Computer science is a wide discipline.
It may be challenging to decide on the right computer science courses to take if you are a complete beginner.
From neural networks and operating systems to algorithms and data structures, there are just so many key topics and technologies to consider, which you may not be familiar with initially.
That’s in addition to the many programming languages that you’ll need to learn as well along the way.
However, with this breakdown of the best online computer science courses, you’ll be able to easily narrow down your preferred niche.
It doesn’t matter whether you’d like to become a big data specialist or a software developer, the right computer scene training will enable you to get into any tech and tech-related industry of your choice.
In this guide, I’ll be taking you through the best computer science courses online to make you an expert computer scientist.
Let’s get started.
Python is a popular programming language for computer science, and this tutorial will show you how to get started with it.
Some course highlights include:
The course covers Python on a basic level, so you may feel that it could use a little more complex challenges. On the other hand, it’s the best computer science course online as it offers a good starting for beginners, and also if you’d like to relearn Python.
The theory part of programming is often overlooked, and this is the course to give you the theoretical foundation you need to thrive as a computer scientist.
You’ll get to:
While this computer science tutorial doesn’t have a lot of practical content as it is geared toward programming theories, it is the best computer science course on Udemy to get a universal programming foundation. Moreover, these theories are vital to understanding how software works and are a crucial step to applied learning.
If time is of the essence, this computer science training will quickly get you up to speed with the most important principles.
Course highlights include:
Unfortunately, course support isn’t as forthcoming as would be ideal. Nonetheless, it remains one of the best computer science courses online to understand the basics of object-oriented programming, and you can get student support from the forum.
The operating system is the bridge between a computer’s hardware and its applications, and this is the computer science training to take you under the hood of how it all works.
The course covers:
While most of the content focuses on Windows and its various versions and architectures, there’s still sufficient coverage of Linux and Mac. So it remains the best computer science course online to get a working knowledge of the most popular operating systems.
A neural network is the AI brain that powers deep learning models. This computer science tutorial will show you how to craft AI models from scratch by creating powerful neural networks.
You’ll learn about:
Being an intermediate-level course, you’ll need to have a basic understanding of Python programming and data structures. Even so, it is the best computer science course on Coursera because the coding assignments are pretty straightforward.
For computer science training with a focus on operating systems, this is the tutorial to get you started.
Benefits of this course include:
While the instructor does dwell on topics a little bit resulting in the videos being a little bit lengthy, his way of teaching makes it easy to understand complex OS concepts. It’s also great that he goes into great detail.
If you’d like to understand how web servers work, this is the course for you.
Some course highlights include:
Being a quick introductory course, you may feel some internet concepts could be covered at a more in-depth level.
Nonetheless, it is the best computer science course on LinkedIn Learning for beginners because it simplifies complex internet topics, and touches on important aspects every computer scientist should know about.
Would you like to create quality desktop applications?
If so, this is one of the best computer science courses online you could try out.
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:
While this computer science course was released a while ago and hence is a little out of date, the Python back-end development concepts it teaches are still viable. The same goes for the Qt version used for teaching.
Algorithms and data structures are the foundations of all software. This computer science training by Princeton University is a great choice for understanding these programming building blocks.
Course highlights entail:
Unfortunately, the course doesn’t offer a certificate of completion if you’re keen on adding that to your portfolio. Nonetheless, it remains the best computer science course on Coursera for Java developers who’d like to leverage Java programming to build efficient applications.
Would you like to get into software development?
Then you may need to learn how to program and this is the course that’ll show you how. Course highlights include:
This computer science training could do with a few more practice quizzes.
However, it’s one of the best computer science courses online as a crash course. It touches on all the important computer science concepts that would typically take an entire semester to learn.
In the age of big data, quantum computing enables us to perform data analytics extremely fast.
If you’d like to get ahead of the future of computing, then this is computer science training for you.
Some course benefits include:
You may need some understanding of Quantum Physics to comfortably make progress in this class. The good news is that the instructor offers ready help in the Q&A should you need it.
To be a good software engineer, it’s vital to master data structures and algorithms, and this is the course to set you on your way.
The course covers:
Unfortunately, you’ll need basic knowledge of C# to get started.
With the right background, it’s the best computer science course on PluralSight to learn how to implement advanced algorithms and data structures in C#.
Python data structures offer excellent flexibility and fast processing, making them an invaluable component of computer science.
Highlights of this course include:
Being part of a larger specialization, it may be helpful to take this course in the order of the arrangement to unlock its full value. Although it builds upon the previous course, it’s still one of the best computer science courses on Coursera as a standalone tutorial because there’s a quick overview of Python syntax basics.
If you’re totally new to programming and would like to build a foundation you can take into any programming language, then this might be an excellent choice for you.
It’s one of the best computer science courses on Udemy because:
This course may feel like twice the work because you get to learn both JavaScript and Python at a go. The upside is that you learn two languages, in addition to general programming concepts. So this is the best computer science course online for programming value.
Would you like to learn C# programming?
C# is one of the most flexible, general-purpose languages that enable you to build a huge variety of cross-platform applications.
In this computer science training, you’ll learn about:
However, this course is a part of the Computer Science Principles series, and there are a few concepts it builds on from the preceding course. That said, it’s still one of the best computer science courses on LinkedIn Learning because it’s viable as a stand-alone C# introductory course, as it only skips a few Syntax basics.
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Best Snowflake Courses
Are you ready to start your online computer science training?
To be a competent computer scientist, it’s important to start by learning essential programming basics before you get into some of the best computer science courses online for beginners.
The Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python) course is excellent if you’d like to start by learning Python programming.
Python reads almost like plain English, and it’s great if you don’t have any programming background.
If your programming interests aren’t language-specific, then the Computer Science 101: Master the Theory Behind Programming tutorial is an excellent option.
This course teaches programming theory applicable in any programming class, including low-level languages like C++.