15 Best Software Engineering Courses on Coursera
We compared 15 Software Engineering courses currently listed on Coursera, priced from $49.00 to $79.00. 10 come from a named university or institution, including Duke University, University of California San Diego and University of Colorado System. They are ordered by our CourseAsk score, which is built from how thoroughly each course describes what it teaches, whether it comes from a named institution, and how it compares on price — not from star ratings, which our course data does not include.
- Courses compared
- 15
- Price range
- $49.00 – $79.00
- Providers
- Coursera
- Last updated
- 30 Aug 2026
How these 15 courses were chosen
Every course below is a real, currently listed course from Coursera, matched to "software engineering" by our catalog and ordered by our CourseAsk score. Courses whose own title names the topic rank above those only tagged with it.
The grade on each entry scores how much the provider publishes about the course before you pay — the length and detail of the description, whether it lists learning outcomes and objectives — and whether a named university or institution stands behind it. A is fully documented and institution-backed; E is little more than a title and a price. Courses with almost nothing published are left ungraded rather than marked down, because an unknown course and a poor one are not the same thing.
There are no star ratings on this page — the course feeds we license do not include them, and we would rather leave a column out than fill it with a number we cannot stand behind. What we do have is price: these range from $49.00 to $79.00, as listed by the provider when we last updated the page.
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1
Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals
Offered by Duke University
Take your first step towards a career in software development with this introduction to Java—one of the most in-demand programming languages and the foundation of the Android operating system. Designed for beginners, thi...
$49.00listed price -
2
Mastering the Software Engineering Interview
Offered by University of California San Diego
You’ve hit a major milestone as a computer scientist and are becoming a capable programmer. You now know how to solve problems, write algorithms, and analyze solutions; and you have a wealth of tools (like data structure...
$79.00listed price -
3
Ethics in GenAI for Software Engineering Training
Offered by Simplilearn
This beginner-friendly course explores the ethical and legal foundations of using Generative AI in software engineering. Learn key ethical frameworks, understand common types of bias in AI-generated code, and explore the...
$49.00listed price -
4
Software Engineering Tools and Practices
Offered by Codio
This specialization is intended for those who want to take their skills beyond just coding. The act of writing software is a large ecosystem of skills, tools, and philosophies. These six courses introduce you to a system...
$49.00listed price -
5
Introduction to C++ Programming and Unreal
Offered by University of Colorado System
This course is all about starting to learn how to develop video games using the C++ programming language and the Unreal Engine on Windows or Mac. This course assumes you have previous programming experience in some other...
$49.00listed price -
6
DevOps, DataOps, MLOps
Offered by Duke University
Learn how to apply Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) to solve real-world problems. The course covers end-to-end solutions with Artificial Intelligence (AI) pair programming using technologies like GitHub Copilot to bui...
$49.00listed price -
7
IBM DevOps, Cloud, and Agile Foundations
Offered by IBM
DevOps is more than just a fusion of development and operations. It is the cultural change that organizations everywhere are adopting to become more agile and innovate at scale. It makes it easier to deliver software and...
$49.00listed price -
8
Software Design Principles
Offered by Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani
Master the essential principles and patterns that form the foundation of modern software development. This comprehensive course guides you through the evolution of software design, from understanding the Software Enginee...
$49.00listed price -
9
Data Structures and Algorithms
Offered by University of California San Diego
Computer science legend Donald Knuth once said “I don’t understand things unless I try to program them.” We also believe that the best way to learn an algorithm is to program it. However, many excellent books and online...
$79.00listed price -
10
Coding Data Models with AI
Offered by University of Virginia
In this final course in the ‘Coding with AI’ specialization, we’ll close with an integrated approach to building full applications with a working Data Model, View (UI), and set of Controllers (or ‘algorithms’). As an MBA...
$49.00listed price -
11
Information Systems Foundations
Offered by Northeastern University
The Information Systems Foundations specialization provides an immersive experience into software development and information systems across four courses. Designed to progressively build from basic concepts to advanced a...
$49.00listed price -
12
Software Development Lifecycle
Offered by University of Minnesota
This Specialization is designed for people who are new to software engineering. It's also for those who have already developed software, but wish to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying context and theory of sof...
$49.00listed price -
13
AI Agents with Model Context Protocol
Offered by Vanderbilt University
This Specialization teaches learners to build production-ready AI agents using TypeScript and the Model Context Protocol (MCP), focusing on the agentic patterns that make agents reliable, efficient, and autonomous. Learn...
$49.00listed price -
14
Introduction to Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science
Offered by University of California San Diego
Discrete Mathematics is the language of Computer Science. One needs to be fluent in it to work in many fields including data science, machine learning, and software engineering (it is not a coincidence that math puzzles...
$79.00listed price -
15
Object Oriented Programming in Java
Offered by Duke University & University of California San Diego
This Specialization is for aspiring software developers with some programming experience in at least one other programming language (e.g., Python, C, JavaScript, etc.) who want to be able to solve more complex problems t...
$49.00listed price
Best Software Engineering Courses on Coursera compared
| # | Course | Provider | Offered by | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals | Coursera | Duke University | $49.00 | View → |
| 2 | Mastering the Software Engineering Interview | Coursera | University of California San Diego | $79.00 | View → |
| 3 | Ethics in GenAI for Software Engineering Training | Coursera | Simplilearn | $49.00 | View → |
| 4 | Software Engineering Tools and Practices | Coursera | Codio | $49.00 | View → |
| 5 | Introduction to C++ Programming and Unreal | Coursera | University of Colorado System | $49.00 | View → |
| 6 | DevOps, DataOps, MLOps | Coursera | Duke University | $49.00 | View → |
| 7 | IBM DevOps, Cloud, and Agile Foundations | Coursera | IBM | $49.00 | View → |
| 8 | Software Design Principles | Coursera | Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani | $49.00 | View → |
| 9 | Data Structures and Algorithms | Coursera | University of California San Diego | $79.00 | View → |
| 10 | Coding Data Models with AI | Coursera | University of Virginia | $49.00 | View → |
| 11 | Information Systems Foundations | Coursera | Northeastern University | $49.00 | View → |
| 12 | Software Development Lifecycle | Coursera | University of Minnesota | $49.00 | View → |
| 13 | AI Agents with Model Context Protocol | Coursera | Vanderbilt University | $49.00 | View → |
| 14 | Introduction to Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science | Coursera | University of California San Diego | $79.00 | View → |
| 15 | Object Oriented Programming in Java | Coursera | Duke University & University of California San Diego | $49.00 | View → |
Prices shown are the provider's listed price when we last updated this page. Confirm on their site before enrolling.
What the prices here tell you
The 15 priced courses on this page run from $49.00 to $79.00, with the middle of the range around $49.00 — a spread of $30.00. The options are closely priced, so cost is unlikely to be your deciding factor. A higher price on this page usually reflects who is behind the course rather than how much material it contains, so it is worth opening two or three at different price points and comparing their syllabus before deciding.
Who is behind these courses
These courses come from Coursera. Everything on this page is sold on the one platform, so the buying experience is the same whichever you pick. 10 of these are produced by a named university or institution, including Duke University, University of California San Diego and University of Colorado System — which usually means a fixed syllabus and a recognised certificate, rather than an individual instructor’s own course.
Before you enrol
Open the provider’s own page and check three things this comparison cannot tell you: when the course was last updated, what the syllabus actually covers in its later sections, and what recent learners say. Prices shown here are the provider’s listed price when we last rebuilt this page on 30 August 2026 — they change often, and a promotion can move them substantially. We earn a commission if you enrol through our links, which costs you nothing and never affects the order courses appear in.