Learn Java with Generative AI

Start anytime. Learn at your own pace.

Build real, usable Java skills—step by step—with an AI tutor at your side.

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Artificial Intelligence, Programming

Online Self-Paced

10 hours

500

Instructor: Joe Demasco

Designed and taught by Joe Demasco
LIVE monthly seminars and office hours
Engaging learning including video walkthroughs and hands-on activities
Satisfaction guaranteed. Explore the course with no risk.

Java is still one of the most widely used programming languages in industry—but getting started on your own can feel overwhelming. Learn Java with Generative AI, developed and taught by Johns Hopkins Engineering faculty and industry practitioners, takes you from “never written a line of code” to building complete console applications in Java, with a strong focus on doing, not just watching.

Throughout the course, you’ll learn core programming foundations—variables, logic, loops, methods, data structures, and file I/O—through short, focused lessons followed immediately by practice. You’ll apply what you’re learning in progressively more challenging mini-projects and AI-guided labs. Each concept is reinforced with hands-on exercises that mirror the kinds of tasks developers do in real workplaces: taking user input, making decisions, working with data, and saving results to files.

Generative AI is woven throughout the experience. You’ll use an AI assistant to help you:

brainstorm ways to solve a problem
understand error messages
get quick explanations of unfamiliar concepts

—all while still writing and running the code yourself.

By the end of the course, you’ll have a small portfolio of working Java programs you can run, modify, and build on—plus practical experience using AI as a tool to support your ongoing learning and development.

Powered by Engineering for Professionals

The #1 Ranked Online Grad Program for Computer Information Technology by U.S. News & World Report

Johns Hopkins Engineering’s Executive and Professional Education delivers executive education courses from the same faculty and support team behind Johns Hopkins Engineering for Professionals, the nation’s #1 online, part-time graduate program in computer information technology. This ranking includes our master’s programs in computer science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, information systems engineering, and data science.

No Risk: Satisfaction Guaranteed

Feel confident in your learning journey! If the certificate content is too advanced, not advanced enough, or simply doesn’t meet your expectations, we’ve got you covered with our money-back guarantee. Just contact our team within 7 days from purchase to receive a full refund—no questions asked.

Meet Your Instructor

Joe Demasco

Johns Hopkins University

Joe Demasco has taught for Johns Hopkin’s for more than 25 years and has more than 30 years of experience as a software engineering practitioner and industry consultant to private and public sector organizations around the globe. He holds a BS in Systems Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute at New York University, a Masters in Operations Research from Cornell University and did Doctoral Study in Operations Research and Management Science at the University of Pennsylvania. He combines his rigorous academic studies with decades of experience teaching courses at the both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Joe is Here to Help!

Questions about course content? Looking for insight on Java? Stop by monthly Zoom office hours to talk with Joe and fellow students about what you’re learning in the course and core programming foundations.

Prerequisites

This course is designed to be accessible to motivated beginners. No prior programming experience is required—key concepts, tools, and best practices are introduced step by step, with AI available to support you as you learn.

Projects You’ll Build (With Expert Guidance)

Leverage expertise from Johns Hopkins instructors as you use a generative AI assistant to help you interpret error messages, compare different implementations, and refactor your code. Along the way, you’ll build a small portfolio of projects such as:

Your First Java Application
Set up your tools and write a simple Java program from scratch, then compile and run it so you see the full “edit → run → fix” cycle. This first project gets you comfortable with how Java actually runs on your machine and what to do when things don’t work the first time.
Interactive Console Tools
Build small utilities—like a calculator or unit converter—that read input from the user and print useful results. Discover how Java can solve real, everyday problems and help you practice working with variables, basic math, and user interaction.
Decision-Based Programs
Create programs that make decisions using if/else and switch statements, such as simple grading tools or menu-driven apps. Learn how to control what your program does based on different inputs or conditions, a key skill for any real-world application.
Loop-Driven Mini Apps
Use loops (for, while, and do-while) to build features like number guessing games, running totals, or basic simulations. This project trains you to think about repetition and efficiency—how to make the computer handle repeated work so you don’t have to.
Reusable Method Libraries
You’ll design and use your own methods to break bigger problems into smaller, reusable pieces. This project helps you write cleaner, more organized code and teaches you how real developers structure programs so they’re easier to understand and change later.
Working with Data Collections
Work with arrays (and possibly other data structures) to store and process lists of values, such as scores, expenses, or sensor readings. These projects show you how to handle groups of data at once and generate simple summaries or reports.
File Input/Output Programs
Build programs that read from and write to files, so your applications can save results or load data from previous runs. This is where your code starts to feel more “real world,” because you’re no longer limited to what happens on the screen in a single run of the program.

Course Delivery and Support

The courses are delivered entirely online through the industry-leading Canvas Learning Management System. This system is supported by the same instructional design team behind Johns Hopkins’ renowned Engineering for Professionals program, which serves thousands of online graduate students each year. Upon registration, you will receive an email with instructions to create your Hopkins Canvas account and access the videos, readings, files and quizzes.

Learn Java with Generative AI