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6 Best Optimization Courses for Advanced Learners

We compared 6 Optimization courses currently listed on Coursera and Udemy, priced from $19.99 to $79.00. 4 of them teach the subject directly and 2 are built around a certification exam. 2 come from a named university or institution, including Johns Hopkins University and University of California San Diego. 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
6
Price range
$19.99 – $79.00
Providers
Coursera, Udemy
Last updated
18 Sep 2026
How these 6 courses were chosen

Every course below is a real, currently listed course from Coursera, Udemy, matched to "optimization" 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 $19.99 to $79.00, as listed by the provider when we last updated the page.

  1. 1
    Coursera MOOC / Non-credit Grade A University-backed

    Business Analytics with Excel: Intermediate to Advanced

    Offered by Johns Hopkins University

    This Business Analytics course in Excel is the second of a three part series, with the intended audience business professionals, MBA students, advanced undergraduates, and analysts who already understand basic analytics...

    $49.00
    listed price
  2. 2
    Coursera MOOC / Non-credit Grade A University-backed

    Advanced Algorithms and Complexity

    Offered by University of California San Diego

    In previous courses of our online specialization you've learned the basic algorithms, and now you are ready to step into the area of more complex problems and algorithms to solve them. Advanced algorithms build upon basi...

    $79.00
    listed price
  3. 3
    Coursera Certificate Grade C

    Advanced Machine Learning on Google Cloud

    Offered by Google Cloud

    This 5-course specialization focuses on advanced machine learning topics using Google Cloud Platform where you will get hands-on experience optimizing, deploying, and scaling production ML models of various types in hand...

    $49.00
    listed price
  4. 4
    Udemy Certificate Grade C Lowest price here

    1Y0-341 Citrix ADC Advanced Topics Security, Management Test

    Welcome to Exam 1Y0-341 - Citrix ADC Advanced Topics – Security, Management, and OptimizationThe 1Y0-341 exam was developed for candidates who have demonstrated the minimum requisite knowledge and skills required for a C...

    $19.99
    listed price
  5. 5
    Udemy Certificate Certification prep Grade B

    Power Platform Solution Architect Expert PL-600 Exam Tests

    Step into the world of Power Platform mastery with our comprehensive course designed for aspiring Solution Architect Experts. Unveil the intricate layers of this dynamic platform as we delve into a journey that encapsula...

    $19.99
    listed price
  6. 6
    Udemy Certificate Certification prep Grade C

    3V0-21.23 : VMware vSphere 8.x Advanced Design Exam

    Two complete timed practice test for VMware vSphere 8.x Advanced Design (VMware 3V0-21.23) Exam.This practice test will help you to prepare your real exam and you can get good experience about Advanced Design VMware vSph...

    $19.99
    listed price

Best Optimization Courses for Advanced Learners compared

# Course Provider Offered by Price
1 Business Analytics with Excel: Intermediate to Advanced Coursera Johns Hopkins University $49.00 View →
2 Advanced Algorithms and Complexity Coursera University of California San Diego $79.00 View →
3 Advanced Machine Learning on Google Cloud Coursera Google Cloud $49.00 View →
4 1Y0-341 Citrix ADC Advanced Topics Security, Management Test Udemy $19.99 View →
5 Power Platform Solution Architect Expert PL-600 Exam Tests Udemy $19.99 View →
6 3V0-21.23 : VMware vSphere 8.x Advanced Design Exam Udemy $19.99 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 6 priced courses on this page run from $19.99 to $79.00, with the middle of the range around $49.00 — a spread of $59.01. 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 and Udemy. The platforms differ in how they sell: some charge once per course, others expect a subscription, and the listed price is not always what you pay at checkout after a promotion. 2 of these are produced by a named university or institution, including Johns Hopkins University and University of California San Diego — which usually means a fixed syllabus and a recognised certificate, rather than an individual instructor’s own course.

Courses versus exam preparation

2 of the entries here are built around a certification exam rather than teaching Optimization from scratch. They are the right choice only if you already know the material and want to pass a specific exam; if you are starting out, pick one of the taught courses first and come back to exam preparation afterwards.

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 18 September 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.

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