When it comes to getting started in front end web development, learning to make your site dazzle and maintain a user’s attention is an important skill. If you aspire to be a front end developer, or just want to create gorgeous websites, taking an online CSS development course can help you.
Online CSS courses provide knowledge of CSS properties and CSS frameworks for various skill levels. They also typically involve earning hands-on experience through completing course-based projects and oftentimes culminate in a professional certificate.
What Is CSS?
CSS, or cascading style sheets, is a programming language used to style web pages or applications by manipulating the characteristics of a markup language such as HTML. It is considered one of the most important technologies in web development, alongside HTML and JavaScript.
With CSS, you can define how a webpage looks to a user on their computer or mobile device. By using style sheets, you can create multiple web pages that have the same format and design, without needing special CSS codes for each.
Also with CSS, you can render multiple versions of a single page in different formats to be responsive for mobile devices, various desktop resolutions, and digital tablets.
Why Online CSS Courses Are Important for Professional Development
Taking a coding bootcamp or online course are both viable options for learning how to code in CSS. Learning basic coding skills is an excellent way to start coding for personal projects as a hobby.
Learning a new programming language may be easier if you’re already an experienced web developer, so you could consider self-learning if you already have development skills. A coding bootcamp may be more appropriate for those without previous technical knowledge or those seeking jobs in the technology sector.
Should You Attend a Coding Bootcamp to Learn CSS?
If you are interested in beginning a career as a front end web developer, then you should consider attending a coding bootcamp. Bootcamps emphasize teaching practical skills and knowledge that are valued by employers. Bootcamps also provide students with career support that helps them find employment quickly after graduation. The best CSS coding bootcamps provide students with better accountability and more motivation to succeed.
Overview: The Best Online CSS Courses, Classes, or Training
It can be difficult to know which program is right for you when considering the best CSS courses online. When looking for a reputable CSS online course, class, or training, there are a few factors to consider.
Below are some of the best online CSS courses to help break into the tech field. Also find the course price, duration, and whether you receive a completion certificate.
| Provider | Course | Price | Length | Certificate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codecademy | Learn CSS | Free | 10 Hours | Yes, for a fee |
| Coursera | Advanced Styling with Responsive Design | $49 per month | 12 Hours | Yes, for a fee |
| Coursera | Programming Foundations with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS | $49 per month | 33 Hours | Yes, for a fee |
| Cybrary | Introduction to Programming Using HTML and CSS | Free | 2 Hours | Yes |
| Educative | The Complete Advanced Guide to CSS | $31/yr | 10 Hours | Yes |
| Educative | CSS for Front-End Interviews | $16.66 per month | 7 Hours | Yes |
| edX | Front-End Web Developer Professional Certificate | $895.50 | 7 Months | Yes |
| FreeCodeCamp | CSS Tutorial — Zero to Hero | Free | 6 Hours | No |
| Pluralsight | Styling Websites with CSS | Free (with trial), then $29 per month or $299 per year | 1 Hour, 32 Minutes | No |
| Skillshare | Code your own portfolio – HTML & CSS basics | Free (with trial), then $32 per month | 3 Hours | No |
| Skillshare | HTML and CSS Web Development Masterclass – Create your First Website | Free (with trial), then $32 per month | 2 Hours, 56 Minutes | No |
| Udemy | CSS Bootcamp – Master CSS (CSS Grid / CSS Flexbox) | $19.99 | 11 Hours, 30 Minutes | Yes |
| Udemy | CSS – The Complete Guide 2022 | $89.99 | 23 Hours | Yes |
| Udemy | The CSS and CSS3 Crash Course | $89.99 | 13 Hours | Yes |
| Udemy | Web Design for Beginners: Real World Coding in HTML & CSS | $59.99 | 11 Hours | Yes |
In Detail: The Best Online CSS Classes, Courses, or Training
Learn CSS | Codecademy
- Learning Format: This is an online course taught through text-based modules
- Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
- Subjects Covered: CSS, CSS3
You may be familiar with CodeCademy’s Learn JavaScript course, one of the most popular JavaScript courses online. Codecademy has recently added a new CSS course called Learn CSS. This is a comprehensive CSS course expected to take 20 hours to complete.
This program provides step-by-step instruction and guidance through the CSS learning path, teaching basic concepts all the way to advanced CSS skills, with code challenges throughout to test your learning.
Key Takeaway: Trust Codecademy to give you a strong education in CSS and its real-world applications today. You’ll not only gain basic knowledge but you will learn responsive web design to create complex web projects.
Advanced Styling with Responsive Design | Coursera
- Learning Format: This is an online course with video tutorials, readings, and quizzes
- Level: Intermediate, Advanced
- Subjects Covered: CSS, Responsive Web Design
As part of this course, participants will learn many topics beyond the basics of CSS3. Students will be taught about wireframes, fluid design, media queries, and how to use existing styling paradigms such as Bootstrap. This programming course provides interactive learning for free and completely online.
The course is for those who have some understanding of CSS but would like to improve their skills. While the videos are in English, subtitles are available for speakers of Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, French, Russian, Vietnamese, and Arabic.
Key Takeaway: Offered in conjunction with the University of Michigan, this flexible program allows you to study on your own timeline.
Programming Foundations with JavaScript, HTML and CSS | Coursera
- Learning Format: This is an online course with video tutorials, readings, and quizzes
- Level: Beginner
- Subjects Covered: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
This course offered on Coursera by Duke University will introduce the basics of programming and web development, and help you gain important problem-solving skills. You will learn the three cornerstone web technologies: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
This course is excellent for students with no programming background who want to break into web development. The course offers numerous web projects throughout its teaching to help students grasp programming concepts like conditional statements, loops, and functions more quickly.
Key Takeaway: This 33-hour course is a strong foundational program for understanding how CSS fits in alongside HTML and JavaScript. This course will develop the necessary programming language skills required to work as a front end web developer.
Introduction to Programming Using HTML and CSS | Cybrary
- Learning Format: This is an online practice lab with various modules for certification exam preparation
- Level: Beginner
- Subjects Covered: HTML, CSS, CSS3
Cybrary provides a hands-on platform for learning and practicing HTML and CSS. In addition, the lab tasks will enhance students’ fundamental skills and prepare them for the course’s certification exam.
In this online program, students will learn important concepts for front end web development like HTML and CSS basics, structuring documents with HTML, presenting multimedia using HTML, and styling web pages with CSS.
Key Takeaway: This course is beginner-friendly and comprehensive in helping you gain tech skills in web design quickly.
The Complete Advanced Guide to CSS | Educative
- Learning Format: This is a text-based, interactive online course in CSS
- Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
- Subjects Covered: CSS
Don’t let its name fool you, this online course by Educative aims to turn beginner and intermediate CSS students into technical experts. This 10-hour program is filled with tons of insightful advice and information to get started programming in CSS.
Students will learn CSS fundamentals and how to use Flexbox, Variables, Gradients, Backgrounds, Responsive Images, and Handy Pro tools. No prior CSS experience is needed for this course. It’s an ideal course for aspiring front end developers and for professional back-end engineers looking to boost their front end design skills.
Key Takeaway: This course is text-based, as this learning mode is quicker than watching videos, meaning you finish the course faster. Earn a certificate of completion at the end of the course.
CSS for Front-end Interviews | Educative
- Learning Format: This is a text-based, interactive online course in CSS
- Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
- Subjects Covered: CSS, CSS3
This course is perfect for intermediate or seasoned developers who are ready to practice for hiring exams and front end interviews. More than 250 coding challenges and multiple-choice questions make this an intermediate lesson with plenty of opportunities to apply what you’ve learned and receive valuable hands-on experience.
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By the end of the course, you will have an understanding of advanced concepts such as Flexbox, block formatting, and working with SVG. Overall, this course serves as a stand-alone guide for people preparing for their first front end interviews.
Key Takeaway: Practice as you learn with tons of challenges designed to make sure you can ace your front end interviews.
Front-End Web Developer Professional Certificate | edX
- Learning Format: This is an online, self-paced course with interactive assignments
- Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
- Subjects Covered: CSS, HTML5, JavaScript
This course offers students an extensive deep-dive into mastering CSS, HTML, JavasScript, and other coding languages needed for a web developer career.
Enrolled students can upgrade to have an experienced instructor grade their assignments, as well as earn a professional certificate at the end of the course. The enrollment fee is $895.50. This course is taught by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Key Takeaways: This course is a perfect way to launch your web developer career. Students gain a deep understanding of CSS, as well as other coding languages needed for web development.
CSS Tutorial — Zero to Hero | FreeCodeCamp
- Learning Format: This is an online course with video tutorials
- Level: Beginner
- Subjects Covered: CSS
During the course, you will learn everything about CSS fundamentals. The program covers topics like controlling the CSS Grid, Flexbox, formatting, style, and size of text, as well as the use of the layout elements.
Key Takeaway: This free, six-hour course will help give you the insights you need to improve your websites and become a better front end developer.
Styling Websites with CSS | Pluralsight
- Learning Format: This is an online course with video tutorials
- Level: Beginner
- Subjects Covered: CSS
This online program provided by Pluralsight is perfect for students wanting to improve their CSS and design skills. You’ll explore the different methods of adding CSS and how to create your own style rules.
You’ll learn how to style text with custom fonts and discover ways to implement an attractive layout design using CSS selectors. After completing this course, you will gain the knowledge and skills you need to fully style a website using CSS.
Key Takeaway: Pluralsight’s short CSS course will let you complete your learning within the 7-day free trial.
Code Your Own Portfolio – HTML & CSS | Skillshare
- Learning Format: This is an online course with video tutorials and a hands-on project
- Level: Beginner
- Subjects Covered: CSS
In this course, you will learn about HTML tags, CSS basics, and how to implement Google Fonts into your website. By the end of this class, you will have gained valuable hands-on experience by designing your own portfolio site and feel comfortable showing off your projects to potential employers or clients.
Key Takeaway: Learn CSS alongside the HTML markup language to create a custom-built portfolio that shows off the true you.
HTML and CSS Web Development Masterclass – Create your First Website | Skillshare
- Learning Format: This is an online class with video tutorials and a hands-on project
- Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
- Subjects Covered: CSS, HTML
Having spent more than a decade as an engineer and trainer, Luis Carlos is an exciting and energetic instructor who shares his knowledge and experiences with others. This class is suitable for those with little or no experience in web development.
By taking this course, you will learn the basics of HTML and how it relates to CSS, which will allow you to create stunning websites. This course covers a wide range of topics, such as the choice of a code editor and HTML document structure, along with text formatting, forms, CSS syntax, and much more.
Key Takeaway: The final project will exhibit your learning in CSS and will be a strong candidate for a professional portfolio.
CSS Bootcamp – Master CSS (CSS Grid / CSS Flexbox) | Udemy
- Learning Format: This is an online, self-paced course with video tutorials
- Level: Beginner, Intermediate
- Subjects Covered: CSS, CSS3
The course is divided into several sections. The course will begin with CSS essentials, which will introduce you to a variety of topics. Afterward, you will move on to advanced CSS where you’ll learn techniques like backgrounds, transitions, animations, and shadows.
This course introduces modern practices and solutions as well as explains how Bootstrap works in detail. It introduces students to various topics essential to becoming an expert in CSS and vital coding skills in the industry.
Key Takeaway: This highly-rated course on Udemy offers 11.5 hours of instructional videos, during which you will create modern, real-world style projects to apply the CSS concepts you learn.
CSS – The Complete Guide 2022 | Udemy
- Learning Format: This is an online, self-paced course with video tutorials
- Level: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert
- Subjects Covered: CSS
This bestselling Udemy course from popular instructor Maximilian Schwarzmüller is for anyone who wants to learn CSS or sharpen their CSS skills. The course covers both theory and practical examples.
Students build a real-world project throughout the course. In addition, there are multiple assignments, quizzes, and challenges for you to continuously practice during your self-paced learning.
Key Takeaway: Learning about core concepts like CSS selectors, the CSS grid system, and basic concepts like CSS variables, will make you a CSS pro by the end of this course.
The CSS and CSS3 Crash Course | Udemy
- Learning Format: This is an online, self-paced course with video tutorials
- Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
- Subjects Covered: CSS, CSS3
The CSS and CSS3 Crash Course covers all the essential concepts a beginner must know to begin coding responsive real-world websites as a front end developer.
You will start with tutorials for beginners that are new to CSS and CSS3 programming. As you advance through the classes, you move through progressively more complex skills, with quizzes and real projects to gain hands-on experience along the way.
Key Takeaway: Test your learning during the course with its quizzes to ensure you’re grasping the key concepts.
Web Design for Beginners: Real World Coding in HTML & CSS | Udemy
- Learning Format: This is an online, self-paced course with video tutorials
- Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
- Subjects Covered: CSS, CSS3, HTML
Another bestselling course from Udemy, popular instructor Brad Schiff will show you how to create any website layout you could imagine. You don’t need prior experience in web design to take this course. It is also appropriate for experienced developers who are looking to refresh their HTML and CSS knowledge.
This popular CSS course starts out with HTML basics before moving on to CSS. After exploring the essentials of CSS, you move on to intermediate CSS, which includes CSS typography, CSS backgrounds, and CSS special effects. Additionally, you will learn about JavaScript, Bootstrap, and Sass.
Key Takeaway: This course will prepare you to understand a wide range of coding languages to jumpstart a career in front end development.
Online CSS Classes, Training, or Courses: Which Is the Right Option?
Online training, courses, and classes all differ in their purpose and content. Online CSS classes will be short in duration and typically cover only one or two concepts. They may also focus more on theory than providing hands-on experience.
Online CSS courses will be intensive, comprehensive, and aim to provide a breadth of knowledge to prepare someone for a career using CSS. They typically cost a fee and have a longer duration.
How to Choose the Right Online CSS Course, Class, or Training Program
There are a few things to consider when deciding whether a course in CSS, a class, or a training program is right for you. Set yourself up for success in your chosen educational path by evaluating your unique circumstances against the following variables.
The Provider
There are numerous online CSS programs on the internet, but which one should you choose? Countless reputable and popular websites deliver educational programs, some better than their competitors. No matter which program you end up picking, check the provider’s credentials before purchasing or registering for an online class.
The Length
It’s hard to find the time to continue your education while working full-time or raising a family. How much time you have during the week to dedicate to your studies is a major consideration when choosing a course or class. Whether the class is full-time, part-time, or self-paced, understand what is required of the program before enrolling.
The Cost
The cost of the program is another critical factor when choosing a CSS program. Some online courses are entirely free, others have a week-long free trial, and some require deposits upfront but have money-back guarantees. Knowing the program cost upfront allows you to know if it’s within your budget and if you need time to apply for loans.
CSS Course Certificates vs Certifications
Taking a certification course ensures that you have the skills and experience necessary to be a CSS expert. Whereas, earning a certificate shows that you have gained the knowledge required of the program. Understanding the difference between the two is important in deciding which credential is required for your career path.
Importance of CSS Certifications
CSS certifications are issued when a student has studied for an industry-credited exam. This exam is typically created by a national organization in charge of upholding standards set by the field for certified professionals. A certification in CSS will show employers the acknowledgment by the industry of your skills and knowledge.
Why You Should Take Online CSS Courses or Classes
Studying an online CSS course or class will prepare you for a career as a front end web developer, or enhance your understanding of styling for web design and web responsiveness. Online CSS programs will provide an in-depth study of these concepts along with regular projects to enhance your hands-on learning and get you job-ready sooner.
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