11 Best Java Courses for Beginners in 2024 [Free + Paid]

In this article, we share the 11 best java courses in 2024. Whether you’re new to programming or an experienced dev that wants to learn a new language, we’ve included a range of java courses for all skill levels, including free and paid options.

As one of the top 10 languages, Java is the go-to language for Android app development, not to mention enterprise-scale applications, web development, and more. And choosing one of best java courses is a great way to master the versatile Java language. 

And when you consider that the Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports an average salary of more than $100,000 for computer programmers,  taking the best java courses can be highly rewarding.

So if you’re ready, let’s dive into the best java courses to help you learn the skills you need to explore the Java job market.

How to Choose The Best Java Course in 2024

When choosing the best java courses, you’ll want to find one that matches your personal learning goals. When reviewing the best course to learn java, we considered the following criteria and recommend you do the same:

• Accreditation and Reputation: We emphasized online courses for java from reputable institutions and online learning platforms.
• Curriculum and Topics Covered: We evaluated course curriculums to ensure they covered essential Java concepts.
• Practical Exercises and Projects: We looked for courses that included hands-on experience, whether via practical exercises or projects.
• Instructor Expertise: We looked for course instructors with relevant practical knowledge and industry experience.
• Student Reviews and Testimonials: We analyzed reviews and testimonials from previous students to gauge the overall learning experience.

The 11 Best Java Courses Online for Beginners in 2024

1. [Coursera] Object-oriented Programming in Java Specialization

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Why we chose this course

If you’re looking for the best online courses to learn Java, this comprehensive Java class from Duke University includes logic programming, problem-solving, and of course, object-oriented programming (OOP). 

You’ll also delve into important topics like strings, algorithms, data structures, cryptography, and more. You’ll also get to grips with two Java IDEs, with units on Eclipse and Blue J. If you are brand new to Java, you’ll love the visual element of BlueJ to reinforce your understanding of OOP.

Overall, this is a solid choice if you want one of the best tutorials for programming with Java. Plus, you get the added benefit of a capstone project to add to your portfolio and an industry-recognized certificate of completion. If you're serious about Java development and you have eyes on earning a Java certification in the future, this is a great starting point.

Pros

• Comprehensive course materials
• Hands-on exercises and quizzes
• Capstone project for your portfolio
• Taught by Duke University CS department

Cons

• Large time commitment may not suit everyone

2. [Udemy] Java Programming Masterclass Updated to Java 17 

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Why we chose this course

This is one of the best courses to learn Java, and at more than 100 hours in length, you can be sure of a comprehensive curriculum. It’s no wonder it has such a strong reputation among former students. It’s also based on Java 17, so you’ll be using Java's latest and greatest.

In this Java course on Udemy, expect to learn the essentials, like Java keywords, operators, statements, and expressions, before moving on to OOP concepts like classes, polymorphism, and inheritance.

With the fundamentals down, you’ll move on to data structures, abstraction, I/O, concurrency, and other advanced topics to help you develop Java apps. This is ideal if you want to learn by building Java projects. You’ll even cover best practices and how to use the older but still supported Java 8 and Java 11. 

Pros

• Hands-on learning with coding walk-throughs
• Comprehensive materials on basic & advanced topics
• Covers Java 17, 11, and 8
• Learn best practices

Cons

• Large time commitment

3. [Educative] Learn Java from Scratch

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Why we chose this course

This interactive online course on Java is ideal for those that prefer text-based content, as it doesn’t include any videos. Instead, this learning platform places emphasis on practical and interactive Java coding classes to get up to speed.

In this course, you will learn core Java programming concepts like variables, strings and methods, iteration, conditional statements, data structures, and OOP essentials like classes and inheritance. This course also sets itself apart with various interactive coding lessons, coding playgrounds, and quizzes to reinforce your learning.

Pros

• Interactive coding lessons and quizzes
• Comprehensive material covering Java fundamentals
• Coding playgrounds to experiment as you learn

Cons

• Lack of videos may not suit all learning styles

4. [Coursera] Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals Specialization

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Why we chose this course

If you’re looking to transition into software engineering with Java, this comprehensive Java course for beginners might be the best choice for you.

In this course, you’ll start with basic Java concepts, then progress to data structures, file I/O, conditionals, loops, and more complex topics like software design principles.

To enhance your learning, you’ll also develop real-world Java programs, apps, and systems. Each unit has an applied learning project to help cement your learning. You can even add these to your portfolio. 

Pros

• Learn the principles of software design
• Hands-on coding challenges
• Add projects to your portfolio
• Taught by Duke University CS department

Cons

• Large time commitment may not suit everyone

5. [Udemy] Java Programming for Complete Beginners 

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Why we chose this course

As one of the best Java online courses, this Java course has been updated to Java 16 but also covers key features in Java 9 to Java 15, helping you stay current in the Java world. And, as a complete beginner, you’ll love using puzzles to help you learn the core concepts of Java programming.

Some of the key topics you’ll dive into include basic OOP concepts like inheritance, abstraction, encapsulation, and polymorphism. You’ll also cover iteration and control structures, exception handling, multithreading, JShell, and more.

Pros

• Comprehensive course material for beginners
• Uses puzzles to teach core concepts
• Covers Java 9 to Java 16

Cons

• May be too simple for advanced learners from other languages

6. [Codecademy] Learn Java

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Why we chose this course

This comprehensive Java programming class for beginners is an excellent choice to learn the fundamentals of the Java language, while also building projects for your portfolio.

Expect to cover all of the fundamental Java concepts, including variables, iteration, flow control structures, and string methods. You’ll also learn about common data structures like arrays and array lists and OOP essentials like inheritance and polymorphism.

By the end of this course, you should have a solid grasp of Java, plus you’ll have the added bonus of three Java projects to add to your portfolio. 

Pros

• Comprehensive materials on Java fundamentals
• Build Java projects for your portfolio
• Interactive learning environment 

Cons

• Focused on basic concepts, so may not suit advanced learners 

7. [Udacity] Become a Java Programmer

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Why we chose this course

If you’re a more experienced developer that’s looking to become a fully-fledged Java programmer, this is one of the best Java developer courses. With a blend of Java fundamentals and advanced concepts, this Java course focuses on making you work-ready. It also offers real-world project examples and career mentoring to help you on your journey.

In this course, expect to learn about the core concepts of Java programming, including OOP topics like classes, encapsulation, and inheritance, along with error handling and exceptions. You’ll also learn about advanced topics like reflection, serialization, I/O, and the functional programming paradigm. Given the depth of this course, it's also helpful to consider pairing this with a Java book to support your learning.

To cap things off, you’ll learn to deploy Java applications, which is essential for any working developer. This includes learning how Java program code is compiled and executed and how to use Maven to automate the build process. You’ll also learn about JUnit and unit tests to evaluate your code coverage.

Pros

• Comprehensive course covers fundamentals & advanced topics
• Emphasizes work-ready skills & offers mentoring
• Learn about application deployment & testing
• Learn to use Maven & JUnit

Cons

• Large time commitment may not suit all learners

8. [FreeCodeCamp] Intro to Java Programming - Course for Absolute Beginners

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Why we chose this course

This is one of the best Java classes online that happens to be completely free, making it a great way to get started as a total beginner. In this course, you’ll dig into various Java programming fundamentals, like variables & data types, basic operators, input and scanners, conditionals, and booleans.

You’ll also cover some more advanced Java concepts like inheritance, overloading methods, object comparisons, inner classes, and interfaces. It’s fair to say that’s a lot of content in a short span of time, and it’s all free, making this a contender for the best Java tutorial.

Pros

• Crash course on Java fundamentals
• Covers advanced topics like OOP and interfaces 
• Totally free!

Cons

• Short course, so you may need supplemental learning

9. [PluralSight] Java SE 17 Fundamentals

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Why we chose this course

This beginner's course on Java is an ideal intro to the language, as it focuses on the core components of the language with Java SE 17, meaning you’ll be learning Java fundamentals with the latest version. By the end of this course, you’ll have the skills you need to build Java apps.

Expect to learn essential topics, like strings, iteration, control structures, and data structures, before covering crucial OOP concepts like classes, objects, and polymorphism. You’ll also cover more advanced topics like wrapper classes, enums, and records, so while it’s relatively short at 7 hours, you’ll pack in a lot of learning quickly. 

Pros

• Learn Java fundamentals with the latest Java SE 17
• Covers OOP topics, including polymorphism
• Crash course to Java basics

Cons

• Focused on fundamentals, so you may need additional learning

10. [Linkedin Learning] Java Programming Fundamentals: The Basics of Data Types, Loops, and Functions

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Why we chose this course

If you’re looking for Java programming courses that waste no time, this crash course in Java is ideal for complete beginners. As a newbie, you'll learn about primitive data types, input and output, and variables in Java. You’ll also cover essential Java concepts like control flow and functions.

Another bonus is that this course uses the latest in Java 17, so you know the skills you learn will be the most up-to-date that they can be. The course also includes a ton of real word examples and challenges to solidify your Java knowledge, with 6 chapter quizzes and a project to cement your learning.

Pros

• Learn Java fundamentals with the latest Java 17
• Uses quizzes to reinforce your learning
• Short, but comprehensive for beginners

Cons

• May be too simple for more advanced learners

11. [SimpliLearn] Java Training

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Why we chose this course

At only 9 hours long, this free Java programmer course is great for complete beginners that want a fast intro to the Java language. Designed with a focus on work-ready skills, you’ll be learning to use JDBC and the JUnit testing framework alongside the core concepts of Java 8.

Expect to learn the essential skills to get up and running with Java, including operators, iteration, Java methods, arrays, and more. You’ll also be learning about Java servlets, the Spring framework, Spring MVC, and Hibernate, underlining this course’s emphasis on skills you can use in a Java developer role. 

Pros

• Learn core concepts with Java 8
• Covers the Spring framework, Spring MVC, and Hibernate
• Learn to use JDBC and JUnit

Cons

• Short course, so you may need supplemental learning for advanced concepts

Final Thoughts

And there you go, the 11 best java courses in 2024, including a range of java courses for beginners and experienced pros, including free and paid options.

Whether you’re just starting out in your Java career or want to level up your existing skills, we’ve included a range of java courses to help you achieve your goals in your programming career.

Happy learning!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which Java Course Is Best for Beginners?

There is no best course for Java, as it depends on several factors, like your current programming skills, your preferred learning style, your career goals, and the time you have available to learn. Any courses on our list would be a great starting point, but if you’re still unsure, we’d recommend Udemy’s Masterclass, as it’s comprehensive and uses the latest Java 17.

2. Which Is the Best Free Java Course?

There’s no single answer here, as it also depends on things like your expectations, current skill level, and preferred learning pace. If you’re unsure where to start, we’ve added some free Java training courses to this article, including an excellent option from FreeCodeCamp.

3. Which Java Course Is Best?

This is hard to say, as it’s a function of several factors like your current skills, preferred learning approach, career goals, and free time to learn Java. Each course in our list would be a great starting point, but if you’re still unsure, consider Udemy’s Masterclass or Coursera’s OOP Specialization in Java.