Functional programming is becoming increasingly widespread in industry. This trend is driven by the adoption of Scala as the main programming language for many applications. Scala fuses functional and object-oriented programming in a practical package. It interoperates seamlessly with both Java and Javascript. Scala is the implementation language of many important frameworks, including Apache Spark, Kafka, and Akka. It provides the core infrastructure for sites such as Twitter, Netflix, Zalando, and also Coursera.
Functional Programming Principles in Scala
Functional Programming Principles in Scala
This course is part of Functional Programming in Scala Specialization
Instructor: Martin Odersky
216,288 already enrolled
Included with 
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8
(8,245 reviews)
Intermediate level
Recommended experience
Flexible schedule
Approx. 56 hours
Learn at your own pace
91%
Most learners liked this course
What you'll learn
Understand the principles of functional programming
Write purely functional programs, using recursion, pattern matching, and higher-order functions
Design immutable data structures
Combine functional programming with objects and classes
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
Shareable certificate
Add to your LinkedIn profile
Assessments
31 assignments
Taught in English
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Build your subject-matter expertise
This course is part of the Functional Programming in Scala Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
- 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
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV
Share it on social media and in your performance review
There are 6 modules in this course
Get up and running with Scala on your computer. Complete an example assignment to familiarize yourself with our unique way of submitting assignments. In this week, we'll learn the difference between functional imperative programming. We step through the basics of Scala; covering expressions, evaluation, conditionals, functions, and recursion
What's included
8 videos7 readings7 assignments3 programming assignments
This week, we'll learn about functions as first-class values, and higher order functions. We'll also learn about Scala's syntax and how it's formally defined. Finally, we'll learn about methods, classes, and data abstraction through the design of a data structure for rational numbers.
What's included
8 videos5 assignments2 programming assignments
This week, we'll cover traits, and we'll learn how to organize classes into hierarchies. We'll cover the hierarchy of standard Scala types, and see how to organize classes and traits into packages. Finally, we'll touch upon the different sorts of polymorphism in Scala.
What's included
6 videos4 assignments2 programming assignments
This week we'll learn about the relationship between functions and objects in Scala; functions *are* objects! We'll zoom in on Scala's type system, covering subtyping and generics, and moving on to more advanced aspects of Scala's type system like variance. Finally, we'll cover Scala's most widely used data structure, Lists, and one of Scala's most powerful tools, pattern matching.
What's included
7 videos6 assignments2 programming assignments
This week we dive into Lists, the most commonly-used data structure in Scala.
What's included
6 videos5 assignments
After a deep-dive into Lists, this week we'll explore other data structures; vectors, maps, ranges, arrays, and more. We'll dive into Scala's powerful and flexible for-comprehensions for querying data.
What's included
7 videos4 assignments2 programming assignments
Instructor
Instructor ratings
4.8 (616 ratings)Offered by
Recommended if you're interested in Software Development
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
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
8,245 reviews
- 5 stars
83.54%
- 4 stars
13.52%
- 3 stars
1.69%
- 2 stars
0.66%
- 1 star
0.56%
Showing 3 of 8245
EC
5
Reviewed on Jun 4, 2019
It was a good introduction to Scala for me. The video are precise and concise. The assignment are made for you to apply the concepts seen in the videos, but they remain challenging and fun to do!
MD
5
Reviewed on Jan 14, 2017
Content and the lecturing is super. All the assignments makes you think about the subjects. If you want to learn about functional programming and something about scala this is the course for you.
DF
4
Reviewed on Jan 13, 2019
The course in general is kind of theoretical. Some of the homeworks are fairly challenging. I found it a useful companion to the Programming in Scala book, which I'm working through at the moment.
New to Software Development? Start here.
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
Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business
Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy
Frequently asked questions
This course covers the latest stable version of Scala. You can find the legacy version of the same course based on Scala 2 here.
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. 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. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.