Top 10 Online Courses to Learn C Programming

Introduction

C++ is a cross-platform and general-purpose programming language used for creating high-performing applications. It is an extension of the C programming language and is more dynamic as it allows programmers with more control over the system, resources, and memory used for building applications. 

Today, C++ is one of the most popular programming languages implemented in major operating systems, graphical user interfaces, and embedded systems. Moreover, the C++ programming language provides a more precise structure of the codes, allowing code reusability that leads to lower developmental time and costs. 

As a result, C++ is one of the most sought-after skill sets among developers. C++ is one of the most sought-after skill sets among developers. In recent years, C++ has been used as a back-end technology and to build graphics-intensive applications, and it is used even for smartwatches which makes C++ is one of the most sought-after skill sets among developers. Therefore, aspirants must opt to upskill themselves with the help of some of the top trending courses on C++ on the online learning platform.

Related reading: Top 10 Java Online Courses

1. Coding for Everyone: C and C++ Specialization by University of California, Santa Cruz – Coursera

This specialization is offered on Coursera. In this course, the learners will cover the foundations of C and C++, learn to program in C, and move onto advanced programming concepts, including syntax in C++. Each module offers ample opportunities for learners to write programs to solve high-level problems with the help of algorithms and build complex games. 

In addition, the learners will understand how to find errors in codes and learn to debug them in a development environment. Numerous algorithms are covered in this training and essential topics such as graph theory and graph algorithms for a high-level understanding of the programming language. 

The course curriculum includes:

• Programming Fundamentals
• Structured Programming
• C++ Part A and Part B

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Ira Pohl

Level: Beginner

Duration: 6 months

User Review: 4.4/5

No. of Reviews: 1227

Price: Free Enrollment (Additional charges for certification may apply)

2. Accelerated Computer Science Fundamentals Specialization by University of Illinois – Coursera

This online program is available on Coursera. The certification course is designed for learners with prior experience in any programming language. It is entirely focused on providing learners with comprehensive knowledge about data structures and algorithms in C++. 

The learners will begin with the fundamentals of implementing data structures and learn about their efficiency in C++. Moreover, the learners will gain knowledge about object-oriented programming and asymptotic algorithms. Next, the advanced topics of data structures related to arrays, linked lists, trees, heaps, and graphs are covered in-depth. 

This online training prepares learners with well-developed coding skills and the know-how of the algorithms for building complex systems.

 The key takeaways from the course include:

• Thorough understanding of object-oriented programming in the C++ language
• Defining classes, encapsulation and data structures, and algorithms
• Traversals, rebalancing, and shortest paths
• Understanding of how to implement appropriate data structures in the best possible manner to solve a computational problem
• Analyzing running time and space requirements for algorithms
• Implementing data structures and algorithms for high-level system programming
• Advanced library functions

The course modules are:

• Object-oriented Data Structures in C++
• Ordered Data Structures
• Unordered Data Structures

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Wade Fagen-Ulmschneider

Level: Intermediate

Duration: 3 months

User Review: 4.7/5

No. of Reviews: 1803

Price: Free Enrollment (Additional charges for certification may apply)

3. Beginning C++ Programming- From Beginner to Beyond – Udemy

This is one of the bestselling courses on Udemy to learn programming using C++. In this tutorial, there are no prerequisites, and the learners will begin with the fundamentals of the C++ programming language. 

The training program emphasized offering the modern C++ concepts rather than the older versions with several examples, practical demonstrations, coding challenges, and assignments for a thorough understanding of the programming language. 

Additionally, the learners will learn advanced features such as inheritance and polymorphism functions. 

At the end of the course, the learners will be well-equipped with the following skills:

• In-depth knowledge of looping using while, do-while, for, and range based statements and recursion
• Performing calculations and displaying the results
• Functions and pointers
• Classes and creating objects
• Creating classes
• Basic standard template library classes
• Constructors and destructors
• Copy and move semantics
• Inheritance and polymorphism
• Smart pointers and stream I/O
• C++ STL and exception handling

The course curriculum includes:

• Introduction
• Installation and Setup
• Structure of a C++ Program
• Variables and Constants
• Arrays and Vectors
• Statements and Operators
• Controlling Program Flow
• Character and Strings
• Functions
• Pointers and References
• OOP- Classes and Objects
• Operator Overloading
• Inheritance and Polymorphism
• I/O and Streams
• Exception Handling
• STL and Lambda Expressions
• Using Visual Studio Code
• Enumerations

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Tim Buchalka and Dr. Frank Mitropoulos

Level: Beginner/ Intermediate

Duration: 45 hours and 59 minutes

User Review: 4.6/5

No. of Reviews: 40,866

Price: $69.6

4. The C++ 20 Masterclass: From Fundamentals to Advanced – Udemy

The certification program boasts of an entirely new curriculum with modern C++ concepts for learners. It is available for enrollment on the Udemy platform. This training program offers learners the latest C++ concepts like ranges, coroutines, the three-way comparison infrastructure, and many more. 

The modules are well-designed and offer concepts so that learners can tackle the upcoming technologies in the industry to build an operating system with advanced features much like Windows, Mac, or Linux and develop complex software with shorter developmental cycles.

The learners will also explore how C++ is implemented for running devices such as embedded systems, electronic products, medical equipment, networking routers and switches, and powering industrial plants and manufacturing facilities.

Furthermore, the learners will have practical exposure to programming using advanced features such as function templates, class templates, polymorphism, move semantics, callbacks, STL containers, iterators, and various algorithms. The course modules are:

• Introduction
• Development Environment Installation and Setup
• Variables and Data Types
• Operations on Data
• Literals and Constants
• Data Conversions: Overflow and Underflow
• Bitwise Operators
• Variable Lifetime and Scope
• Control Flow, Loops, Arrays, and Pointers
• References and Strings
• Functions and Enums and Type Aliases
• Arguments to Main
• Function Overloading and Lambda Functions
• Function Call Stack and Debugging
• Function Templates
• C++20 Concepts: Classes, Objects and Const
• Diving deep into Constructors and Initialization
• Friends and Static Members
• Programs with Multiple Files and Smart Pointers
• Operator Overloading, Inheritance, and Polymorphism
• Exception Handling and Box Container Class
• Class Templates, Move Semantics, Function like Entities and STL Containers
• STL Algorithms, C++20 Ranges and Range Algorithms
• Building Custom Iterators

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Daniel Gakwaya

Level: Beginner/ Intermediate

Duration: 112 hours and 18 minutes

User Review: 4.7/5

No. of Reviews: 179

Price: $18

5. Become a C++ Developer Nanodegree Program – Udacity

This is a specialization course offered on Udacity. In this program, the learners will deep dive into the concepts of high-level programming using C++. In addition, the learners will explore concepts on how C++ is used for the most exciting innovations, such as self-driving cars, robotics, web browsers, social media platforms, servers, video games, and many more. This course emphasizes providing learners with hands-on experience in coding by working on real-world industry projects. 

Some of the essential projects offered include building a route planner using OpenStreetMap Data and developing a process monitor for the computer. However, there is a prerequisite in this program that requires learners to have intermediate knowledge of any programming language. Besides, the certification program offers technical mentor support, project review, and interaction with experienced industry experts. 

The course modules are:

C++ Foundations

In this module, the learners will explore how to develop and understand the compiling and executing process in C++ programming. Moreover, syntax functions, containers, and linking multiple files are some essentials that are covered in-depth.

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

The second module introduces learners to concepts on building classes, interfaces, and generic templates for creating an object-oriented C++ program. Besides, the learners will understand how to use tools for writing clean and reusable codes.

Memory Management

This module provides the learners with advanced concepts like controlling static and dynamic memory in C++ using resource acquisition, initializing patterns, pointers, references, and moving semantics

Concurrency

The fourth module focuses on introducing the concepts of execution paths in parallel in C++. Additionally, the learners will delve into concepts such as the launching process and threads to execute logic in parallel and advance to thread synchronization and communication. This module ensures that learners gain knowledge of the power of concurrent programming.

Capstone Project

The final module is the capstone project using all the core concepts covered to build an application using C++. The capstone is mandatory to attain the certificate of completion.

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: David Silver, Stephen Welch, and Andreas Haja

Level: Intermediate

Duration: 4 months

User Review: 4.5/5

No. of Reviews: 1000

Price: $310.8/Per Month and $1056.8 for 4-Month Access

6. Advanced Programming in C++ by New York University – edX

This online course is available on edX. In this program, the learners will gain knowledge on development using C++ programming. Advanced topics on command-line programs utilize functions, arrays, and strings to solve complex problems in a development environment. 

There are various hands-on sessions, bi-weekly quizzes, and lab challenges aimed at developing the programming skills of the learners. Furthermore, the learners will learn to use advanced procedural programming functionalities and analyze the computational complexities in coding.

 Finally, the learners will learn to build various computational models using multiple algorithms, focusing on controlling the time and storage required for such programs. The curriculum includes:

• Function Analysis

• • Primality Testing
  • Runtime Analysis
  • Order of Growth
  • Asymptotic Analysis

• Function Implementation

• • k-Combinations Problem
  • Flow of a Program
  • Runtime Stack Execution
  • Scope of Variables
  • Pass by Value
  • Parameter Passing
  • Function Lab Session

• Arrays

• • Motivation
  • Computing the Average
  • Above the Average
  • Array Lab Session

• Strings

• Concatenating
• Indexing
• Slicing
• Length
• Comparing
• Starting Index
• String Lab Sessions
• Final Exam

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Aspen Olmsted and Itay Tal

Level: Intermediate

Duration: 8 weeks

User Review: NA

No. of Reviews: NA

Price: Free Enrollment ($340 for verified track)

7. C++ Programming Course – Edureka

Edureka’s C++ programming course is designed to help learners build their skill set and practical experience to develop high-performance applications. The learners will explore concepts on building web browsers, game engines professionally. 

Besides, the advanced concepts on object-oriented programming using C++ and new coding styles and design patterns, generic programming, standard template library, optimized C++ code, C++ compiler toolchain, and STL algorithms and iterators are some of the key concepts covered in this training program. 

Additionally, the learners will delve into concepts like Hex and debugging options to ensure clean and error-free code development codes.  

The key takeaways from the course include:

• In-depth knowledge of C++ data types, conditional statements, loops, multithreading, and exception handling
• Object-oriented programming through C++, classes, and advanced concepts like abstract and final, and more
• Understand industry standards and best practices
• Coding styles, design patterns, and code reusability
• Optimizing the code for improved performance
• Understanding compiler toolchain and STL algorithms
• Debugging and real-world industry project experience
• Hex overview

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Industry professionals

Level: Beginner

Duration: Self-paced

User Review: 5/5

No. of Reviews: 1000

Price: $61.2

8. Programming in C++: A Hands-on Introduction Specialization by Codio – Coursera

This course is offered on Coursera. It is intended for people seeking to learn to code for development using the C++ programming language. 

The course follows a hands-on approach towards learning that will allow them to pick up other programming languages like Java for the more advanced developmental experience. In the four modules of this training, the learners will begin from fundamentals to object-oriented design concepts. 

The hands-on sessions begin with smaller programs to perform repetitive tasks, and the learners will advance to building more extensive applications. 

The course curriculum includes:

• C++ Basics: Selection and Iteration
• C++ Basic Structures: Vectors, Pointers, Strings, and Files
• C++ Object Basics: Functions, Recursion and Objects
• Object-Oriented C++: Inheritance and Encapsulation

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Anh Le, Kevin Noelsaint, and Elise Deitrick

Level: Beginner

Duration: 4 months

User Review: 4.5/5

No. of Reviews: 146

Price: Free Enrollment (Additional charges for certification may apply)

9. Learn Advanced C++ Programming – Udemy

This certification program is available on Udemy. In this course, the learners will delve into advanced concepts and features of the C++ programming language. 

First, the learners will deepen their knowledge of basic C++ as a refresher, followed by C++ 11 features, and explore the concepts of file handling, STL template classes, operator overloading, lambda expressions, and constructors thoroughly. 

At the end of the course, the learners will create programs for generating fractal images and work on application building using features like smart pointers and arrays. 

The course curriculum includes:

• Introduction
• Exceptions and Files
• Standard Template Library
• Operator Overloading
• Passing Functions to Functions
• C++11 Additional New Features
• GUI Programming in C++
• Project

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: John Purcell

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

Duration: 15 hours and 11 minutes

User Review: 4.5/5

No. of Reviews: 7042

Price: $30.4

10. C++ Learning Path – Pluralsight

This learning path comprises multiple courses ranging from beginner to advanced. It is available on Pluralsight. The beginner programs provide a gentle introduction to programming with C++.

All the fundamental concepts are covered in detail, and the learners can expect to be confident with writing basic codes for developing smaller applications and be familiar with the features of C++. Next, the learning path provides intermediate courses to grasp the designing principles using C++. 

In addition, the learners will understand how to write functional and clean codes with the help of data structures and algorithms and the C++ standard library.  The advanced training modules focus on refining the learners’ skills with prior experience with C++ programming. The learners will explore advanced features and techniques and learn to write unit tests for the C++ codes.

Finally, the learners will expand their knowledge on the C++ toolkits for writing high-performance and concurrent C++ programs.

By the end of the course, the learners will have solid programming experience and an in-depth understanding of the following concepts:

Operators

Objects and Classes

Flow of Control

References and Polymorphism

Inheritance

C++ Type System

Heap Stack Semantics

Stream I/O

Overloading

Lambdas

Exceptions and Scope Management

Templates and C++ Standard Library

Concurrency

The learning path provides the following courses:

Beginner Courses

Learn to Program with C++

This course aims at building programming skills for absolute beginners. First, the basic concepts of C++ and syntax are covered in depth. Next, the learners will delve into the tools to develop in C++ and the basics of developing and running an application. Finally, the learners will discover how to write and use functions and classes in programming and the effectiveness of the C++ standard library.

C++ Fundamentals Including C++17

In this program, the learners will expand their basic knowledge and deep dive into writing simple console applications and advancing to writing platform-specific codes. In addition, the learners will have a thorough understanding of concepts like declaring variables, classes, building expressions with the help of operators and functions in C++, and understanding the uses of templates, indirection, and polymorphism.

Practical C++14 and C++17 Features

This course focuses on building the learners’ practical knowledge and gaining more profound knowledge about using various features of C++ for improving the performance of the programs.

Some of the key topics include digit separators, polymorphism Lambdas, and constexpr functions. The learners will also gain insight into the improvements introduced in the C++ standard library, such as standard–defined suffixes for the Chrono library and more.

Finally, the learners will explore new and practical features such as nested namespace and structured bindings. There are sufficient demonstrations and follow-along exercises for learners to develop their programming skills with new features.

At the end of the course, the learners will be able to write simpler and clearer codes that are efficient and deliver high performance. However, the prerequisite requires a basic understanding of C++ programming to understand the new features more clearly.

Intermediate Courses

C++17: Beyond the Basics

This course focuses on intermediate learners with prior programming experience. The learners will move beyond the basics and understand concepts about modern C++ and its features. First, the learners will begin with the concept of standard library collection classes and the functions and algorithms that make codes easier to interpret.

Furthermore, the learners will discover the usefulness of Lambdas and how to use move semantics for enhanced performance.

Reading Legacy C++

The course covers the essentials of C++, such as library functions and the best practices in modern C++. The learners will gain the ability to understand old codes and find the relevant differences with modern C++ codes.

The learners will gain knowledge about C-style arrays and C-style strings. Next, the learners will cover the topics on macros, typedefs, and old constructs. Finally, the learners will explore the concepts on printf. and format strings.

Introduction to Data Structures and Algorithms in C++

This course introduces data structure and algorithms and how they are used to make coding easier in C++. The program offers both theoretical and practical aspects of the concepts.

The learners will begin with concepts like C++ class and arrays in programming, including automatic memory management with the help of constructors and destructors.

Additionally, the learners will deep dive into operator overloading and optimizing the array class with move semantics. The learners will also explore the concepts of generalizing array class with templates, Big O notation, search algorithms, and data structures such as stack with LIFO policy and push and pop operations, and more.

C++ Standard Library: Sequential Containers

In this tutorial, the learners will delve into concepts such as storing sequences of elements, vector containers, standard algorithms, inserting, removing, and searching elements, and encapsulation. Finally, the learners will understand how to use high-quality and well-tested C++ standard library containers in programming.

C++ Standard Library: Associate Containers

This is an extended course from the previous program on sequential containers and covers essential concepts like storing unique objects, mapping unique keys to values, and efficient key-value associations required in development.

Beautiful C++: STL Algorithms

This tutorial covers important concepts on standard libraries in C++ and topics like using the algorithm header. The learners will explore how iterators can help to multiply the power of the library. In addition, the learners will be familiar with concepts like using the same algorithms with various collections to avoid learning new functions each time during developing applications.

Beautiful C++: Updating Legacy Code

The final program in the intermediate level focuses on introducing learnings to compiler, the changes in C++14 and 17, using the standard library for efficiency and evaluating the performance of the applications by leveraging the library capabilities.

Advanced Courses

C++ Unit Testing Fundamentals Using Catch2

This course offers the fundamentals of unit testing in C++, followed by advanced concepts on unit testing frameworks. There is an introductory module on unit testing using Catch, organizing the tests with Catch, asserting, and handing duplicate codes. The emphasis is on allowing learners to be familiar with writing better and cleaner C++ codes for reusability.

Advanced C++ Mocking Using Google Mock

The second module of the advanced level focuses on introducing unit testing with the help of the Google test. Next, the learners will explore the mocking frameworks and the best practices. Finally, the learners will explore the concepts on unit testing patterns for legacy codes.

High-Performance Computing in C++

The final course allows learners to code and scales them across CPU registers and multi-cores, including various machine clusters. In addition, the learners will delve into the concepts related to single instruction, multiple data, open multi-processing, message passing interface, C++ accelerated massive parallelism, and generative art demo.

These concepts are beneficial for experienced programmers aiming for senior career roles as developers and project managers.

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Kate Gregory, Giovanni Dicanio, Dror Helper, and Dimitri Nesteruk

Level: Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced

Duration: 15 hours and 11 minutes

User Review: Beginner: 4.7/5, Intermediate: 4.8/5, Advanced:

No. of Reviews: 1339

Price: 10-Day Free Trial (Pricing available on Sign-Up)

Conclusion

Learning a C++ programming language is an excellent platform to begin a developer’s career. Besides, C++ developers build their skills with solid foundations such as data structures and algorithm concepts which provides them a high-level understanding of modern programming languages. Furthermore, C++ developers are also considered vital for an organization as they are associated with developing multiple systems beyond the standard software development regime.

Today, C++ developers continue to be among the highest-paid jobs in the industry. As the C++ developers’ demand continues to rise, it is the most opportune moment for all the aspirants to equip themselves with C++ language skills and embark on a successful career path as top developers in the industry.