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
Multiple educators
DeepLearning.AI Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Data Engineering, Apache Airflow, Data Modeling, Data Pipelines, Data Storage, Data Storage Technologies, Data Architecture, Data Transformation, Requirements Analysis, Data Processing, Data Warehousing, Query Languages, Apache Hadoop, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Lakes, Amazon Web Services, Apache Spark, Database Systems, Data Integration, Data Management
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
472 reviews
Intermediate · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
IBM
IBM Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: NoSQL, Data Warehousing, SQL, Apache Hadoop, Extract, Transform, Load, Apache Airflow, Web Scraping, Linux Commands, Database Design, IBM Cognos Analytics, MySQL, Apache Spark, Database Administration, Data Store, Generative AI, Professional Networking, Data Import/Export, Python Programming, Data Analysis, Data Science
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
59K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 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, SQL, Cloud Applications, CI/CD, Application Development, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Data Import/Export, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Data Analysis
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
196 reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 1 - 3 Months
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
3.3K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Engineering Foundations
Skills you'll gain: SQL, Web Scraping, Database Design, MySQL, Data Transformation, Data Store, IBM DB2, Extract, Transform, Load, Relational Databases, Data Architecture, Data Pipelines, Big Data, Database Management, Data Warehousing, Data Governance, Databases, Stored Procedure, Data Import/Export, Programming Principles, Python Programming
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
57K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Snowflake
Introduction to Modern Data Engineering with Snowflake
Skills you'll gain: Data Engineering, Data Pipelines, Data Transformation, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Presentation, Data Integration, Data Warehousing, Data Import/Export, Stored Procedure, Data Sharing, SQL, Data Analysis, Automation, Command-Line Interface
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
107 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

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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
135 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
DeepLearning.AI
Introduction to Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Data Pipelines, Data Architecture, Requirements Analysis, Amazon Web Services, Data Warehousing, Data Modeling, Data Processing, System Requirements, Performance Tuning, Security Controls, Data Transformation, Scalability
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
394 reviews
Intermediate · 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
433 reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Google Cloud
Data Engineering, Big Data, and Machine Learning on GCP
Skills you'll gain: Data Pipelines, Dataflow, Google Cloud Platform, Real Time Data, Data Lakes, MLOps (Machine Learning Operations), Dashboard, Data Warehousing, Extract, Transform, Load, Cloud Engineering, Data Infrastructure, Cloud Infrastructure, Apache Airflow, Cloud Storage, Big Data, Tensorflow, Unstructured Data, Data Integration, Data Migration, Data Processing
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
18K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Python Project for Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Web Scraping, Data Transformation, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Manipulation, SQL, Integrated Development Environments, Data Processing, Databases, Application Programming Interface (API), Code Review, Restful API, Python Programming, Unit Testing, Style Guides
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
784 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Python for Data Science, AI & Development
Skills you'll gain: Data Import/Export, Programming Principles, Web Scraping, Python Programming, Jupyter, Data Structures, Data Processing, Pandas (Python Package), Data Manipulation, JSON, Computer Programming, Restful API, NumPy, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Scripting, Application Programming Interface (API), Automation, Data Analysis
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
42K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months