Can I take free data engineering courses on Coursera?

Yes. You can start learning data engineering on Coursera for free in two ways: Preview the first module of many data engineering courses at no cost. This includes video lessons, readings, graded assignments, and Coursera Coach (where available). Start a 7-day free trial for Specializations or Coursera Plus. This gives you full access to all course content across eligible programs within the timeframe of your trial. If you want to keep learning, earn a certificate in data engineering, or unlock full course access after the preview or trial, you can upgrade or apply for financial aid.

What will I learn in a data engineering course?

You’ll learn how to build and manage data processing systems, work with data warehouses and data lakes, use tools like SQL , Apache Spark , and Airflow, and understand how to design reliable and scalable data pipelines.

Do I need a background in data science or programming to start learning data engineering?

Not necessarily. Many beginner-friendly courses start with the fundamentals and explain data engineering concepts clearly. However, some familiarity with programming and data analysis can be helpful as you progress to more advanced topics.

Can Coursera’s data engineering courses help me in my career?

Yes. Data engineering is a fast-growing field with high demand in tech, finance , healthcare , and many other industries. Coursera’s data engineering courses can help you build job-ready skills, prepare for certification exams, and earn certificates that showcase your expertise to employers.

Top Data Engineering Courses - Learn Data Engineering Online

Q: What are the best data engineering courses on Coursera?

Top courses include the Data Engineering Foundations from IBM , Introduction to Data Engineering with DeepLearning.AI , and Data Engineering, Big Data, and Machine Learning on GCP from Google Cloud . These programs teach how to design, build, and manage data pipelines using modern tools and cloud platforms .

Find the Best Data Engineering Course for Your Goals

Status: Free Trial
IBM
Introduction to Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Data Store, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Architecture, Data Pipelines, Big Data, Data Warehousing, Data Governance, Apache Hadoop, Relational Databases, Apache Spark, Data Lakes, Databases, SQL, NoSQL, Data Security, Data Science
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
3.4K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
IBM
IBM Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: NoSQL, Data Warehousing, Apache Hadoop, Extract, Transform, Load, Apache Airflow, Web Scraping, Linux Commands, Database Design, SQL, IBM Cognos Analytics, MySQL, Apache Spark, Database Administration, Data Store, Jupyter, Generative AI, Professional Networking, Python Programming, Data Analysis, Data Science
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
60K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Engineering Foundations
Skills you'll gain: Web Scraping, Database Design, SQL, MySQL, Data Transformation, Data Store, IBM DB2, Extract, Transform, Load, Jupyter, Data Architecture, Data Pipelines, Big Data, Databases, Data Warehousing, Data Governance, Database Management Systems, Relational Databases, Stored Procedure, Python Programming, Data Structures
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
58K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Snowflake
Snowflake Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Data Engineering, Data Pipelines, Database Management, Data Manipulation, Databases, Data Transformation, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Lakes, Data Warehousing, Data Presentation, DevOps, Data Integration, Data Infrastructure, Cloud Development, SQL, Data Processing, CI/CD, Application Development, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Data Analysis
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
242 reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free
Amazon Web Services
Data Engineering on AWS - Foundations
Skills you'll gain: Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Cloud Engineering, Serverless Computing, CI/CD, Data Infrastructure, Amazon Web Services, Data Architecture, AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), AWS CloudFormation, Infrastructure Architecture, Security Controls, Cloud Applications, Amazon CloudWatch, Terraform
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
184 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Duke University
Python, Bash and SQL Essentials for Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Pandas (Python Package), Bash (Scripting Language), Version Control, Jupyter, Linux Commands, Git (Version Control System), Shell Script, Linux, Web Scraping, Linux Administration, Data Manipulation, MySQL, Microservices, AWS SageMaker, SQL, JSON, Cloud Engineering, Python Programming, Big Data, Data Science
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
443 reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

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Status: Free Trial
IBM
Python for Data Science, AI & Development
Skills you'll gain: Jupyter, Python Programming, Data Structures, Web Scraping, Data Manipulation, Programming Principles, Pandas (Python Package), Computer Programming, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Restful API, NumPy, Application Programming Interface (API), Data Analysis, File Management
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
42K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Databases and SQL for Data Science with Python
Skills you'll gain: SQL, Relational Databases, Stored Procedure, Databases, Query Languages, Jupyter, Data Manipulation, Data Analysis, Pandas (Python Package), Transaction Processing, Python Programming
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
22K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Meta
Meta Database Engineer
Skills you'll gain: MySQL, Database Design, Version Control, Database Management Systems, Database Management, MySQL Workbench, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Modeling, Data Structures, SQL, Unix Commands, Relational Databases, Databases, Git (Version Control System), Database Systems, GitHub, Stored Procedure, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Database Administration, Database Development
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
7.3K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
EDUCBA
Python NoSQL Data Engineering with MongoDB
Skills you'll gain: MongoDB, Data Transformation, Customer Analysis, Data Analysis, Back-End Web Development, Customer Data Management, Data Processing, NoSQL, Data Maintenance, Pandas (Python Package), Data Validation, Financial Data, Data Import/Export, Database Management, Data Cleansing, Databases, Data Pipelines, Database Design, Data Access, Query Languages
4.4
Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
14 reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Vanderbilt University
Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT
Skills you'll gain: Prompt Engineering, ChatGPT, Prompt Patterns, LLM Application, Productivity, OpenAI, Generative AI, Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Modeling, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Creative Thinking, Creative Problem-Solving, Problem Solving
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
6.7K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Data Warehouse Engineer
Skills you'll gain: Data Warehousing, SQL, Extract, Transform, Load, Apache Airflow, Linux Commands, Database Design, IBM Cognos Analytics, MySQL, Database Administration, Data Pipelines, Apache Kafka, Database Management, Bash (Scripting Language), Shell Script, Database Architecture and Administration, Data Store, IBM DB2, Data Visualization, Relational Databases, Dashboard
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
6.4K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months