IBM
IBM Java Developer Professional Certificate

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IBM

IBM Java Developer Professional Certificate

Kickstart your career as a Java developer. Gain hands-on, job-ready skills employers want in just 4 - 5months. No prior experience required.

IBM Skills Network Team
Michelle Saltoun
Muhammad Yahya

Instructors: IBM Skills Network Team

11,460 already enrolled

Included with Coursera Plus

Earn a career credential that demonstrates your expertise
4.8

(255 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

3 months to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Earn a career credential that demonstrates your expertise
4.8

(255 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

3 months to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Build the job-ready skills and hands-on experience in Java development that employers look for in 3 months 

  • Learn how to deploy Java applications with industry-standard practices, design patterns, testing, and Cloud native technologies

  • Create interactive web applications by combining HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Java back-end frameworks like Spring  

  • Design and deploy scalable, database-driven apps by integrating relational and noSQL databases, microservices, and Docket containers

Details to know

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Taught in English
Recently updated!

August 2025

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Professional Certificate - 14 course series

What you'll learn

  • Explain the principles of software engineering, the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), and software development tools, technologies, and stacks

  • Differentiate between programming language types and apply basic programming constructs such as loops, conditionals, and functions using Python

  • Summarize key software architecture and design approaches, including common architectural and deployment patterns

  • Outline the roles, skills, and career paths in software engineering

Skills you'll gain

Category: Software Engineering
Category: Software Development Life Cycle
Category: Back-End Web Development
Category: Front-End Web Development
Category: Computer Programming
Category: Software Architecture
Category: Application Development
Category: Software Development
Category: Integrated Development Environments
Category: Web Development
Category: Agile Methodology
Category: Python Programming
Category: Programming Principles
Category: Software Design
Category: Scrum (Software Development)
Category: Cloud Development
Category: Software Design Patterns

What you'll learn

  • Build job-ready Java skills employers are looking for, supported by hands-on experience you can talk about in interviews in just one month.

  • Set up of the Java environment with the Java Development Kit (JDK), Java Runtime Environment (JRE), and Integrated Development Environment (IDE). 

  • Implement data types, variables, operators, control flow statements, arrays, strings, and more. 

  • Use robust exception-handling techniques using try-catch blocks, and differentiate among checked and runtime exceptions for application development.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Java Programming
Category: Development Environment
Category: Java
Category: Computer Programming
Category: Debugging
Category: Data Structures
Category: Object Oriented Programming (OOP)
Category: Integrated Development Environments
Category: Programming Principles

What you'll learn

  • Apply object-oriented programming (OOP) techniques to define and implement classes and objects, demonstrating encapsulation and abstraction.

  • Use advanced OOP concepts such as inheritance, polymorphism, interfaces, and method overloading.

  • Employ the Java Collections Framework to manage data using lists, sets, queues, and maps.

  • Describe the basics of directory and file handling in Java and practical uses of date and time in application development.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Java Programming
Category: Object Oriented Programming (OOP)
Category: Data Structures
Category: Data Management
Category: File Management
Category: Java
Category: Object Oriented Design
Category: Application Development
Category: Program Development
Category: Computer Programming

What you'll learn

  • Stand out to prospective employers: Showcase your ability to build modular Java apps with OOP, file handling, and exception management

  • Build interactive, console-based Java programs that support user input and persistent data storage through file handling

  • Use Java’s exception handling to manage input errors and maintain data integrity during file and user operations

  • Generate clear, formatted reports by filtering and presenting data stored in Java objects

Skills you'll gain

Category: Object Oriented Programming (OOP)
Category: Java Programming
Category: Data Validation
Category: Maintainability
Category: Application Development
Category: File Management
Category: Data Storage Technologies
Category: Object Oriented Design
Category: Java
Category: Program Development
Category: Data Structures
Category: Software Design

What you'll learn

  • Describe the Web Application Development Ecosystem and terminology like front-end developer, back-end, server-side, and full stack.

  • Identify the developer tools, online editors like JSFiddle, and integrated development environments (IDEs) for building and testing web applications.

  • Create and structure basic web pages using HTML and style them with CSS.

  • Develop dynamic and interactive web pages using JavaScript, including DOM manipulation, form validation, and client-side scripting techniques.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Javascript
Category: Bootstrap (Front-End Framework)
Category: Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
Category: Browser Compatibility
Category: Back-End Web Development
Category: Responsive Web Design
Category: Application Programming Interface (API)
Category: Web Development
Category: Scripting

What you'll learn

  • Describe version control and its place in social and collaborative coding and in DevOps.

  • Explain basic Git concepts such as repositories and branches used for distributed version control and social coding.

  • Create GitHub repositories and branches, and perform pull requests (PRs) and merge operations, to collaborate on a team project.

  • Build your portfolio by creating and sharing an open-source project on GitHub.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Git (Version Control System)
Category: GitHub
Category: Collaborative Software
Category: Command-Line Interface
Category: DevOps
Category: Version Control
Category: Web Applications
Category: Open Source Technology

What you'll learn

  • Build job-ready skills in the Spring Framework and master the Spring ecosystem and its advanced architectural components in just 4 weeks.

  • Build RESTful APIs using Spring Boot for scalable applications

  • Develop Java applications with robust security measures using Spring Security

  • Gain hands-on experience through labs on Rest APIs, Web forms, authentication, authorization, and role-based access control.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Application Security
Category: Restful API
Category: Apache Maven
Category: Model View Controller
Category: Authorization (Computing)
Category: Development Environment
Category: Java
Category: Web Applications
Category: Authentications
Category: Application Programming Interface (API)
Category: Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

What you'll learn

  • The job-ready skills you need to develop Java applications with databases in just 4 weeks

  • Apply the fundamentals of databases in a Java program using Java Database Connectivity and develop database-driven applications using Spring Boot

  • Handle entity relationships with Object Relational Mapping (ORM) using Hibernate for efficient data management

  • Explore other modern data storage solutions such as NoSQL, document, time series and graph databases

Skills you'll gain

Category: Spring Boot
Category: NoSQL
Category: SQL
Category: Hibernate (Java)
Category: Object-Relational Mapping
Category: Relational Databases
Category: Restful API
Category: Java Programming
Category: Back-End Web Development
Category: Databases
Category: Database Development
Category: Software Development
Category: Database Design
Category: Database Management
Category: Query Languages
Category: Java
Category: Data Access

What you'll learn

  • Build job-ready skills in cloud native, microservices, containers, DevOps, and Agile employers are looking for in just 6 weeks.

  • Create RESTful APIs for modern web development and deploy them with Docker containers. 

  • Implement DevOps and CI/CD practices for streamlined development and deployment. 

  • Apply Agile and Scrum best practices for iterative, efficient software delivery.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Microservices
Category: Cloud-Native Computing
Category: DevOps
Category: Docker (Software)
Category: Agile Methodology
Category: Containerization
Category: Scrum (Software Development)
Category: Restful API
Category: CI/CD
Category: Cloud Infrastructure
Category: Continuous Integration
Category: Hybrid Cloud Computing
Category: Cloud Development
Category: Continuous Delivery
Category: Postman API Platform
Category: Agile Project Management
Category: Cloud Applications
Category: Kubernetes
Category: Agile Software Development
Category: Software Development Methodologies

What you'll learn

  • Design tests for extensible Java applications using factory, strategy, and observer patterns and apply them to solve real-world problems

  • Implement and assess modern design patterns with Java features, including lambdas, functional interfaces, and modular architecture

  • Build robust Java test suites using TDD, JUnit, AssertJ, and Mockito to ensure unit and integration test coverage for microservices

  • Deploy secure, cloud-ready Java apps using Docker, Kubernetes, Maven, and CI/CD pipelines with best practices in dependency management

Skills you'll gain

Category: Software Design Patterns
Category: CI/CD
Category: Containerization
Category: Java
Category: Continuous Integration
Category: Integration Testing
Category: Object Oriented Design
Category: Docker (Software)
Category: Development Testing

What you'll learn

  • Gain practical, in-depth experience by designing and developing dynamic web pages with interactive features using JavaScript.

  • Manage entity relationships with Object Relational Mapping (ORM) using Hibernate for efficient data management for both SQL and NoSQL databases. 

  • Demonstrate your job-ready skills in cloud native, microservices, containers, DevOps, and Agile.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Database Design
Category: Continuous Integration
Category: Docker (Software)
Category: Back-End Web Development
Category: Spring Boot
Category: Front-End Web Development
Category: User Story
Category: Model View Controller
Category: Java Programming
Category: Java
Category: HTML and CSS
Category: CI/CD
Category: Restful API
Category: Hibernate (Java)
Category: Software Design Documents
Category: Database Application
Category: Databases
Category: Full-Stack Web Development
Category: Java Platform Enterprise Edition (J2EE)
Category: User Requirements Documents

What you'll learn

  • Demonstrate how to generate code snippets, scripts, and programs using generative AI models

  • Apply generative AI techniques for application design, architecture, bug detection, code refactoring, and program optimization

  • Develop innovative solutions using generative AI-powered tools such as ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, Google Gemini, and IBM watsonx Code Assistant

  • Explainthe challenges and ethical considerations associated with using generative AI for programming, along with strategies for mitigating them

Skills you'll gain

Category: Large Language Modeling
Category: CI/CD
Category: Code Review
Category: Artificial Intelligence
Category: Generative AI
Category: Software Development
Category: DevSecOps
Category: Software Architecture
Category: Natural Language Processing
Category: Software Testing
Category: Data Ethics
Category: Prompt Engineering
Category: Software Engineering
Category: Test Automation
Category: Software Development Tools
Category: Application Security

What you'll learn

  • Explore AI concepts and set up a Java dev environment optimized for developing AI-powered applications with Java.

  • Build AI application features using Java and implement neural networks using Deeplearning4j for NLP, image recognition, and classification tasks.

  • Design and integrate AI service layers, RESTful APIs, and components into Spring applications using best practices.

  • Test, debug, deploy, and manage Spring AI apps with proper configuration, logging, and error handling strategies.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Java
Category: Computer Vision
Category: Test Tools
Category: Generative AI
Category: Restful API
Category: Application Deployment
Category: Software Development
Category: Application Programming Interface (API)
Category: Development Environment

What you'll learn

  • Describe the role of a software developer, typical career paths, and emerging opportunities in the field

  • Explain how to prepare for a job search, including researching companies, identifying suitable roles, and developing key

  • Apply strategies for networking and assessing job listings to effectively target and pursue software development positions

  • Demonstrate readiness for each stage of the interview process, including technical challenges, behavioral questions, and post-interview follow-up

Skills you'll gain

Category: Communication
Category: Application Development
Category: Software Engineering Tools
Category: Code Review
Category: Problem Solving
Category: Professionalism
Category: Software Engineering
Category: Professional Development
Category: Interviewing Skills
Category: Software Testing
Category: Software Development Methodologies
Category: Relationship Building
Category: Software Development
Category: DevOps
Category: Cloud Computing
Category: Algorithms
Category: Engineering Software
Category: Verbal Communication Skills

Earn a career certificate

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Instructors

IBM Skills Network Team
IBM
83 Courses1,460,574 learners
Michelle Saltoun
IBM
2 Courses255,057 learners
Muhammad Yahya
IBM
5 Courses88,597 learners

Offered by

IBM
SkillUp

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Frequently asked questions

¹ Median salary and job opening data are sourced from Lightcast™ Job Postings Report. Content Creator, Machine Learning Engineer and Salesforce Development Representative (1/1/2024 - 12/31/2024) All other job roles (9/1/2024 - 9/1/2025)