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: R Programming, Software Installation, Statistical Programming, Programming Principles, Performance Tuning, Simulations, Debugging, Scripting, Data Manipulation, Statistical Analysis, Data Analysis, Data Structures
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, Tidyverse (R Package), Data Manipulation, R Programming, Data Visualization, Data Analysis, Data Science, Statistical Analysis, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Visualization Software, Data Cleansing, Integrated Development Environments, 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: Web Scraping, Data Manipulation, R Programming, Data Import/Export, Data Analysis, Data Science, Data Structures, Statistical Programming, Restful API, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Cleansing, Programming Principles, Development Environment, Jupyter, Integrated Development Environments
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
576 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
Advanced R Programming
Skills you'll gain: Debugging, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), R Programming, Integrated Development Environments, Performance Tuning, Functional Design, Software Development Tools, Data Science, Data Analysis Software, Software Engineering Tools, Programming Principles, Data Structures
4.2
Rating, 4.2 out of 5 stars
574 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Coursera Project Network
Getting Started with R
Skills you'll gain: Data Import/Export, R Programming, Data Analysis, Statistical Programming, Data Analysis Software, Data Structures, Software Installation, Programming Principles, Data Science, Package and Software Management
4.3
Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
381 reviews
Beginner · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
Data Science: Foundations using R
Skills you'll gain: Rmarkdown, Exploratory Data Analysis, Plot (Graphics), Knitr, R Programming, Data Manipulation, Statistical Visualization, Data Science, Data Visualization Software, Data Cleansing, Ggplot2, MySQL, Dimensionality Reduction, Software Installation, Version Control, Data Analysis, Data Sharing, Statistical Programming, GitHub, Machine Learning
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
48K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

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Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Analysis with R
Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis, Data Wrangling, Exploratory Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Data Visualization, R Programming, Data Transformation, Data Manipulation, Data Science, Statistical Methods, Tidyverse (R Package), Regression Analysis, Statistical Modeling, Data Cleansing, Predictive Modeling
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
337 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Python for Data Science, AI & Development
Skills you'll gain: Web Scraping, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Data Analysis, Python Programming, Pandas (Python Package), Data Collection, Data Structures, Data Manipulation, Programming Principles, NumPy, Application Programming Interface (API), Data Import/Export, File Management
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
42K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Duke University
Data Analysis with R
Skills you'll gain: Sampling (Statistics), Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Regression Analysis, Exploratory Data Analysis, Statistical Inference, R Programming, Bayesian Statistics, Data Analysis, Probability Distribution, Probability, Statistics, Quantitative Research, Statistical Analysis, Probability & Statistics, Correlation Analysis, Statistical Modeling, Mathematical Modeling, Predictive Modeling, Descriptive Statistics, Data Visualization
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
7.5K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Microsoft
Microsoft R Programming for Everyone
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Regression Analysis, Rmarkdown, Predictive Modeling, R Programming, Statistical Analysis, Interactive Data Visualization, Web Scraping, Tidyverse (R Package), Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, Leaflet (Software), Data Cleansing, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Data Manipulation, Statistical Methods, Plotly, Data Visualization, Software Documentation, Technical Documentation, Microsoft Visual Studio
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Data Analytics with Excel and R
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Data Presentation, Data Visualization, Dashboard, Extract, Transform, Load, Database Design, Shiny (R Package), Pivot Tables And Charts, SQL, Rmarkdown, Data Analysis, Ggplot2, Data Wrangling, Data Visualization Software, Relational Databases, Leaflet (Software), Data Cleansing, Excel Formulas, Web Scraping, Data Manipulation
Build toward a degree
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
29K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Applied Data Science with R
Skills you'll gain: Database Design, Shiny (R Package), SQL, Rmarkdown, Data Analysis, Ggplot2, Data Wrangling, Data Visualization Software, Relational Databases, Data Visualization, Leaflet (Software), Exploratory Data Analysis, Web Scraping, Statistical Analysis, Statistical Visualization, Database Management, Data Manipulation, Plot (Graphics), Databases, R Programming
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
1.2K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months