun project idea and challenge yourself to implement it using the concepts you‘ve learned. Stuck? Consult documentation, search online, and don‘t be afraid to ask for help.
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Participate in course forums: Many courses have active discussion forums where you can ask questions, get unstuck, and learn from other students. Don‘t be shy about interacting – explaining concepts to others is a great way to solidify your own understanding.
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Supplement courses with other resources: Free courses are an excellent starting point, but to really solidify your skills, branch out to other resources as well. Build small projects, contribute to open source, participate in coding challenges and hackathons, and read lots of code written by experienced developers.
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Stay curious and keep learning: The field of computer science evolves rapidly, and the best developers are committed to continuous learning. After you finish one course, move onto the next topic that intrigues you. Follow your curiosity and passion – the incredible variety of free online courses means you can learn about almost anything that interests you!
Start Your Coding Journey Today!
I hope this overview has inspired you to take advantage of the 570+ free online programming and computer science courses starting this month. Whether you‘re a complete beginner looking to dip your toes into coding, or an advanced student eager to explore cutting-edge CS topics, there are high-quality free courses available for you.
In today‘s digital world, coding and computer science are invaluable skills to develop – both for advancing your career and expanding your mental toolkit. And thanks to the democratization of education through MOOCs, the barriers to entry are lower than ever before. You don‘t need to invest years and a small fortune into a degree. All you need is curiosity, dedication, an Internet connection, and a desire to learn.
So what are you waiting for? Browse through the full list of 570+ courses, find one that intrigues you, and embark on your own coding adventure today. As a professional developer, I can confidently say that learning to program is one of the most rewarding journeys you can undertake. It‘s challenging, creative, lucrative, and massively empowering. I wish you all the best on your programming journey – happy coding!