If you're interested in learning web design, you don't need to enroll in a computer science degree program or spend your evenings in class. There are several free online courses available.
These courses will teach the basics of web design, and some go more in-depth into other areas of information technology.
Top Free Online Web Design Courses
There are several online platforms and even some colleges and universities that offer free courses in web design.
All programs listed are free, but some require you to pay for unlimited access to course materials or for a certificate.
1. HTML5 and CSS Fundamentals
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an organization that helps web developers increase their skills. They offer the HTML5 and CSS Fundamentals course through the online learning platform edX.
This course is part of W3C's Front-End Web Developer Professional Certificate and teaches the basic building blocks of web design and style. It's self-paced and most students finish in about six weeks.
The course teaches students:
- the basics of HTML5 and CSS
- concepts of a markup language
- how to write a web page
- page layout and flexbox
- web design and style
2. HTML, CSS, and Javascript for Web Developers
HTML, CSS, and Javascript for Web Developers is a course offered by Johns Hopkins University through the online course library Coursera.
This course teaches students the basic tools that every web page coder needs to know. Deadlines are flexible and the course takes about 40 hours to complete.
Students in this course will learn how to:
- implement modern web pages with HTML and CSS
- code pages so that the components rearrange and resize themselves automatically based on the size of the user's screen
- build a fully functional web application with Javascript
3. Instructional Design: Digital Media, New Tools, and Technology
The University of Maryland Global Campus is the online campus of the University of Maryland. Through edX, it offers the Instructional Design: Digital Media, New Tools, and Technology course.
This course is instructor paced and lasts eight weeks. Most students spend about eight to 10 hours a week on coursework and assignments.
By taking this course, students will learn:
- curriculum design techniques to develop technology-enhanced learning experiences
- how to design and use instructional materials to enhance online teaching and learning
- how to engage stakeholders to collaborate, design, and evaluate learning experiences and programs
4. Responsive Web Design in Adobe XD
Responsive Web Design in Adobe XD is a course offered by Google and hosted on Coursera. It's part of the Google UX Design Professional Certificate course series.
The beginner-level course includes hands-on learning projects and takes about 42 hours to complete, split into four weeks.
This course teaches students how to:
- apply common layouts for web pages
- apply each step of the UX design process (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) to create a responsive website in Adobe XD
- complete a design project and include it in your professional UX portfolio
- plan information architecture and sitemaps for website designs
5. Web Design for Everybody: Basics of Web Development & Coding Specialization
Offered by the University of Michigan, Web Design for Everybody: Basics of Web Development & Coding Specialization is a flexible, beginner-level course through Coursera.
This course is part of a five-part series on creating websites. Students who learn for 10 hours a week can finish the course within two months.
Students taking this course will learn how to:
- add interactivity to web pages with Javascript
- apply responsive design to enable a page to be viewed by various devices
- describe the basics of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS3)
- use the Document Object Model (DOM) to modify pages
6. Web Programming with Python and JavaScript
Through edX, Harvard University offers Web Programming with Python and JavaScript. This is a self-paced program that builds on prior programming knowledge.
The program covers topics like database design, scalability, security, and user experience. Students can finish within 12 weeks.
This course uses hands-on projects to teach students how to:
- create interactive UIs
- leverage cloud services like GitHub and Heroku
- write and use APIs
FAQs About Free Online Web Design Courses
Find the answers to frequently asked questions about free online web design courses.
Can I Learn Web Design For Free?
There are many free online web design courses available for students of all levels. Be sure to check out the free courses listed above.
Is Web Design Difficult?
While different people find different things difficult, most students can learn web design in a few months.
There is also a great reward to the effort put into learning web design. You can use these skills to jumpstart a career designing websites.
How Long Is an Online Web Design Course?
The length of an online web course depends on the type of course it is and whether you can work at your own pace. Most of these courses take one to three months to complete on average.
Learn Web Design Online Today
If you want to learn how to design websites, be sure to check out these six free online web design courses.
