Claude Code: Software Engineering with Generative AI Agents | Coursera
Claude Code: Software Engineering with Generative AI Agents
4 days left!
Grow your skills with Coursera Plus for €205/year (usually €342).
Save now
Claude Code: Software Engineering with Generative AI Agents
This course is part of multiple programs.
This course is part of multiple programs
AI Agents with Model Context Protocol & Typescript Specialization
AI Agents in Typescript/Javascript Specialization
Generative AI Software Engineering Specialization
AI Agents with Model Context Protocol Specialization
Instructor:
Dr. Jules White
Top Instructor
32,006
already enrolled
Included with
6 modules
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8
124 reviews
Beginner level
Recommended experience
Recommended experience
Beginner level
Basic software development experience and familiarity with version control (Git).
5 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
6 modules
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8
124 reviews
Beginner level
Recommended experience
Recommended experience
Beginner level
Basic software development experience and familiarity with version control (Git).
5 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
What you'll learn
Master AI-Powered Software Development at Scale - Learn to orchestrate Claude Code like a tech lead managing multiple senior developers
Build Production Systems with AI Labor Economics - Understand how to leverage Claude Code's speed and cost advantages to prototype rapidly
Architect for AI-First Development - Design codebases, workflows, and processes that maximize AI productivity
Skills you'll gain
Software Architecture
Software Development Methodologies
Prompt Patterns
Software Design
Software Testing
Software Quality Assurance
Software Development
Software Development Life Cycle
Generative AI Agents
Token Optimization
Artificial Intelligence
Automation
Multimodal Prompts
Version Control
Tools you'll learn
Git (Version Control System)
AI Workflows
Generative AI
Claude Code
Prompt Engineering
Anthropic Claude
Details to know
Shareable certificate
Add to your LinkedIn profile
Assessments
2 assignments
Taught in English
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Learn more about Coursera for Business
Build your subject-matter expertise
This course is available as part of
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be asked to select a specific program.
Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate
There are 6 modules in this course
Master AI-Assisted Development with Claude Code: From Fear to 1000X Productivity
Transform your software engineering practice by learning to work effectively with AI as your development partner. This comprehensive course takes you from initial skepticism about AI coding tools to confidently leveraging Claude Code for dramatic productivity gains.
In just the first few lessons, you'll learn to have Claude Code build entire applications in minutes - complete with user interfaces, databases, and business logic. By the end of this course, you'll know how to orchestrate Claude Code working concurrently across multiple git branches, with parallel AI agents developing different features simultaneously and automatically integrating their work. This isn't about getting better autocomplete - it's about fundamentally changing how software gets built.
You'll discover how to treat AI as scalable development labor, implement the "Best of N" pattern to generate multiple solution approaches, and establish robust quality assurance processes that ensure AI-generated code meets professional standards. The course covers essential skills like writing effective CLAUDE.md files for project context, creating reusable commands for common workflows, and managing parallel development streams with git worktrees and AI subagents.
Through hands-on exercises and real-world examples, you'll learn to overcome the common fears engineers have about AI tools while building practical systems for code evaluation, documentation generation, and feature development. By the end, you'll have a complete toolkit for scaling your development capabilities and a personalized process that fits your workflow.
What You'll Learn:
- Break free from micromanaging Claude Code and start delegating like a tech lead managing a team of senior developers
- Write "big prompts" that get Claude Code building entire features instead of generating single functions you copy-paste
- Use the "Best of N" pattern with Claude Code to generate 3-5 versions of every feature and cherry-pick the best parts or versions
- Teach Claude Code to critique its own code using contextual rubrics that catch bugs before you ever see them
- Master CLAUDE.md files that turn onboarding into autopilot - give Claude Code perfect project context so it writes code that fits your architecture from day one
- Build Claude Code command libraries that compress complex development workflows into single prompts (code reviews, feature builds, testing suites)
- Train Claude Code through examples so it writes code that matches your team's style without 100-page style guides
- Orchestrate parallel feature development with Claude Code working multiple git branches simultaneously while you focus on architecture
- Design codebases that scale with AI labor - understand token limits and architect projects for maximum Claude Code efficiency
- Deploy Claude Code subagents that work independently on different features in parallel and then have Claude Code perform the merging and integration when they are done
- Build your personal AI-first development process that multiplies your output while maintaining code quality
- Use multimodal prompting to turn cocktail napkin sketches and whiteboard sessions into complete UI components, architectures, and processes in minutes
Real Impact for Developers:
- Cut feature development time from days to minutes
- Never write boilerplate code again
- Get comprehensive test suites written automatically
- Have Claude Code handle code reviews and refactoring
- Build multiple prototypes before committing to an approach
- Scale your personal productivity like you hired a team
Who This Is For:
Software engineers, tech leads, and development teams ready to embrace AI-assisted coding while maintaining code quality and engineering best practices.
Prerequisites: Basic software development experience and familiarity with version control (Git).
This course requires a paid subscription that includes Claude Code.
In this module, you’ll explore how to use Claude Code as “AI labor” to accelerate software development. You’ll learn how to overcome common concerns, apply patterns like Best-of-N, and experiment with generating multiple solutions to identify the strongest approach. Tip: Don’t aim for a single “perfect” solution—use AI to explore multiple options and compare them.
What's included
5 videos
4 readings
1 assignment
5 videos
Total 39 minutes
Introduction to Claude Code & Software Engineering with AI Agents
8 minutes
1000X Improvement in Software Engineering Productivity with Big Prompts
13 minutes
One Software Engineer to Another: Let's Talk About the Fear
4 minutes
AI Labor: Claude Code is an AI Development Team
6 minutes
The Best of N Pattern: Leverage AI Labor Cost Advantages
9 minutes
4 readings
Total 31 minutes
An Important Note on Costs
10 minutes
Exercise: Getting Started with Claude Code & Building Your First Application
10 minutes
Learning More & Staying Connected
1 minute
Exercise: Build Multiple Versions of a Feature with Best of N
10 minutes
1 assignment
Total 20 minutes
Scaling Up Software Engineering with Claude Code & Generative AI
20 minutes
In this module, you’ll learn how to use generative AI to evaluate code quality, explore design options, and shape better implementations before coding begins. You’ll practice using rubrics, context, rapid prototyping, and prompt constraints to guide Claude Code toward higher-quality results.
Tip: The quality of AI-generated code depends heavily on the quality of the context, evaluation criteria, and constraints you provide.
What's included
6 videos
1 reading
6 videos
Total 37 minutes
Can AI Judge Code Quality?
8 minutes
Does AI Labor Understand Design Principles?
5 minutes
Chat, Craft, Scale: Spend More Time Designing & Innovating
2 minutes
Chat: Craft and Explore Requirements & Options
4 minutes
Chat: Rapid Prototyping & Personas
8 minutes
Craft: Constraints & Prompts for Claude Code
9 minutes
1 reading
Total 10 minutes
Exercise: AI Evaluation of Code & Feature Implementations
10 minutes
In this module, you’ll learn how to guide Claude Code with the right context, process, and reusable commands. You’ll explore how to structure context (like CLAUDE.md), provide feedback effectively, and build repeatable workflows that improve consistency and scalability. Tip: Think of Claude Code as a new team member—what context and processes would they need to consistently produce high-quality work?
What's included
3 videos
4 readings
3 videos
Total 26 minutes
Global Persistent Context: CLAUDE.md
10 minutes
Reusable Targeted Context & Process: Claude Code Commands
9 minutes
In-Context Learning: Teaching with Examples
7 minutes
4 readings
Total 40 minutes
Writing Claude.md Files
10 minutes
Creating Claude Commands
10 minutes
Exercise: Building a Documentation Generator
10 minutes
Contribute: Help Build a Curated Resource of Great Commands, Claude.md, etc.
10 minutes
In this module, you’ll learn how to use version control to make AI-assisted development safer, more organized, and easier to scale. You’ll explore how Claude Code can work in feature branches, use clear commit and branch workflows, and support parallel development with work trees, subtasks, and subagents.
What's included
1 video
3 readings
1 video
Total 6 minutes
Claude Code, Version Control, & Git Branches
6 minutes
3 readings
Total 30 minutes
Allowing Claude Code to Work in Parallel with Git Worktrees
10 minutes
Claude Subagents & Tasks
10 minutes
Parallel Feature Development with Subagents, Tasks, and Git Worktrees
10 minutes
In this module, you’ll learn how to help Claude Code work more effectively by improving feedback loops, planning, and project structure. You’ll explore when to step in as Claude Code’s “hands, eyes, and ears,” how to ensure it checks its own work, and how software design, file structure, and naming conventions affect scalability under token limits.
What's included
4 videos
1 reading
4 videos
Total 28 minutes
Being Claude Code's Hands, Eyes, and Ears
7 minutes
Ensuring Claude Code Checks Its Own Work
5 minutes
Software Design, Token Limits, and Maintainability
8 minutes
Project Structure and File Naming is Critical Context for Claude Code Scalability
8 minutes
1 reading
Total 10 minutes
Having Claude Code Think & Plan First
10 minutes
In this module, you’ll learn how to use images, sketches, and other visual inputs to communicate ideas more clearly to Claude Code. You’ll also explore how to improve results by refining process and context—so instead of repeatedly fixing code by hand, you build a more reliable and scalable workflow. Tip: When Claude Code misses the mark, start by improving the prompt, context, or process before editing the code yourself.
What's included
1 video
1 reading
1 assignment
1 video
Total 5 minutes
Start By Fixing the Process & Context, Not the Code
5 minutes
1 reading
Total 10 minutes
Exercise: From Coffee-Stained Napkin to Production Code with Multimodal Prompting
10 minutes
1 assignment
Total 30 minutes
Create Your Process
30 minutes
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.
Instructor
Instructor ratings
Instructor ratings
We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
4.9
44 ratings
Top Instructor
Dr. Jules White
Vanderbilt University
51 Courses
1,143,229 learners
Offered by
Vanderbilt University
Offered by
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tenn., is a private research university and medical center offering a full-range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees.
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Felipe M.
Learner since 2018
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."
Jennifer J.
Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."
Larry W.
Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."
Chaitanya A.
"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."
Learner reviews
4.8
124
reviews
5 stars
89.51%
4 stars
4.83%
3 stars
2.41%
2 stars
0.80%
1 star
2.41%
Showing 3 of 124
MP
Reviewed on Feb 24, 2026
Needs more basics and hands on guidance with screenshare, and less high level benefits of Claude Code.
NP
Reviewed on Oct 29, 2025
Very well taught and is the best way to get ahead.
VT
Reviewed on Sep 17, 2025
Very informative! Love the hands-on nature with Claude Code and Jules's accessible teaching style! Looking forward to a Gemini-cli course! :)
View more reviews
Open new doors with Coursera Plus
Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
Advance your career with an online degree
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
Explore degrees
Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business
Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy
Frequently asked questions
You will need paid access to Claude Code to complete this class.
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
More questions
Visit the learner help center
Financial aid available,