What is a spreadsheet?

A spreadsheet is a sheet of paper or digital file that's divided into rows and columns that allows you to store and analyze data in an organized format. Paper spreadsheets allow you to physically enter data into the rows and columns, but you have to manage your own calculations. Computer spreadsheets can take care of the calculations for you, but you have to enter the formulas into the spreadsheet. Popular computer and web-based spreadsheet applications include Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, and Google Sheets.

Why is it important to learn about spreadsheets?

Spreadsheets are useful tools in the business world, and many companies rely on them, and even if you don't use numbers or formulas, spreadsheets come in handy if you're making charts and organizing information. Spreadsheets are helpful for organizing data of any kind, so it's worth your time to gain familiarity with how to use them. If you work with numbers—from complex formulas to simple budgeting—learning how to use spreadsheets will help you become more productive at work and at home.

How does knowing about spreadsheets affect my career?

There was a time when spreadsheets were only common in the financial sector, but because they're so versatile, they're increasingly prevalent everywhere. If you have a working knowledge of spreadsheets, you can make good use of them in your workplace. If you can gain a deeper knowledge of how spreadsheets work, you'll possess a skill that can make you more productive in your career or help you advance in your career. Some employers look for candidates with extensive spreadsheet knowledge when they're hiring or promoting employees, so the more you know about using spreadsheets, the more value you have as an employee.

How can online courses on Coursera help me learn spreadsheets?

Taking online courses on Coursera can help you learn the various features and formulas of spreadsheets at a pace and schedule that fits your needs. The courses are led by some of the best instructors in the academic and business world, from organizations like IBM and the University of Pennsylvania. You can be confident that whether you're learning the basics or gaining more advanced knowledge, you won't only know about how spreadsheets work, but you can apply that knowledge with ease.

What are the benefits of taking an online Spreadsheet course?

Online Spreadsheet courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Spreadsheet skills. Choose from a wide range of Spreadsheet courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.

What Spreadsheet courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Spreadsheet, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Spreadsheet Courses - Learn Spreadsheet Online

Explore the Spreadsheet Course Catalog

Status: Free Trial
Rice University
Introduction to Data Analysis Using Excel
Skills you'll gain: Microsoft Excel, Pivot Tables And Charts, Graphing, Spreadsheet Software, Excel Formulas, Data Analysis, Histogram, Scatter Plots, Data Visualization Software, Data Manipulation, Data Import/Export
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
10K reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free
Coursera Project Network
Finding, Sorting, & Filtering Data in Microsoft Excel
Skills you'll gain: Microsoft Excel, Spreadsheet Software, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), Business Intelligence, Data Entry
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
428 reviews
Intermediate · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
Status: Free
Coursera Project Network
Create a Financial Statement using Microsoft Excel
Skills you'll gain: Financial Statements, Microsoft Excel, Excel Formulas, Balance Sheet, Financial Data, Bookkeeping, Data Entry, Financial Reporting, Financial Accounting, Profit and Loss (P&L) Management
4.4
Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
723 reviews
Intermediate · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
Status: Free Trial
Microsoft
Work Smarter with Microsoft Excel
Skills you'll gain: Microsoft Excel, Excel Formulas, Data Visualization, Spreadsheet Software, Microsoft 365, Productivity Software, Data Import/Export, Data Management, File Management
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
2.9K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Colorado Boulder
Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving
Skills you'll gain: Excel Macros, Peer Review, Visual Basic (Programming Language), Programming Principles, Data Import/Export, Microsoft Excel, Data Structures, Program Development, Computer Programming, Project Design, Simulations, Automation, Spreadsheet Software, Algorithms, UI Components, Debugging, Data Management, User Interface (UI), Data Cleansing, Data Validation
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
4.7K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Status: New AI skills
Google
Google Data Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Rmarkdown, Data Literacy, Data Visualization, Data Presentation, Data Ethics, Interactive Data Visualization, Interviewing Skills, Data Cleansing, Data Validation, Ggplot2, Professional Networking, Tableau Software, Presentations, Spreadsheet Software, Data Analysis, Data Visualization Software, Stakeholder Communications, Dashboard, Sampling (Statistics)
Build toward a degree
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
168K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Introduction to Data Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Big Data, Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Apache Hadoop, Data Wrangling, Apache Hive, Data Collection, Data Mart, Data Warehousing, Analytics, Apache Spark, Data Cleansing, Data Lakes, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Visualization Software
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
19K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Visualization and Dashboards with Excel and Cognos
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Data Visualization Software, Dashboard, IBM Cognos Analytics, Tree Maps, Scatter Plots, Pivot Tables And Charts, Microsoft Excel, Histogram
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
4.2K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
Microsoft
Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Dashboard, Excel Formulas, Extract, Transform, Load, Power BI, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Copilot, Data Modeling, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Star Schema, Data Analysis, Data Presentation, Data Visualization Software, Spreadsheet Software, Data Validation, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Transformation, Data Cleansing, Data Storage
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
7.3K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Howard University
Solving Business Problems with Spreadsheet Modeling
Skills you'll gain: Correlation Analysis, Business Analysis, Spreadsheet Software, Business Analytics, Analysis, Microsoft Excel, Financial Modeling, Business Modeling, Risk Analysis, Complex Problem Solving, Data Analysis
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
8 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Microsoft
Master Microsoft Office 365 and Power Platform
Skills you'll gain: Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft Copilot, Prompt Engineering, Microsoft Power Automate/Flow, Power BI, Multimedia, Microsoft PowerPoint, Dashboard, Microsoft Excel, Excel Formulas, Microsoft Word, Microsoft 365, Data Visualization, Presentations, Spreadsheet Software, Microsoft Outlook, Data Integration, Microsoft Azure, Productivity Software, Business Intelligence
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
5.6K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Meta
Data Analysis with Spreadsheets and SQL
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization Software, Spreadsheet Software, Correlation Analysis, Google Sheets, Pivot Tables And Charts, Dashboard, Data Analysis, Data Storytelling, Tableau Software, Descriptive Statistics, Data Cleansing, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Manipulation, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Statistical Analysis, SQL
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
226 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months