15 Best Algorithm Design Courses on Coursera
We compared 15 Algorithm Design courses currently listed on Coursera, priced from $49.00 to $99.00. 11 come from a named university or institution, including University of California San Diego, Stanford University and Rice University. They are ordered by our CourseAsk score, which is built from how thoroughly each course describes what it teaches, whether it comes from a named institution, and how it compares on price — not from star ratings, which our course data does not include.
- Courses compared
- 15
- Price range
- $49.00 – $99.00
- Providers
- Coursera
- Last updated
- 31 Aug 2026
How these 15 courses were chosen
Every course below is a real, currently listed course from Coursera, matched to "algorithm design" by our catalog and ordered by our CourseAsk score. Courses whose own title names the topic rank above those only tagged with it.
The grade on each entry scores how much the provider publishes about the course before you pay — the length and detail of the description, whether it lists learning outcomes and objectives — and whether a named university or institution stands behind it. A is fully documented and institution-backed; E is little more than a title and a price. Courses with almost nothing published are left ungraded rather than marked down, because an unknown course and a poor one are not the same thing.
There are no star ratings on this page — the course feeds we license do not include them, and we would rather leave a column out than fill it with a number we cannot stand behind. What we do have is price: these range from $49.00 to $99.00, as listed by the provider when we last updated the page.
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1
Combinatorics and Probability
Offered by University of California San Diego
Counting is one of the basic mathematically related tasks we encounter on a day to day basis. The main question here is the following. If we need to count something, can we do anything better than just counting all objec...
$79.00listed price -
2
Algorithms
Offered by Stanford University
Algorithms are the heart of computer science, and the subject has countless practical applications as well as intellectual depth. This specialization is an introduction to algorithms for learners with at least a little p...
$49.00listed price -
3
Algorithmic Thinking (Part 1)
Offered by Rice University
Experienced Computer Scientists analyze and solve computational problems at a level of abstraction that is beyond that of any particular programming language. This two-part course builds on the principles that you learne...
$79.00listed price -
4
Discrete Math for Computer Science - Logic & Set Theory
Offered by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
This course introduces the foundational concepts of discrete mathematics that are essential for computer science, with a focus on logic, formal reasoning, and set theory. Discrete mathematics studies structures that are...
$49.00listed price -
5
Mathematical Foundations for Computing
Offered by Goldsmiths, University of London & University of London
Mathematics provides the formal structures and reasoning tools that underpin computer science. Mathematical Foundations for Computing introduces core topics essential for problem-solving, algorithm design, and theoretica...
$49.00listed price -
6
Number Theory and Cryptography
Offered by University of California San Diego
A prominent expert in the number theory Godfrey Hardy described it in the beginning of 20th century as one of the most obviously useless branches of Pure Mathematics”. Just 30 years after his death, an algorithm for encr...
$79.00listed price -
7
Dynamic Programming, Greedy Algorithms
Offered by University of Colorado Boulder
This course covers basic algorithm design techniques such as divide and conquer, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms. It concludes with a brief introduction to intractability (NP-completeness) and using linear/int...
$99.00listed price -
8
Mastering the Software Engineering Interview
Offered by University of California San Diego
You’ve hit a major milestone as a computer scientist and are becoming a capable programmer. You now know how to solve problems, write algorithms, and analyze solutions; and you have a wealth of tools (like data structure...
$79.00listed price -
9
Advanced Data Structures, RSA and Quantum Algorithms
Offered by University of Colorado Boulder
Introduces number-theory based cryptography, basics of quantum algorithms and advanced data-structures. This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Masters of Science in Computer Science (MS-CS)...
$99.00listed price -
10
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
Offered by University of Colorado Boulder
The Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course provides a comprehensive survey of the foundations of artificial intelligence. Supported by the classic textbook Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Stuart Rus...
$49.00listed price -
11
Mathematics for Engineering
Offered by Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani
Master the essential mathematical foundations essential for careers in engineering, data science and artificial intelligence. The Mathematics for Engineering specialisation builds systematic competencies in calculus, pro...
$49.00listed price -
12
Statistics and Clustering in Python
Offered by IBM & University of London
This course is the sixth of eight courses. This project provides an in-depth exploration of key Data Science concepts focusing on algorithm design. It enhances essential mathematics, statistics, and programming skills re...
$49.00listed price -
13
C and Go: Classical and Modern Programming
Offered by University of California, Santa Cruz
This specialization is intended for all programming enthusiasts, as well as beginners, computer and other scientists, and artificial intelligence enthusiasts seeking to develop their programming skills in the classical l...
$49.00listed price -
14
Interactive Computer Graphics
Offered by The University of Tokyo
Computer graphics can be a powerful tool for supporting visual problem solving, and interactivity plays a central role in harnessing the users' creativity. This course will introduce various interactive tools developed i...
$49.00listed price -
15
Computational Thinking with Beginning C Programming
Offered by University of Colorado System
This specialization is designed to let you explore computational thinking and beginning C programming topics, applying those concepts to develop solutions to a variety of practical problems.The first course assumes no pr...
$49.00listed price
Best Algorithm Design Courses on Coursera compared
| # | Course | Provider | Offered by | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Combinatorics and Probability | Coursera | University of California San Diego | $79.00 | View → |
| 2 | Algorithms | Coursera | Stanford University | $49.00 | View → |
| 3 | Algorithmic Thinking (Part 1) | Coursera | Rice University | $79.00 | View → |
| 4 | Discrete Math for Computer Science - Logic & Set Theory | Coursera | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | $49.00 | View → |
| 5 | Mathematical Foundations for Computing | Coursera | Goldsmiths, University of London & University of London | $49.00 | View → |
| 6 | Number Theory and Cryptography | Coursera | University of California San Diego | $79.00 | View → |
| 7 | Dynamic Programming, Greedy Algorithms | Coursera | University of Colorado Boulder | $99.00 | View → |
| 8 | Mastering the Software Engineering Interview | Coursera | University of California San Diego | $79.00 | View → |
| 9 | Advanced Data Structures, RSA and Quantum Algorithms | Coursera | University of Colorado Boulder | $99.00 | View → |
| 10 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence | Coursera | University of Colorado Boulder | $49.00 | View → |
| 11 | Mathematics for Engineering | Coursera | Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani | $49.00 | View → |
| 12 | Statistics and Clustering in Python | Coursera | IBM & University of London | $49.00 | View → |
| 13 | C and Go: Classical and Modern Programming | Coursera | University of California, Santa Cruz | $49.00 | View → |
| 14 | Interactive Computer Graphics | Coursera | The University of Tokyo | $49.00 | View → |
| 15 | Computational Thinking with Beginning C Programming | Coursera | University of Colorado System | $49.00 | View → |
Prices shown are the provider's listed price when we last updated this page. Confirm on their site before enrolling.
What the prices here tell you
The 15 priced courses on this page run from $49.00 to $99.00, with the middle of the range around $49.00 — a spread of $50.00. The options are closely priced, so cost is unlikely to be your deciding factor. A higher price on this page usually reflects who is behind the course rather than how much material it contains, so it is worth opening two or three at different price points and comparing their syllabus before deciding.
Who is behind these courses
These courses come from Coursera. Everything on this page is sold on the one platform, so the buying experience is the same whichever you pick. 11 of these are produced by a named university or institution, including University of California San Diego, Stanford University and Rice University — which usually means a fixed syllabus and a recognised certificate, rather than an individual instructor’s own course.
Before you enrol
Open the provider’s own page and check three things this comparison cannot tell you: when the course was last updated, what the syllabus actually covers in its later sections, and what recent learners say. Prices shown here are the provider’s listed price when we last rebuilt this page on 31 August 2026 — they change often, and a promotion can move them substantially. We earn a commission if you enrol through our links, which costs you nothing and never affects the order courses appear in.