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    Hardware Courses Online

    Understand computer hardware principles for building and repairing systems. Learn about CPUs, GPUs, memory, and storage devices.

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    Explore the Hardware Course Catalog

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Colorado Boulder

      First Order Optical System Design

      Skills you'll gain: Equipment Design, Performance Tuning, Engineering Calculations, Hardware Design, Engineering Analysis, Engineering, Scientific, and Technical Instruments, Computer-Aided Design, Engineering Design Process, Applied Mathematics, Simulation and Simulation Software, Medical Imaging, System Configuration, Physics

      4.3
      Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
      ·
      330 reviews

      Advanced · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

      VLSI CAD Part II: Layout

      Skills you'll gain: Application Specific Integrated Circuits, Hardware Design, Computer-Aided Design, Electronic Hardware, Systems Design, Computer Architecture, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering Design Process, Semiconductors, Network Routing, Computational Logic, Data Structures, Algorithms, Mathematical Modeling, Calculus

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      281 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • E

      Eindhoven University of Technology

      RF and millimeter-Wave Circuit Design

      Skills you'll gain: Electronics Engineering, Electronics, Telecommunications, Electronic Systems, Electronic Components, Hardware Design, Electrical Engineering, Wireless Networks, Electronic Hardware, Systems Design, Simulation and Simulation Software, Simulations, Laboratory Experience

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      232 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      I

      IBM

      Introduction to Networking and Storage

      Skills you'll gain: Network Protocols, Cloud Storage, General Networking, Networking Hardware, Network Troubleshooting, OSI Models, Data Storage, Cloud Services, TCP/IP, Local Area Networks, Network Architecture, Computer Networking, Command-Line Interface, System Configuration, Wireless Networks, Hardware Troubleshooting

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      528 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of California San Diego

      Internet of Things: Setting Up Your DragonBoard™ Development Platform

      Skills you'll gain: Application Development, Android (Operating System), Android Studio, Mobile Development, Software Development Tools, Game Design, Development Environment, Internet Of Things, Embedded Software, Web Servers, Web Applications, USB, Peripheral Devices, Operating Systems, System Programming, Software Installation, Command-Line Interface, System Configuration, Hardware Troubleshooting

      4.2
      Rating, 4.2 out of 5 stars
      ·
      160 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      G

      Google Cloud

      Preparing for your Professional Cloud Architect Journey

      Skills you'll gain: Cloud Computing Architecture, Process Analysis, Cloud Services, Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Solutions, Solution Architecture, Process Optimization, Google Cloud Platform, Cloud Computing, Configuration Management, Cloud Security, Network Infrastructure, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Business Requirements

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      1.4K reviews

      Advanced · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      L

      LearnQuest

      Scrum Master Certification: Scaling Agile and the Team-of-Teams

      Skills you'll gain: Scaled Agile Framework, Agile Software Development, Agile Methodology, Scalability, Behavior-Driven Development, Agile Product Development, Agile Project Management, Sprint Planning, Software Development, Continuous Integration, Virtualization, Program Development, Virtual Environment, Test Driven Development (TDD), Hardware Architecture

      4.5
      Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      462 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      M

      Microsoft

      Introduction to Secure Networking

      Skills you'll gain: Network Security, Network Protocols, TCP/IP, Cloud Computing, Firewall, General Networking, Networking Hardware, Network Architecture, OSI Models, Microsoft Azure, Computer Networking, Network Infrastructure, Local Area Networks, Software As A Service, Virtual Machines, Virtualization

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      228 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      L

      L&T EduTech

      Chip based VLSI design for Industrial Applications

      Skills you'll gain: Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Electronics, Hardware Design, Application Specific Integrated Circuits, Electronics Engineering, Serial Peripheral Interface, Computational Logic, Electrical Engineering, Computer Architecture, Schematic Diagrams, Semiconductors, Electronic Hardware, Electronic Components, Internet Of Things, Programmable Logic Controllers, Low Voltage, Embedded Software, Electronic Systems, Network Protocols, Embedded Systems

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      111 reviews

      Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of London

      How Computers Work

      Skills you'll gain: Computer Science, Computer Systems, Web Applications, Computer Networking, Computational Thinking, Theoretical Computer Science, Human Computer Interaction, Hardware Architecture, Operating Systems, Cybersecurity, Problem Management, Software Architecture

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      565 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Colorado Boulder

      Embedded Interface Design

      Skills you'll gain: User Research, User Experience Design, User Experience, User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design, Usability, Verification And Validation, UI/UX Research, Persona (User Experience), Usability Testing, User Centered Design, Internet Of Things, User Interface (UI), Cloud Computing Architecture, Amazon Web Services, Embedded Systems, Human Computer Interaction, Prototyping, Application Security, Application Programming Interface (API), Microservices

      Build toward a degree

      4.5
      Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      142 reviews

      Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      E

      EDUCBA

      Embedded Software Development with C

      Skills you'll gain: Embedded Software, C (Programming Language), Embedded Systems, Debugging, Peripheral Devices, Integrated Development Environments, Development Environment, System Programming, Data Structures, Hardware Troubleshooting, Microarchitecture, Programming Principles, Performance Tuning, Computer Architecture, C++ (Programming Language), Hardware Architecture, Computer Hardware, Computer Programming

      4.5
      Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      188 reviews

      Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

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    In summary, here are 10 of our most popular hardware courses

    • First Order Optical System Design: University of Colorado Boulder
    • VLSI CAD Part II: Layout: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    • RF and millimeter-Wave Circuit Design: Eindhoven University of Technology
    • Introduction to Networking and Storage: IBM
    • Internet of Things: Setting Up Your DragonBoard™ Development Platform: University of California San Diego
    • Preparing for your Professional Cloud Architect Journey: Google Cloud
    • Scrum Master Certification: Scaling Agile and the Team-of-Teams: LearnQuest
    • Introduction to Secure Networking: Microsoft
    • Chip based VLSI design for Industrial Applications: L&T EduTech
    • How Computers Work: University of London

    Frequently Asked Questions about Hardware

    When it comes to Computing, hardware refers to the physical parts of a device that users interact with such as a keyboard, hard drive, or monitor. This is in contrast to software, which are the operating systems, applications, and other virtual computing programs that help users carry out tasks.

    Hardware can be created and manufactured by big tech names, such as Microsoft or Apple, or by hobbyists and smaller companies using Arduino, embedded-systems software, and other tools. Learning about hardware is important to making computer-based technologies functional for our everyday lives, as well as critical for maintaining and repairing them.‎

    Given the many applications of hardware studies—from security, to product design, to the IoT—jobs in hardware are varied depending on whatever specialty learners want to explore.

    Opportunities in Computer Hardware Engineering in particular can expect their field to grow a steady five percent through 2026—as fast as average. However, Engineers going the IoT route can expect to enter a market estimated to reach a value of USD 1256.1 billion by 2025. Related roles that can enjoy this lucrative market include Embedded Systems Engineer, Raspberry Pi Developer, Arduino Developer, and others.‎

    Hardware courses offered through Coursera equip learners with knowledge in hardware description languages such as VHDL and Verilog; design methods; embedded architectures; software that can manipulate hardware; 3D printing hardware; IoT applications; hardware security; and more.

    Lessons on hardware are taught by instructors from major tech names and universities, including University of Colorado, University of Illinois, EIT Digital, University of Maryland, and other organizations. Learners can enjoy exploring hardware with instructors specializing in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Information Technology, Mathematics, and other disciplines. Course content on hardware is delivered via video lectures, hands-on projects, readings, quizzes, and other types of assignments.‎

    The skills and experience you might need to already have before starting to learn hardware are understanding the basics of how software and hardware intersect in devices, computers, operating systems, embedded systems, and assorted data structures. You might want to have some engineering aspects in your background and skills or work experience in hardware components and operating systems. You might be familiar with how embedded devices are impacting manufacturing in the Internet of Things, and you might want to also know about wireless sensor networks.‎

    The kind of people best suited for roles in hardware are mainly people who are interested in computers, are technologically oriented, or have an engineering or computer science background, gained either in online courses, internships, or on-the-job training. Understanding hardware is for those who want to know about physical components, like computers, monitors, peripherals, 3D printing equipment, and embedded systems. The people best suited for roles in hardware may also likely have knowledge of programming languages like Java, Python, C, C+, and Verilog, key languages for computer engineers.‎

    Common career paths for someone in hardware are generally working for a technology company, manufacturing firms, or even a large institution like a college university or online distribution service. You may start either in software or hardware environments and then extend your background of engineering skills or computer science skills to move into areas of installation and maintenance of computers, servers, circuit boards, routers, printers, and similar areas.‎

    Some of the topics related to hardware that you can study include machine learning, cloud networks, systems architecture, network security, computer maintenance, and data storage. These topics may bring a fuller understanding to you when trying to tackle all the information available about hardware for computers and devices. When learning about hardware, you could spend equal amounts of time studying these and other topics related to the computer and system machinery industries.‎

    Online Hardware courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Hardware skills. Choose from a wide range of Hardware courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.‎

    When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Hardware, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here.‎

    This FAQ content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

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