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89 Best + Free C Courses & Certificates [2026]
Ranked by Michael Kuhlman, CourseDuck's founder, from student reviews across every provider. How we rank
Our top picks
- C Programming For Beginners - Master the C Language [Udemy]
- C Programming Bootcamp - The Complete C Language Course [Udemy]
- Advanced C Programming Course [Udemy]
- Microcontrollers and the C Programming Language (MSP430) [Udemy]
- C Programming Step by Step - Complete Tutorial For Beginners [Udemy]
- C Programming:The best approach to learn C Language [Udemy]
- Learn Socket Programming in C from Scratch [Udemy]
- C Programming Masterclass: Pointers & Advanced C Language [Udemy]
- Build Undetectable Malware Using C Language: Ethical Hacking [Udemy]
- The Complete C Programming Course for Beginners [Udemy]
About the best C courses
Frequently asked questions
The most-reviewed C course in this category is Mastering Data Structures & Algorithms using C and C++ by Abdul Bari, with about 60,500 reviews at 4.6 as of October 2026.
C is a programming language that works close to the hardware, with direct access to memory. It is used for operating systems, embedded devices, microcontrollers and performance-sensitive software. Courses here cover C programming basics, pointers, data structures and algorithms, embedded C for microcontrollers and socket programming.
- Average
- $68,146 a year
- Middle half earn
- $33,500 to $100,000 25th to 75th percentile
- Full range
- $20,000 to $146,500
Share of US job postings in each pay band; the dark bar holds the average, the striped bars the 25th and 75th percentiles. Source: ZipRecruiter salary data collected in 2020-21, when this FAQ was first written; pay has moved since, so treat it as a rough guide.
Paid Udemy video courses include a certificate of completion when you finish; free courses and practice-test-only courses do not. It shows you did the work, but it is not an accredited qualification. Coursera and edX usually charge for a certificate, issued with the university or company that made the course. LinkedIn Learning gives a certificate of completion for most of its courses as part of the subscription.
1
C Programming For Beginners - Master the C Language (2025)
A 26-hour, slide-driven walk through C from setup to pointers, structs and file I/O, backed by a 4.4 rating from over 41,000 reviews and Tim Buchalka's academy.
Best for: People who have written a little code before and want the why behind C explained, not just the syntax.
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- Thorough coverage: 150 lectures across 20 sections, with three sections on pointers plus dynamic memory
- Reviewers say it explains the why and the history behind C, not just the how
- Refreshed in April 2025 and still collecting mostly four and five star reviews
- One reviewer found the questions and challenges thorough and the slides clear enough to stand on their own
-
- Mostly PowerPoint slides; several students wanted the IDE opened sooner and less talking
- The 16 quizzes are called gotcha questions by more than one low-star reviewer
- No coding exercises, uneven audio, and outdated Windows 11 install steps
2
C Programming Bootcamp - The Complete C Language Course (2026)
A 44-hour, exercise-heavy introduction to C with over 100 practice problems and video solutions, refreshed in 2026 and rated 4.5 by more than 10,000 students.
Best for: Absolute beginners who want a lot of guided practice on loops, arrays, strings and recursion before moving on.
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- Over 100 exercises with full video solutions, grouped into eight practice sections that follow each topic
- Clear explanations with a gradual build from basics to pointers and recursion, according to reviewers
- Updated August 2026, with setup sections for Mac and several IDEs
- Plain, unhurried explanations that first-time coders say are easy to follow
-
- Experienced programmers call the pace slow and the exercises too easy and repetitive
- No dynamic memory: malloc and free are missing from the syllabus
- 44 hours is a long haul for a fundamentals course, and structs and unions are tacked on at the end
3
Advanced C Programming Course (2025)
An intermediate C course for people who already know the basics: 29 hours on threads, sockets, bit manipulation, macros and shared libraries, taught by Jason Fedin.
Best for: People who finished a beginner C course and want the systems side: threads, sockets, signals, libraries and debugging.
-
- Covers preprocessor, macros, static and shared libraries, signals and sockets, topics most C courses skip
- Code is compiled and run from the command line, which one reviewer says makes the mechanics click
- Updated April 2025, with 13 quizzes and challenges that reviewers call constructive
- Instructor is active in the Q&A forum and answers quickly, according to reviewers
-
- Fast talking over text-heavy slides; one reviewer kept replaying sections, another struggled to keep up
- Over two hours of install and setup before anything advanced appears
- Code is pasted in rather than typed live, and some quizzes contain mistakes
4
Microcontrollers and the C Programming Language (MSP430) (2020)
A free, lab-based intro to embedded C on the TI MSP430, built from short videos and PDF handouts, running from binary basics to timers, ADCs and an LCD.
Best for: Beginners with an MSP430 board who learn from PDF lab manuals and example code, not long lectures.
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- Short videos with the real content in PDF handouts full of example code
- Covers timers, interrupts, low power modes, serial, ADC and LCD in one course
- Starts from binary and digital logic, so true beginners can follow along
- Free, with a final project to tie the labs together
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- Needs a specific MSP430 board, so it is not really a watch-only course
- Heavy on PDFs; one student wanted proper video lectures instead
- Last updated May 2020, and little guidance on using the TI manuals
5
C Programming Step by Step - Complete Tutorial For Beginners (2020)
A patient, classroom-style C tutorial from a 15-year engineering lecturer: 17 hours of video, 29 quizzes, a 22-lecture pointers block and explanations reviewers call clear.
Best for: Absolute beginners and undergraduates with C on their syllabus who want slow, systematic lectures rather than projects.
-
- Clear, unhurried explanations; reviewers say the pace is neither too slow nor too fast
- Coverage tracks the Kernighan and Ritchie topics, including pointers, files, bitwise ops and function pointers
- 29 quizzes, 15 assignments and 14 coding exercises break up the 17 hours of video
- Q&A questions answered within hours, says one student; another got quick help with the IDE
-
- Source code is not attached for many exercises, which frustrated at least one reviewer
- No preprocessor directives lecture and no real-world mini projects; assignments thin out later
- Last updated in 2020, so the compiler and IDE setup section is dated
6
C Programming:The best approach to learn C Language (2016)
What You'll Learn
- Write C programs in an effective way.
- Know pointers thoroughly and make their own programs.
- Operate on linked lists effectively.
- Allocate and deallocate memory spaces accordingly.
- Deploy and run their own real time applications
- Perform manipulations over stacks and queues.
7
Learn Socket Programming in C from Scratch (2018)
What You'll Learn
- Understand Socket Programming in C
- Learn how to create server and clients and communicate between them
- Learn about TCP programming
- Learn all about HTTP server programming
8
C Programming Masterclass: Pointers & Advanced C Language (2026)
What You'll Learn
- Introduction To Pointers For Beginners
- Pointers Declaration, Initialization, and Usage
- Pointers Dereferencing
- Multiple Indirection
- Pointers Arithmetics
- Generic Pointers
- Dynamic Memory Allocation
- "malloc" function
- "calloc" function
- "realloc" function & "issues"
- "free" function
- Dangling Pointers
- Memory Leakage Tool - Valgrind
- Pointers Arithmetic
- "sizeof" operator
- Arrays & Pointers
- Strings & Pointers
- A few Secrets of Strings using Pointers
- Function Pointers
- Arrays of Pointers to Functions
- Structs & Pointers
- Debugger & Debugging
- 2D Matrix with Pointers
- Introduction to Computer Architecture
- Data & Structs Alignment
- Sequential and Textual Files
- Structural and Binary Files
- Project Manageme
9
Build Undetectable Malware Using C Language: Ethical Hacking (2026)
What You'll Learn
- You Will Learn Ethical Hacking Using C language
- You Will Learn To Code Your Own Penetration Testing Tools
- You Will Learn Socket Programming In C
- You Will Learn How To Hack Windows 10 Using Your Own Tool
- You Will Learn How The Keylogger In C Works
- You Will Learn How To Create Persistance Inside of Our Malware
- You Will Learn How To Compile Windows C Programs In Linux
- You Will Learn How To Hide An Executable & Make It Look Like Image, PDF or Any Other File Type
- You Will Learn How To Bypass Antivirus Programs By Changing Binary Values
- You Will Learn How To Embed An Executable Inside Another Executable
- You Will Learn How To Create Auto Connect Every 10 Seconds
- You WIll Learn How To Create a Backdoor In C Language
- You Will Learn Malware Development
10
The Complete C Programming Course for Beginners (2023)
What You'll Learn
- Understand Fundamentals of C Programming Language
- Learn One of the Most Popular & Widely Used Language in the World
- Master the C Programming Language from Ground Up
- Understand How to Write Clean & Efficient Code in C
- Learn How to Solve Problem Using C Programming Language
11
The Complete C Developer Course - Build 7 Exciting Projects. (2025)
What You'll Learn
- Start to write a code from a Basic " Hello World ! " Program .
- Get the indepth understanding of each & every concept of Programming Practically .
- Learn Fundamental Concepts such as :- Data Types, Constants, Decision making , String, Function, Array, Structure, Union, Pointer, Recursion, File Handling.
- Learn Advanced Concepts -: Memory Models, Mouse Programming, Advanced Pointers, Bit Programming, Storage classes, DMA, Graphics Programming
- Get Exercise Questions after every important lesson for practise .
- Quizzes to Test knowlege about the subject .
- Get top 15 programs for practise which can be asked in Exams or in Interviews with source code .
- Develop Mini File / Folder Protection software .
- Develop Own Dos command .
- Develop a Computer virus ( Just for educational purpose only ! ) .
- Develop a Computer game " Blue Brick Hunter " .
- Develop an Advanced Project "