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.

Best Data Engineering Courses & Certificates Online [2025]

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
Status: AI skills
IBM
IBM Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: NoSQL, Data Warehousing, SQL, IBM Cognos Analytics, Dashboard, Data Visualization, Apache Spark, Apache Hadoop, Linux Commands, Database Administration, Web Scraping, Data Pipelines, Database Design, Extract, Transform, Load, Interviewing Skills, Generative AI, Jupyter, Python Programming, Data Science, Data Analysis
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
Introduction to Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Extract, Transform, Load, Big Data, Data Architecture, Data Pipelines, SQL, Data Governance, Apache Hadoop, Data Warehousing, Apache Hive, Data Storage, Apache Spark, Data Security, Data Transformation, Relational Databases, Data Science, NoSQL
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
3.3K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Snowflake
Snowflake Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Snowflake Schema, Data Pipelines, Data Engineering, Database Management, Data Transformation, Data Manipulation, Data Infrastructure, Data Warehousing, DevOps, Cloud Development, GitHub, Cloud Applications, CI/CD, Data Access, Data Integration, Data Quality, Extract, Transform, Load, Large Language Modeling, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Data Analysis
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
208 reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Multiple educators
DeepLearning.AI Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Apache Airflow, Data Modeling, Data Engineering, Data Architecture, Data Storage, Data Transformation, Data Pipelines, Data Lakes, Data Warehousing, Database Architecture and Administration, Requirements Analysis, AWS Kinesis, SQL, Query Languages, Data Integration, Database Management Systems, Databases, Amazon Web Services, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Management
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
481 reviews
Intermediate · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Snowflake
Introduction to Modern Data Engineering with Snowflake
Skills you'll gain: Data Pipelines, Data Engineering, Data Transformation, Data Integration, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Warehousing, Stored Procedure, SQL, Data Analysis, Automation, Command-Line Interface
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
109 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Engineering Foundations
Skills you'll gain: SQL, Web Scraping, Extract, Transform, Load, Database Design, MySQL, Relational Databases, Database Systems, Data Transformation, Big Data, IBM DB2, Databases, Data Architecture, Database Management, Data Pipelines, Data Storage Technologies, Query Languages, Jupyter, PostgreSQL, Data Governance, Python Programming
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
57K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

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Explore topics outside of work

Status: Free
Amazon Web Services
Data Engineering on AWS - Foundations
Skills you'll gain: Infrastructure as Code (IaC), CI/CD, Cloud Engineering, Data Infrastructure, Amazon Web Services, Data Architecture, AWS CloudFormation, Serverless Computing, Data Pipelines, Data Warehousing, Amazon S3, Data Modeling, AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), Amazon CloudWatch, Cloud Security
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
145 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Google Cloud
Data Engineering, Big Data, and Machine Learning on GCP
Skills you'll gain: Data Pipelines, Dataflow, Google Cloud Platform, Data Lakes, Data Warehousing, Real Time Data, Data Visualization, Cloud Storage, Big Data, Tensorflow, Data Infrastructure, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Integration, Apache Spark, Data Processing, Unstructured Data, Analytics, MLOps (Machine Learning Operations), Cloud API, Cloud Infrastructure
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
18K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Duke University
Python, Bash and SQL Essentials for Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Bash (Scripting Language), Shell Script, Linux, Jupyter, Linux Commands, Database Management, Version Control, Pandas (Python Package), Git (Version Control System), Unix Shell, Web Scraping, Linux Administration, SQL, MySQL, Microservices, Containerization, Docker (Software), Python Programming, Big Data, Data Science
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
437 reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
DeepLearning.AI
Introduction to Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Data Architecture, Requirements Analysis, AWS Kinesis, Data Pipelines, Amazon Web Services, Amazon Redshift, Data Warehousing, System Requirements, Data Processing, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Transformation, Scalability, Cloud Computing
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
400 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Meta
Meta Database Engineer
Skills you'll gain: MySQL, Database Management, Version Control, Stored Procedure, SQL, Unix Commands, Databases, Data Modeling, Git (Version Control System), Database Management Systems, Database Design, GitHub, MySQL Workbench, Relational Databases, Star Schema, Tableau Software, Data Visualization Software, Database Administration, Data Structures, Object Oriented Programming (OOP)
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
7.3K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Python for Data Science, AI & Development
Skills you'll gain: Jupyter, Web Scraping, Python Programming, Data Collection, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Pandas (Python Package), Programming Principles, Data Structures, NumPy, Data Processing, Data Manipulation, Application Programming Interface (API), Data Import/Export, Computer Programming, Data Analysis
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
42K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months