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You love all things Apple and are intrigued by Swift. But you want to get a more in-depth understanding of the programming language. Or maybe you’re interested in a job opportunity that requires you to master Swift.
Consider an online Swift course to grow your skillset — swiftly!
A Quick Look: Best Swift Courses
Here’s a quick look at Benzinga’s top picks:
- Introduction To Swift Programming by the University of Toronto
- Swift 5 Essential Training by LinkedIn Learning
- Swift: Master Swift Properties in Less Than 1 Hour by Swift Next Step
- Design Patterns in Swift by Udemy
- SwiftUI Essential Training by LinkedIn Learning
- SwiftUI by Examples by Anyone Can Code
- Diving Deep into Swift by Udemy
- Professional Swift by Udemy
- Learning Higher-Order Functions with Swift by LinkedIn Learning
What Makes a Swift Course Great?
The best Swift courses have the following characteristics:
1. Begins with an Overview
Does the instructor share what he or she will be covering in the class? Is a quick review session included to bring you up to speed? These are a few questions to ponder as you research Swift courses.
2. Facilitated by an Experienced Developer
The instructor should be an experienced developer who has tons of hands-on experience with Swift. It’s also crucial that he or she understands the programming language and can effectively communicate how it works.
3. Includes Assignments
Course assignments will help you master Swift in a practice setting. You’ll also be able to work out any kinks before implementing your new-found knowledge in the field.
Our Top Picks
Benzinga’s recommendations for Swift courses are listed below by skill level — beginners, intermediate and advanced students. Our top selections are from Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, Skillshare and Udemy.
You’ll also find a detailed description of each course and the enrollment fee is included to help you determine whether a course fits your budget.
Swift Course for Beginners
New to swift and searching for an introductory course that’s straightforward but comprehensive? You may find these beginner-level classes useful.
1. Introduction To Swift Programming
- Who it's for: Beginners
- Price: Free
Are you interested in learning how to build an iOS app from the ground up? This free introductory course will show you how.
Introduction To Swift Programming is the first installment of the iOS App Development with Swift Specialization from the University of Toronto. It begins with a primer on Swift basics, followed by lessons that cover more advanced concepts and image processing in Swift. The class ends with a peer assignment that allows you to apply the knowledge learned throughout the course.
It’s led by Professor Parham Aarabi. He works in the electrical and computer engineering department at the University of Toronto.
You should use a Mac and iPhone, iPod or iPad to perform the activities presented in the course.
2. Swift 5 Essential Training by LinkedIn Learning (Formerly Lynda.com)
- Who it's for: Beginners
- Price: Included in the monthly membership
This course teaches the essentials of Swift 5 in a little over 4 hours. Led by Harrison Ferrone, software engineer, game developer and creative technologist, it includes 7 modules:
- Getting Started
- Getting to Know Your Data
- Working with Collections
- Application Control Flow
- The Wide World of Functions
- Classes, Structs and Beyond
- Leveling UP with Enums, Protocols and Errors
Ferrone draws from his experiences in the field to provide real-life Swift application demos. By the time you complete the course, you’ll have the skills needed to develop your own games and apps using Swift.
Enrollment is included with a $29.99 monthly LinkedIn membership. You can also grab a free seat by signing up for a 1-month trial.
3. Swift: Master Swift Properties in Less Than 1 Hour by Swift Next Step
- Who it's for: Beginners
- Price: Free
Crunched for time but want to master the various Swift properties? Consider this free course from Swift Next Step. It’s based on “The Swift Programming Language” iBook from Apple.
Swift: Master Swift Properties in Less Than 1 Hour is comprised of 6 lessons:
- Swift Learn Properties - Introduction
- Swift Learn Stored Properties
- Swift Learn Lazy Story Property
- Swift Learn Computed Property
- Swift Goodby
You’ll get a basic knowledge of the Swift programming language before you sign up.
Intermediate Swift Courses
These intermediate courses are best if you have some Swift experience under your belt.
4. Design Patterns in Swift by Udemy
- Who it's for: Intermediate students
- Price: $99.99
Interested in learning more about design patterns and how they’re implemented in Swift? This highly-rated course from Udemy delves into an array of design patterns. It’s ideal for both beginner and experienced developers that understand Swift.
Taught by developer Dmitri Nesteruk, the class includes lessons on applying design patterns in Swift and modifying current designs to implement the latest design patterns. You will also gain hands-on experience implementing patterns in 23 coding exercises.
Beyond the coding exercises, the course includes 113 lectures jam-packed into 8.5 hours of on-demand video, 1 article and 69 downloadable resources. You will also receive a certificate of completion when you finish the last lesson.
You should be familiar with the recent Swift updates. It also helps if you understand object-oriented design principles.
5. Swift UI Essential Training by LinkedIn Learning (Formerly Lynda.com)
- Who it's for: Intermediate students
- Price: Included in the monthly membership
Offered by LinkedIn Learning, this course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of SwiftUI. It spans a little over 4 hours and delivers lessons through video lectures.
The course begins with an overview of SwiftUI and Xcode basics. There are also modules on collection views, controls, modifiers for layout, models, testing and interaction. The final segment covers SwiftUI integration with other frameworks.
It's free to enroll with a $29.99 monthly LinkedIn membership. But if you aren't a member, you can take the class for free when you register for a 1-month trial.
Facilitator Steven Lipton is a teacher and developer. He's also the vice president of special projects at Scientific Device Laboratory.
6. SwiftUI By Examples by Anyone Can Code
- Who it's for: Intermediate students
- Price: Free
Build on your SwiftUI knowledge with this intermediate course that demonstrates the code in action. It is facilitated by J.F. Zavrel from Anyone Can Code and will walk you through the creation of the SwiftUI app from start to finish.
The course includes 19 video lectures on a host of core concepts, including basic structure, source control, navigation links, subview and detail view. You will also learn to fine-tune layouts, add room details, alter the data source, delete or reorder items and so much more.
There’s no enrollment fee, and you should allocate 40 minutes to watch the video lessons. Have access to a macOS Catalina (or newer) and Xcode 11 (or newer) before enrolling.
Advanced Swift Courses
Gain more in-depth knowledge of Swift and all it has to offer with these advanced courses.
7. Diving Deep into Swift by Udemy
- Who it's for: Advanced students
- Price: $199.99
Diving Deep into Swift is another highly-rated course from Udemy that will help you move beyond the basics of Swift to mastery. It’s designed for experienced developers who want to hone their skills and elevate their careers.
The class is facilitated by Packt Publishing and covers complex topics including Swift’s memory management model, Swift dependency management and asynchronous task management with operation. You will also learn more about managing concurrency with dispatch, protocol extension and protocol-oriented programming.
A seat in this course is $199.99 and includes 24 lectures condensed into 1.5 hours of on-demand video and 9 articles to supplement your learning. The course is also backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied for any reason.
Have advanced knowledge of the fundamentals of Swift before you sign up. You should also know how to write Swift code.
8. Professional Swift by Udemy
- Who it's for: Advanced students
- Price: $199.99
Are you seeking a career in the professional app development world? This course may be a good fit.
Also offered by Packt Publishing, Professional Swift features lessons on all things Swift that you must know before transitioning into the professional app development sector. Topics include value types, encoding and decoding, Swift frameworks, protocol syntax basics, generics, software design, MVC alternative and unidirectional data flow. There's also a module that covers transitioning to protocol-oriented programming.
When you enroll for $199.99, you will have full lifetime access to 54 lectures packed into 3 hours of on-demand video. The course also includes 1 downloadable resource to help facilitate your comprehension of the material. And if you're not happy with the content, you can request a full refund within 30 days of your original purchase.
Have extensive experience using Swift or Objective-C before signing up. You should also have a working knowledge of Xcode.
9. Learning Higher-Order Functions with Swift by LinkedIn Learning (Formerly Lynda.com)
- Who it's for: Advanced students
- Price: Included in the monthly membership
Learn the mechanics of higher-order functions in Swift with this advanced course from LinkedIn Learning. In a little over 1 hour, Bear Cahill will walk you through the essential features so you can grasp the concepts and easily apply your knowledge in the field.
The course includes 4 modules:
- Closures and Functions
- Basic Higher-Order Functions
- Powerful Higher-Order Functions
- Using Higher-Order Functions
Instructor Cahill is a seasoned mobile app developer. He founded a mobile app development company, Brainwash Inc., over 10 years ago and has been instrumental in the development of over 100 Android and iOS apps.
Choose the Right Swift Course for You
It’s not necessary to enroll in a high-dollar program to learn more about or master Swift. You can try out our recommended courses for beginners and work your way through the list until you’re comfortable with the programming language.
As you review options to find the best fit, research the instructor. You want to ensure that he or she has experience and can convey information in a way that’s engaging and easy to understand. Feel free to read reviews and reach out to the instructor with any instructions before you enroll.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should you look for in an excellent Swift course?
You must consider the overview, content and developer’s experience.
What are some great Swift courses for beginners?
Benzinga recommends Swift 5 Essential Training and Introduction to Swift Programming.
Southern New Hampshire University Online
SNHU Online Offers:
- Flexible schedules
- Affordable tuition
- Online tutoring
- Access to electronic research materials
- Specialized academic advising
- Supportive online community