25 Best Software Design Courses Online
We compared 25 Software Design courses currently listed on Coursera and edX, priced from $9.99 to $79.00. 10 come from a named university or institution, including Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, Duke University and University of Alberta. 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
- 25
- Price range
- $9.99 – $79.00
- Providers
- Coursera, edX
- Last updated
- 18 Sep 2026
How these 25 courses were chosen
Every course below is a real, currently listed course from Coursera, edX, matched to "software design" 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 $9.99 to $79.00, as listed by the provider when we last updated the page.
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1
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 -
2
Java Programming: Principles of Software Design
Offered by Duke University
Solve real world problems with Java using multiple classes. Learn how to create programming solutions that scale using Java interfaces. Recognize that software engineering is more than writing code - it also involves log...
$79.00listed price -
3
Software Design and Architecture
Offered by University of Alberta
In the Software Design and Architecture Specialization, you will learn how to apply design principles, patterns, and architectures to create reusable and flexible software applications and systems. You will learn how to...
$49.00listed price -
4
Software Design Threats and Mitigations
Offered by University of Colorado System
The design step in developing software has some unique characteristics. First of all, it’s the only step where drawing pictures of things is the norm. Why is that? What do pictures do that other representations cannot do...
$79.00listed price -
5
Software Design as an Abstraction
Offered by University of Colorado System
The design step in developing software has some unique characteristics. First of all, it’s the only step where drawing pictures of things is the norm. Why is that? What do pictures do that other representations cannot do...
$79.00listed price -
6
AI Interviews - Software Design, Architecture, and More
Offered by CodeSignal
Prepare for technical interviews focused on software design, architecture, performance, security, networking, and development practices. Practice explaining core concepts and making tradeoffs in realistic interview scena...
$55.00listed price -
7
Programming Languages, Part C
Offered by University of Washington
[As described below, this is Part C of a 3-part course. Participants should complete Parts A and B first -- Part C "dives right in" and refers often to material from Part A and Part B.] This course is an introduction to...
$29.00listed price -
8
C++ Class Development
Offered by University of Colorado System
This course is the third course in the specialization about learning how to develop video games using the C++ programming language and the Unreal game engine on Windows or Mac. This course assumes you have the prerequisi...
$49.00listed price -
9
Computational Thinking with JavaScript 4: Create & Deploy
Offered by University of Glasgow
This fourth and final course is the capstone of the Computational Thinking with JavaScript Specialization. It builds on everything you have learned so far and supports you in designing, implementing, deploying, and refle...
$49.00listed price -
10
Software Development Practices
Offered by Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani
Welcome to the Software Development Practices course! In this course, you will explore techniques for eliciting and documenting software requirements, including the creation of use cases and user stories. You will learn...
$49.00listed price -
11
Designing Larger Python Programs for Data Science
Offered by Duke University
Modern programs are complicated structures, with hundreds to thousands of lines of code, but how do you efficiently move from smaller programs to more robust, complicated programs? How do data scientists simulate the ran...
$49.00listed price -
12
Software Architecture for Big Data
Offered by University of Colorado Boulder
This specialization is for software engineers interested in the principles of building and architecting large software systems that use big data. Through three courses you will learn about how to build and architect perf...
$79.00listed price -
13
Interactivity with JavaScript and jQuery
Offered by University of California, Davis
This course is the third in our JavaScript for Beginners Specialization. The scripts will become more complex and introduce more complex jQuery plugins. You will have several challenges to practice your skills throughout...
$49.00listed price -
14
Object-Oriented Analysis & Design
Offered by University of Colorado Boulder
Take a step towards becoming a software craftsperson!This class offers an examination of key patterns, principles, and practices for effective object-oriented design and analysis. Learn to move through understanding prob...
$49.00listed 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 -
16
Understand Big O Notation in Python
Offered by Duke University
In this 1-hour long project, you will gain first-hand experience using Python to model algorithmic efficiency tradeoffs. By implementing simulations of real-world systems using Big O notation, you will be able to quantif...
$9.99listed price -
17
More Problem Solving, Python Programming, and Video Games
Offered by University of Alberta
This course continues the introduction to computer science and programming in Python, that was begun in the Coursera course: Problem Solving, Python Programming, and Video Games (PVG). Upon successful completion of this...
$49.00listed price -
18
TDD – Desenvolvimento de Software Guiado por Testes
Offered by Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica
Neste curso, assumimos que você já sabe projetar e desenvolver programas mais complexos em Java, com método e organização graças às boas práticas e princípios exercitados no curso anterior; mas você talvez não se sinta a...
$29.00listed price -
19
Structural Design Patterns in Modern C++
Offered by Packt
Updated in May 2025. This course now features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as yo...
$49.00listed price -
20
Enterprise Architecture with .NET
Offered by Packt
This specialization provides learners with a structured journey to mastering enterprise architecture using .NET, progressing from foundational principles to scalable system implementation. The first course introduces cor...
$49.00listed price -
21
Build a C# .NET Kids Play Zone App from Scratch
Offered by EDUCBA
Learners will design, develop, and implement a complete C# .NET desktop application that manages check-in, checkout, billing, and ticket tracking for a real-world Kids Play Zone environment. In this hands-on, project-bas...
$49.00listed price -
22
Applied Software Engineering Fundamentals
Offered by IBM
If you want to enter the exciting world of software development, this Software Engineering Foundations Specialization is for you. No prior degrees or knowledge of programming or application development are necessary. Sof...
$49.00listed price -
23
Mastering Usability Testing: Techniques and Best Practices
Offered by Board Infinity
Course Description: This course offers a comprehensive exploration of usability testing, a critical aspect of software development focused on ensuring that products meet user needs effectively and efficiently. It delves...
$49.00listed price -
24
Foundations of Software Lifecycle Development and Security
Offered by ISC2
Ensuring secure software development requires specific cybersecurity talent and leadership. Organizational needs drive the design and requirements for security in software, and development must consider both business and...
$49.00listed price -
25
Learn to Program: Crafting Quality Code
Offered by University of Toronto
Not all programs are created equal. In this course, we'll focus on writing quality code that runs correctly and efficiently. We'll design, code and validate our programs and learn how to compare programs that are addre...
$49.00listed price
Best Software Design Courses Online compared
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 25 priced courses on this page run from $9.99 to $79.00, with the middle of the range around $49.00 — a spread of $69.01. 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 edX. 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. 10 of these are produced by a named university or institution, including Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, Duke University and University of Alberta — 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 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.