What is R programming?

R programming is the use of the R computer language for statistical analysis and graphic presentation. R is commonly used in business and research computing environments to analyze and visualize data, then create reports that can be used for decision making. R programming is increasingly more important given the expansion of big data for analysis.

Why learn R programming?

It's important to learn R programming if you want to be able to build computer programs that wrangle data and convert it into usable information. Organizations often have large amounts of data but are unable to understand what it means. Using programs written by R, you can generate Bayesian statistics and graphic analysis for business analytics, public health, and medical research, among other industries. Learning R is a component of learning data science, so another reason to study R programming is to get some of the fundamentals completed before venturing deeper into computer science studies.

What are typical careers that use R programming?

Typical careers that use R programming are in business analytics, financial services, and medical research. It is also a skill used in many data science roles. R programming pulls out information from large sets of data, so any field that calls for statistical inference from big data needs competent R programmers to create the analytics and reports needed. Some experience with R programming is useful for people who will be managing programming teams or requesting reports made from programs written in R. As big data analysis becomes more important in more fields, R programming becomes more valuable in the workplace.

How can online courses help me learn R programming?

Online courses can help you learn R programming by introducing the fundamentals of the language, teaching how it connects to such industries as finance and health care, and offering projects that let you show what you have learned. Courses are offered at all levels, from beginning to advanced. Many of them set you up for further work in data science or allow you to earn a specialization or certificate.

What are the benefits of taking an online R Programming course?

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

What R Programming courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in R Programming, 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 .

Best R Programming Courses & Certificates [2025]

Explore the R Programming Course Catalog

Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
R Programming
Skills you'll gain: Statistical Analysis, R Programming, Statistical Programming, Data Analysis, Debugging, Simulations, Computer Programming Tools, Program Development, Programming Principles, Data Structures, Performance Tuning, Data Import/Export
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
22K reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Google
Data Analysis with R Programming
Skills you'll gain: Rmarkdown, Ggplot2, R Programming, Data Analysis, Tidyverse (R Package), Data Visualization, Statistical Programming, Data Visualization Software, Data Cleansing, Data Manipulation, Data Import/Export, Package and Software Management
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
12K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Introduction to R Programming for Data Science
Skills you'll gain: Data Manipulation, Web Scraping, R Programming, Data Analysis, Data Science, Data Structures, Data Import/Export, Exploratory Data Analysis, Programming Principles, Jupyter, Integrated Development Environments
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
578 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: New
Status: Preview
Microsoft
The R Programming Starter Course
Skills you'll gain: Microsoft Visual Studio, Debugging, R Programming, Data Structures, Programming Principles, Statistical Programming, Development Environment, Data Manipulation, Integrated Development Environments, Data Transformation, Scripting Languages, Scripting, Software Installation
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
Advanced R Programming
Skills you'll gain: Object Oriented Programming (OOP), R Programming, Debugging, Functional Design, Integrated Development Environments, Programming Principles, Data Manipulation, Data Structures, Software Documentation, Software Design Patterns, Performance Tuning
4.2
Rating, 4.2 out of 5 stars
574 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Analysis with R
Skills you'll gain: Data Wrangling, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Analysis, R Programming, Data Manipulation, Data Visualization, Predictive Analytics, Statistical Analysis, Data Science, Regression Analysis, Predictive Modeling, Statistical Modeling, Feature Engineering, Machine Learning Methods
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
338 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

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Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
Data Science: Foundations using R
Skills you'll gain: Rmarkdown, Exploratory Data Analysis, Version Control, Statistical Analysis, R Programming, Data Manipulation, Data Cleansing, Data Science, Data Wrangling, Plot (Graphics), Statistical Programming, Statistical Visualization, Ggplot2, R (Software), Dimensionality Reduction, Data Visualization Software, Knitr, Data Sharing, GitHub, Machine Learning
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
48K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Duke University
Data Analysis with R
Skills you'll gain: Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Sampling (Statistics), Statistical Inference, Exploratory Data Analysis, Regression Analysis, R (Software), Statistical Reporting, Probability Distribution, Statistical Methods, Statistics, Bayesian Statistics, Statistical Analysis, R Programming, Data Analysis, Statistical Modeling, Probability & Statistics, Probability, Correlation Analysis, Descriptive Statistics, Data Visualization
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
7.6K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Python for Data Science, AI & Development
Skills you'll gain: Data Import/Export, Programming Principles, Web Scraping, Python Programming, Jupyter, Data Structures, Data Processing, Pandas (Python Package), Data Manipulation, JSON, Computer Programming, Restful API, NumPy, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Scripting, Application Programming Interface (API), Automation, Data Analysis
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
42K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Coursera Project Network
Getting Started with R
Skills you'll gain: R (Software), Data Import/Export, Package and Software Management, R Programming, Data Structures, Data-oriented programming, Statistical Programming, Data Analysis Software, Data Analysis, Data Science
4.3
Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
383 reviews
Beginner · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Microsoft
Microsoft R Programming for Everyone
Skills you'll gain: Rmarkdown, Version Control, Web Scraping, Regression Analysis, Knitr, Exploratory Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Data Manipulation, Dimensionality Reduction, Ggplot2, Geospatial Information and Technology, Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, Plotly, Microsoft Azure, Data Cleansing, Data Visualization, Data Wrangling, Software Documentation, R Programming, Microsoft Copilot
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Data Analytics with Excel and R
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Visualization Software, Data Visualization, Database Design, Shiny (R Package), Data Wrangling, Exploratory Data Analysis, Relational Databases, Big Data, Ggplot2, Data Analysis, IBM Cognos Analytics, Data Presentation, Data Mining, Dashboard, Excel Formulas, Data Manipulation, Web Scraping, Microsoft Excel
Build toward a degree
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
30K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months