Robert Sedgewick and Kevin Wayne's renowned Princeton algorithms course, widely rated among the best available. It teaches the essential algorithms and data structures rigorously, with programming assignments in Java. Note Princeton offers no certificate — you take it purely for the knowledge, which is considerable.
Good for: Programmers comfortable in Java who want a rigorous grounding in algorithms.
Less suitable if: You need a certificate, do not know Java, or are new to programming.
Requirements: Comfortable programming in Java; intermediate.
Realistic time: About 55 hours; a couple of months part-time.
About this course
Algorithms, Part I is widely considered the best algorithms course online — and one of the hardest. From Princeton's Robert Sedgewick and Kevin Wayne, it covers the essential data structures and algorithms every serious programmer should know: union-find, stacks and queues, sorting, priority queues, binary search trees, and balanced trees, all with rigorous analysis and challenging Java programming assignments.
What you'll learn
Master core data structures (stacks, queues, trees)
Implement and analyse classic sorting algorithms
Use union-find and priority queues
Work with binary search trees and balanced trees
Reason rigorously about algorithm performance
Solve challenging programming problems in Java
This course includes
Yes
Mobile access
English
Language
What it costs
Completely free on Coursera. Princeton does not offer a certificate for this course, so you take it purely for the learning.
Comparison · LBS
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Robert Sedgewick and Kevin Wayne are Princeton computer scientists and authors of the definitive 'Algorithms' textbook. Their course is renowned for its rigour and clarity, and is consistently ranked among the very best on Coursera.