Best Online AI Prompting Courses to Master Prompt Engineering in 2025

AI prompting skills are in high demand. Over half of the world’s business leaders, 66%, say they wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills, according to a recent annual report from Microsoft. This proves the invaluable nature of pursuing an AI prompting course, no matter where you are in your prompt engineering capabilities.

With the AI education market set to reach $30.28 billion by 2029, it’s safe to say that AI prompting courses are one of the fastest-growing online learning sectors today. With a vast array of online AI courses available to you, it can be overwhelming to know what you’re looking for and how to find the right program. In this article, we’re going to focus on AI prompting and prompt engineering courses, including those that highlight AI prompting for content creation. You don’t need to be a data scientist or software developer to effectively use artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. Creatives, marketers, writers, product designers, business owners, etc., are also part of the mix. Whether you’re a complete beginner or a working professional, there are flexible online AI courses covering generative AI and prompt engineering that offer practical applications across industries.

Together, we’ll explore the best AI prompting and prompt engineering courses in 2025. But first, let’s quickly define some technical terms so we’re all on the same page:

• Generative AI: Sometimes referred to as gen AI, generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that creates and produces content in the form of text, video, image, and music. It’s important to note that the content generated from gen AI is based on data that already exists online. A well-known example of a generative AI tool is ChatGPT.

• AI prompting: AI prompting is a generalized tech term. It is the act of asking (or prompting) gen AI tools to produce a desired output. As mentioned, this can be in the form of text, video, music, or image.

• Prompt engineering: Prompt engineering is a more advanced act of AI prompting. So, instead of accepting the first outcome your gen AI tool produces, prompt engineering takes it further. With prompt engineering, you’re essentially refining and optimizing your prompts to get the most desired outcome. Prompt engineering focuses on iteration and strategy in AI prompting.

• AI prompt design: AI prompt design can be defined as AI prompting, but with more effective instructions. So, this focuses on strategic prompting to get the best, most relevant results.

What to Look for in an Online AI Prompting Course

Online AI prompting and prompt engineering courses come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are quick, 1.5-hour short courses, and some encompass weeks and/or months of study — earning you a certificate at the end. The nice thing about pursuing these courses is that most top-rated options are beginner-friendly and self-paced — meaning you often don’t need any prior experience in artificial intelligence tools to be successful. 

Course pricing varies substantially based on duration, subject depth, and whether or not you’re looking to earn a post-studies certification or credential. From free resources to $3,000+ AI prompting certificate programs, there’s a wide breadth of options to choose from. With that said, it’s important to know the top things to look for in an AI prompting course. Here we’ll break down some of the basic things you should be on the lookout for.

Typically, you’ll find that the best online AI prompting and prompt engineering course curricula cover:

• Prompt structure and templates

• Generative AI model basics

• Prompt testing methods

• Ethical considerations and biases in AI
  

It’s helpful to determine whether or not you’re interested in live feedback and mentorship. This could be really helpful if you’re someone who benefits from having an accountability buddy. With mentorship, you can enjoy personalized feedback about your projects and homework. You can also get your questions answered in real time.

Another thing to look out for in an AI prompting and prompt engineering course is whether you’re interested in utilizing peer communities. This may be offered in the form of live group sessions with peers and mentors, or you may see options for AI sandbox environments. These AI sandboxes provide students with a controlled environment to test, experiment, and train with AI tools.

Whether you are a complete beginner to the world of artificial intelligence and machine learning or you’re a seasoned professional, there are a myriad of free and low-cost online AI prompting courses available to you. Top tech companies like Google, Microsoft, IBM, and even OpenAI, are determined to bring machine learning and artificial intelligence knowledge to the masses. It seems as though these companies are deeply aware of the power of AI within the modern professional landscape. As such, we recommend starting with the free and low-cost options — even with courses like Advanced Prompt Engineering — to see what area of growth you’re hoping to dive into.

However, if you’re someone who needs structure, peer engagement, and mentorship to be successful, here are some factors to think about when investing in an online AI prompting and prompt engineering course.

Budget: Consider the fact that the more you invest in your studies, the richer your learning experience will be. With a larger investment, you may ultimately get more in return. Think of services you’re paying for: mentorship, peer-to-peer engagement, live group Q&A opportunities, personalized feedback, career services, and more. This is all related to how much you’re willing to spend on your studies and what types of services you need to be successful.

Time Availability: How much time are you interested in spending? If you’re simply looking for a quick way to create more content as a writer, perhaps a 6-hour course sufficiently fits your needs. However, if you want to dive deep into the world of artificial intelligence and its applications, you may be willing to spend a few weeks immersing yourself in the technology with hands-on projects.

Preferred Learning Style: What is your preferred learning style? If you’re someone who can open up a book and ace a test, a short, self-paced course may be the perfect learning environment for you. However, if you’re someone who needs the flexibility of a self-paced course, but you learn better when you can interact with experts and industry professionals, you may consider a course that offers this combined learning environment.

Certificate Importance: Do you feel complete without a certification or some sort of credential after taking a course? Or are you someone who prefers to display a certificate on your resume and LinkedIn profile to showcase what you’ve learned? This is an important factor to consider, as there are many AI prompting courses for both preferences.

Project-Based Learning: Across the board, we believe that if you’re engaging in in-depth learning, it’s imperative that you choose curricula that feature real-world projects as part of the course learning environment. Whether or not you choose a certificate course, project-based learning (PBL) has been shown to foster better knowledge retention, increased engagement, and improved critical thinking.

No matter what proficiency level or industry you’re coming from, learning AI prompting and enhancing your prompt engineering skills is essential to your professional growth in the workforce today. Online courses range from free to premium options, one-hour to five-week timeframes, and beginner–level to advanced studies.

Considerations for choosing the right AI prompting and prompt engineering course for you depend on your availability, budget, learning style, and what exactly you’re hoping to get out of your learning experience. It is key to reflect on your intention and ultimate professional goals before enrolling in a course. 

Our best advice is to just start trying things out! Find out what your comfort level is and what you’re interested in learning more about. The field of artificial intelligence and machine learning is constantly evolving and expanding, with new and advanced technologies being released and made available for experimentation almost daily.