14 Best Prompt Engineering Courses [Free & Paid] with Certificates in 2024
September 30th, 2024 by Valeriia Kuka
What is Prompt Engineering?
Prompt engineering is the art and science of crafting effective queries for chatbots or large language models (LLMs) to get the best results from Generative AI. In a recent discussion, we explored why prompt engineering remains relevant, even with the rise of more advanced models.
We can't emphasise enough that there is no magic pillar for writing prompts like people would think. Prompt engineering is an iterative process of refining the prompt based on the prompt engineering research, a field of study that focuses on researching and finding new Generative AI (GenAI) prompting techniques.
Why is It Important to Learn Prompt Engineering?
The field of prompt engineering is rapidly evolving, with dozens of research papers being published every month. That’s why it's essential to start with the basics and build a strong foundation before diving into more advanced prompting techniques. This knowledge will enable you to quickly understand and apply new techniques as they emerge.
To help you get started, we’ve curated a list of 14 prompt engineering courses. Here’s a table summarizing them:
Free Courses
1. ChatGPT for Everyone by OpenAI and Learn Prompting
- Level: Beginner
- Instructors: Sander Schulhoff (Founder & CEO at Learn Prompting), Shyamal Anadkat (Applied AI at OpenAI)
- Duration: 1 hour
- Free/Paid: Free
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: ChatGPT for Everyone
This free, beginner-friendly course, offered by Learn Prompting in collaboration with OpenAI, introduces learners to the fundamentals of ChatGPT and generative AI. Taught by Sander Schulhoff and Shyamal Anadkat, the course covers how ChatGPT works, its applications, and techniques for effective prompt writing. It also addresses ethical considerations and provides practical strategies for enhancing productivity, writing, and content creation using ChatGPT.
Curriculum Highlights:
- Introduction to ChatGPT and its workings
- ChatGPT use cases (personal assistant, writing, content creation)
- Techniques for crafting effective prompts
- Understanding prompt structure and role assignment
- Tips for optimal prompt writing
- Ethics, AI safety, and limitations of ChatGPT
- Case studies demonstrating real-world applications
2. Prompt Engineering for Everyone by IBM
- Level: Beginner
- Instructor: Antonio Cangiano, Engineering Manager and AI Specialist at IBM
- Duration: 5 hours
- Free/Paid: Free
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: Prompt Engineering for Everyone
This free, beginner-level course offered by IBM's Cognitive Class teaches you how to effectively communicate with AI models through prompt engineering. Led by Antonio Cangiano, the course combines notes, audio recordings, and hands-on labs to equip you with techniques for crafting prompts that elicit desired responses from AI. You'll explore different prompting approaches, use tools like Watsonx Prompt Lab, and complete an optional final project to solidify your learning.
Curriculum Highlights:
- Introduction to Prompt Engineering: Understanding the concept and its importance
- Getting Started: Basics of GPT-based AI tools and prompting approaches like Persona and Interview Patterns
- Advanced Techniques: Chain-of-Thought and Tree-of-Thought approaches, controlling verbosity, using Watsonx Prompt Lab
- Final Project (Optional): Applying your knowledge in a practical project
3. Free Prompt Engineering Course by Simplilearn
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 1 hour
- Free/Paid: Free
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: Visit website
This free, beginner-level course offered by Simplilearn introduces you to the world of prompt engineering. In just one hour, you'll learn about the basics of AI and NLP, understand the concept and applications of prompt engineering, explore different types of prompts, and learn how to create effective prompts. The course includes practical examples to illustrate the concepts.
Curriculum Highlights:
- AI and NLP Basics: Understanding the history and applications of AI and NLP
- Prompt Engineering Basics: Concept, importance, and applications in conversational AI systems
- Prompt Analysis and Optimization: Analyzing and optimizing prompts for better results
- Contextualization and Personalization: Making prompts more relevant and effective through contextualization and personalization
Paid Courses
4. Introduction to Prompt Engineering by Learn Prompting
- Level: Beginner
- Instructor: Sander Schulhoff, Founder & CEO at Learn Prompting
- Duration: 1 week
- Free/Paid: Free trial, then $39/month with access to all paid courses
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: Introduction to Prompt Engineering
This beginner-level course introduces learners to the fundamentals of prompt engineering, focusing on how to write, review, and optimize prompts for AI models like ChatGPT. Taught by Sander Schulhoff, the course covers essential techniques for effectively communicating with AI, enabling learners to maximize productivity by using AI as a personal assistant. It includes quizzes and practical assignments to reinforce learning.
Curriculum Highlights:
- Lesson 1: What is Prompt Engineering?
- Introduction to prompt engineering and its importance
- Lesson 2: What is a Good Prompt?
- Identifying characteristics of effective prompts and optimizing outputs
- Lesson 3: Understanding Large Language Models (LLMs)
- Deep dive into how LLMs work, including token management
- Lesson 4: LLM Reasoning
- Techniques for improving AI reasoning and solving complex problems
- Lesson 5: Solving Complex Problems
- Applying prompt engineering to address complex issues with AI
5. Prompt Engineering by Arizona State University
- Level: Beginner
- Instructor: Andrew Maynard
- Duration: 2 hours
- Free/Paid: $49
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: Visit website
Taught by Andrew Maynard at Arizona State University, this course helps you master the art of using ChatGPT and Large Language Models (LLMs). Designed for learners from all backgrounds, it emphasizes clear and creative language usage over traditional engineering skills. By completing this course, you'll gain valuable skills that can be showcased on LinkedIn, resumes, and social media.
Curriculum Highlights:
- Prompt Evaluation and Creation: Assessing and crafting effective prompts to maximize ChatGPT's potential
- Prompt Templates and Structures: Exploring various templates and structures to achieve different outcomes
- Prompt Design for Tasks: Designing prompts tailored for specific tasks and applications
6. Learn ChatGPT by DataCamp
- Level: Beginner
- Instructor: James Chapman
- Duration: 1 hour
- Free/Paid: First module is free; $29/month
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: Visit website
This DataCamp course, taught by James Chapman, offers a comprehensive introduction to ChatGPT. In just one hour, you'll learn how to interact with ChatGPT effectively, write prompts that generate high-quality content, and explore common business use cases for this powerful AI tool. By completing this course, you'll gain confidence in using ChatGPT in various situations and improve your efficiency in multiple tasks.
Curriculum Highlights:
- Interacting with ChatGPT: Understanding capabilities and limitations, writing effective prompts
- Adopting ChatGPT: Exploring business use cases, evaluating task suitability, legal and ethical considerations
- The Future of Generative AI: Key factors shaping the future of generative AI models like ChatGPT
7. Crash Course in Generative AI: Stable Diffusion, DALL·E & Midjourney by PromptHero
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 1 hour
- Free/Paid: $99
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: Visit website
This beginner-level course is designed to guide students from zero knowledge to advanced expertise in AI image generation. The course covers fundamental concepts of generative AI, focusing on prompt engineering techniques, tools, and post-processing methods to generate unique, professional-looking images. You'll learn to use AI models like Stable Diffusion, fine-tune them for specific outcomes, and apply ethical considerations. Access to a community for continuous learning and resource updates is also provided.
Curriculum Highlights:
- Introduction to AI basics and image generation models
- Differences between various AI image generation models
- Selecting the right model based on desired output
- Overview of Stable Diffusion and its impact on democratizing AI
- Setting up Stable Diffusion locally and in the cloud
- Essential prompt engineering techniques and tools
- Advanced techniques like model fine-tuning, Dreambooth, Textual Inversion
- Legal, ethical, and copyright concerns around AI-generated images
- Additional resources and a cheatsheet for quick reference
8. Essentials of Prompt Engineering by AWS
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 1 hour
- Free/Paid: Free trial, $49/month
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: Visit website
This short, 1-hour course by Amazon Web Services introduces learners to the foundational concepts of prompt engineering. Taught by an AWS instructor, it focuses on crafting, refining, and optimizing prompts for various applications, including techniques like zero-shot, few-shot, and chain-of-thought prompting. The course also covers identifying risks associated with prompt engineering.
Curriculum Highlights:
- Crafting and optimizing effective prompts
- Techniques: Zero-shot, few-shot, chain-of-thought prompting
- Understanding potential risks in prompt engineering
- Hands-on assignment to apply learned concepts
9. AI Prompt Engineering for Beginners by DavidsonX on edX
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 1 week (1–3 hours per week)
- Free/Paid: Free with limited access, $39 for certificate
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: Visit website
This free, one-week crash course requires 1–3 hours of study per week and offers an optional $39 USD certificate. No technical knowledge is necessary, making it accessible to anyone interested in leveraging AI language tools like ChatGPT. The course focuses on mastering prompt engineering through hands-on practice, teaching you how to frame prompts for optimal results. Learners on the verified track gain access to prompt-writing reference guides, enabling them to unlock the full potential of AI tools in tasks like content creation and daily planning.
Curriculum Highlights:
- Generating AI-produced first drafts for content creation
- Using AI to refine drafts, improving tone and clarity
- Leveraging AI for daily planning and productivity tasks
- Crafting descriptive prompts with clear context for effective responses
10. ChatGPT Complete Course - Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT on Udemy
- Level: Beginner
- Instructors: Mike Wheeler and Evan Wheeler
- Duration: 6 hours
- Free/Paid: $69.99
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: Visit website
This beginner-level, 6-hour course on Udemy aims to equip learners with the knowledge to use ChatGPT for various applications, from communication to basic coding and prompt engineering. Through a structured progression, you'll explore prompt design, AI technology, intermediate development techniques, and creating custom GPTs using the ChatGPT Builder. Regular updates ensure the course stays current with the latest advancements, making it suitable for career advancement, business growth, or personal exploration in AI.
Curriculum Highlights:
- Introduction to ChatGPT and effective communication techniques
- Using ChatGPT for career advancement (resume and LinkedIn improvements)
- Basic coding with ChatGPT (web development, debugging)
- Prompt engineering techniques (Zero-shot, Chain-of-Thought prompts)
- ChatGPT for data management, visualization, sentiment analysis
- Advanced development techniques (algorithm creation, Visual Studio Code integration)
- Custom GPT creation and publishing to the GPT Store
- Regular updates covering evolving features and plugins
11. Advanced Prompt Engineering by Learn Prompting
- Level: Intermediate/Advanced
- Instructor: Sander Schulhoff, Founder & CEO at Learn Prompting
- Duration: 1 week
- Free/Paid: Free trial, then $39/month with access to all paid courses
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: Advanced Prompt Engineering
Designed for those seeking to craft complex and efficient prompts for sophisticated AI applications, this course covers advanced prompt engineering techniques like in-context learning, Chain-of-Thought prompting, and problem decomposition. Taught by Sander Schulhoff, it aims to improve the performance of AI models like ChatGPT in high-level tasks.
Curriculum Highlights:
- In-Context Learning: Basics of few-shot prompting, performance factors
- Thought Generation Prompting: Techniques for multi-step reasoning (CoT, ThoT, CCoT)
- Problem Decomposition Prompting: Breaking down complex problems (LtM, PaS, PoTh)
- Self-Criticism and Evaluation Prompting: Enhancing output quality (SE, SR, COVE)
- Advanced Techniques: Refining prompt strategies (S2A, RaR, RE2)
12. Prompt Engineering Specialization by Vanderbilt University on Coursera
- Level: Beginner/Intermediate
- Instructor: Dr. Jules White
- Duration: 1 month (10 hours per week)
- Free/Paid: Free trial, $49/month
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: Visit website
Offered by Coursera and Vanderbilt University, this beginner-level specialization helps learners master the art of using generative AI to enhance operational engineering skills. Taught by Dr. Jules White, it focuses on writing effective queries and prompts for tools like ChatGPT. Spanning three courses over one month, you'll gain a deep understanding of using generative AI for automation, productivity, and intelligence augmentation.
Curriculum Highlights:
- Course 1: Composing Queries for ChatGPT (18 hours)
- Course 2: ChatGPT Advanced Data Analysis (10 hours)
- Course 3: Trusted Generative AI (8 hours)
- Skills acquired: Generative AI, ChatGPT, Query Writing, AI-driven data analysis
- Hands-on projects: Social media post generation, PowerPoint creation from Excel data, information extraction from PDFs
- Certification from Vanderbilt University to enhance your professional profile
13. The Complete Prompt Engineering for AI Bootcamp on Udemy
- Level: Intermediate (Python coding required)
- Instructor: Mike Taylor and James Phoenix, authors of "Prompt Engineering for Generative AI" book
- Duration: 19 hours
- Free/Paid: $119.99
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: Visit website
This intermediate-level, 19-hour course is designed for those with Python coding skills who want to advance their AI expertise. Led by Mike Taylor, the course focuses on applying AI tools like GPT-4, Stable Diffusion, and GitHub Copilot in real-world projects. You'll learn to develop and optimize prompts, manage production AI models, and implement advanced text and image generation techniques. With over 15 hands-on projects, you'll gain practical experience in scaling AI systems and exploring cutting-edge tools like LangChain and ChatGPT.
Curriculum Highlights:
- Introduction to the "Five Principles of Prompting"
- Understanding major AI models (GPT-4, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion)
- Real-world AI text and image generation projects
- Advanced prompt engineering techniques (Chain of Thought, Recursive Re-prompting)
- Deep dives into AI tools like LangChain, GitHub Copilot, DALL·E 3
- Coding-focused techniques for AI deployment and integrations
- Advanced AI techniques like Dreambooth, ControlNet, Textual Inversion
- Legal, ethical, and scaling considerations in AI production
14. Prompt Engineering and Advanced ChatGPT on edX
- Level: Intermediate/Advanced
- Instructor: Miguel Amigot, CTO at ibleducation.com
- Duration: 1 week (1–2 hours per week)
- Free/Paid: Free with limited access, $40 for certificate
- Certificate: Yes
- Visit Course: Visit website
This intermediate-level, self-paced course teaches advanced techniques for using ChatGPT. Over one week, you'll explore effective prompting methods, integrate ChatGPT with tools like NLP and machine learning, and develop advanced chatbot applications. The course covers multiple industries such as healthcare, finance, education, and customer service, and addresses ChatGPT's limitations and how to create more robust applications.
Curriculum Highlights:
- Advanced prompting techniques for accurate and engaging responses
- Applications of ChatGPT across various industries
- Integration with NLP, ML, and other tools for advanced chatbot development
- Understanding and mitigating ChatGPT's limitations
- Building intelligent chatbots for improved customer experiences
Conclusion
We hope this list will be a helpful resource for you!
Taking online courses is an excellent way to sharpen your prompting skills. But if you're still unsure about diving into this field, we recommend starting with a free course or exploring our comprehensive Prompt Engineering Guide, which you can access anytime you have questions. We regularly update it with the latest techniques and models based on cutting-edge research.
Happy learning!
You can cite this work as follows:
@article{prompt_engineering_courses2024Kuka,
Title = {14 Best Prompt Engineering Courses},
Author = {Valeriia Kuka},
Year = {2024},
url={https://learnprompting.org/blog/2024/9/30/prompt_engineering_courses}
}