How to learn C programming?

Whether you’re learning C programming for software development, systems programming, or academic purposes, having a clear goal can guide your learning. Consistent practice with coding and debugging is critical. Join communities like Stack Overflow or Reddit's r/C_Programming to ask questions and share knowledge. Work on real projects such as creating small programs. Introduction to C and C++ Specialization by Duke University on is a great starting resource.

What are the best C programming courses on Coursera?

Top options include C Programming for Beginners from Duke University and C Programming for Everybody from the University of Michigan . These courses cover everything from basic syntax to advanced topics like pointers, memory management, and data structures .

Can I learn C programming for free on Coursera?

Yes. Many C programming courses offer a free audit option, allowing learners to access video lessons and reading materials at no cost. To complete assignments or earn a certificate, you’ll need to upgrade or apply for financial aid.

What will I learn in a C programming course?

You’ll learn how to write C code, understand control structures (like loops and conditionals), use functions, work with arrays and strings, and manage memory with pointers. Some courses also cover debugging and testing C programs.

Do I need coding experience to start learning C programming?

Not at all. Many courses are designed for beginners and introduce C concepts step by step. However, some familiarity with basic programming logic can be helpful, especially if you want to move on to more advanced topics or other programming languages.

"Can Coursera’s C programming courses help me in my career? "

Yes. C programming is fundamental in areas like embedded systems , game development , and operating systems. Coursera courses can help you build job-ready skills, strengthen your programming foundation, and prepare for roles that require low-level programming expertise.

Top C Programming Courses - Learn C Programming Online

Find the Best C Programming Course for Your Goals

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Feminismo, género y política
Skills you'll gain: Social Justice, Political Sciences, Public Policies, Sociology, Social Sciences, Policy Analysis, Diversity Equity and Inclusion Initiatives, World History, Economics
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
46 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Michigan
Assisting Public Sector Decision Makers With Policy Analysis
Skills you'll gain: Statistical Analysis, Program Evaluation, Policy Analysis, Data Analysis, Statistical Methods, Public Policies, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Policy Development, Analytical Skills, Forecasting, R Programming, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Research Design, Time Series Analysis and Forecasting
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
26 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Infosec
C++ Interacting with the World and Error Handling
Skills you'll gain: Application Security, System Programming, Secure Coding, C++ (Programming Language), C (Programming Language), Debugging, Embedded Systems, Interoperability, Data Validation
2.8
Rating, 2.8 out of 5 stars
6 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Universidad de los Andes
Modelos predictivos con aprendizaje automático
Skills you'll gain: Data Ethics, Predictive Modeling, Classification And Regression Tree (CART), Supervised Learning, Regression Analysis, Applied Machine Learning, Predictive Analytics, Scikit Learn (Machine Learning Library), Machine Learning, Decision Tree Learning, Python Programming, Unsupervised Learning
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
74 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Amazon Web Services
Automation in the AWS Cloud
Skills you'll gain: Infrastructure as Code (IaC), AWS CloudFormation, IT Automation, Scripting, Bash (Scripting Language), Amazon Web Services, Command-Line Interface, Configuration Management, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, Automation, Continuous Monitoring, Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS), Cloud Management, Patch Management
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
70 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Google Cloud
Data Management and Storage in the Cloud
Skills you'll gain: Data Lakes, Data Governance, Data Architecture, Data Management, Cloud Storage, Database Management, Data Warehousing, Data Access, Metadata Management, NoSQL, Star Schema, Data Quality, Big Data, Query Languages, Data Integration, Application Programming Interface (API), Performance Tuning
4.1
Rating, 4.1 out of 5 stars
33 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Duke University
Cloud Machine Learning Engineering and MLOps
Skills you'll gain: MLOps (Machine Learning Operations), Continuous Delivery, Applied Machine Learning, Google Cloud Platform, Cloud Applications, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Cloud API, Microsoft Azure, Software Engineering, Computer Vision, Application Programming Interface (API), Natural Language Processing, Flask (Web Framework)
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
84 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
EIT Digital
Software Architecture for the Internet of Things
Skills you'll gain: Software Architecture, Functional Requirement, Requirements Analysis, Internet Of Things, Software Design Patterns, User Requirements Documents, Android Development, Application Frameworks, Maintainability, Interoperability, Software Quality (SQA/SQC)
4.3
Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
250 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of California, Irvine
The Nature of Data and Relational Database Design
Skills you'll gain: Decision Support Systems, Database Design, Relational Databases, Database Management, Database Management Systems, SQL, Descriptive Statistics, Data Literacy, Statistics, Business Intelligence, Microsoft Excel, Extract, Transform, Load, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Business Analytics, Data Manipulation, Data Science
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
101 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Duke University
Data Engineering with Rust
Skills you'll gain: Data Pipelines, Rust (Programming Language), Restful API, Amazon Web Services, Data Structures, Secure Coding, Data Processing, Cloud Applications, Data Manipulation, Encryption, Algorithms
3.5
Rating, 3.5 out of 5 stars
53 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Coursera Project Network
Build a Portfolio Website with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
Skills you'll gain: Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Web Development, HTML and CSS, Web Design and Development, Javascript, Front-End Web Development, Web Content, Web Design
4.2
Rating, 4.2 out of 5 stars
95 reviews
Intermediate · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
Status: Free Trial
University of California, Irvine
Networking and Security in iOS Applications
Skills you'll gain: Core Data (Software), Apple iOS, iOS Development, JSON, Objective-C (Programming Language), OAuth, Authentications, Mobile Development, Single Sign-On (SSO), Secure Coding, Data Store, Cryptographic Protocols, Application Security
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
254 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks