Compliance courses can help you learn regulatory frameworks, risk management strategies, ethical decision-making, and audit processes. You can build skills in policy development, compliance monitoring, and effective communication with stakeholders. Many courses introduce tools like compliance management software, risk assessment frameworks, and data analysis techniques to help you implement and track compliance initiatives effectively.

University of Pennsylvania
Skills you'll gain: Compliance Training, Compliance Management, Regulatory Compliance, Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act (HIPAA) Compliance, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Medical Privacy, Law, Regulation, and Compliance, Legal Risk, Information Privacy, Governance Risk Management and Compliance, Personally Identifiable Information, Regulatory Requirements, Regulation and Legal Compliance, Internal Communications, Procedure Development, Data Security, Continuous Monitoring, Health Information Management, Risk Management, Business Strategy
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

Skills you'll gain: Registration, Loan Origination, Mortgage Loans, Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT), Regulatory Compliance, Compliance Training, Financial Industry Regulatory Authorities, Automated Clearing House, Consumer Lending, Threat Detection, General Lending, Customer Complaint Resolution, Workflow Management, Records Management, Payment Processing and Collection, Payment Systems, Governance Risk Management and Compliance, Financial Controls, Standard Operating Procedure, Finance
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

University of Pennsylvania
Skills you'll gain: Regulatory Compliance, Compliance Management, Legal Risk, Law, Regulation, and Compliance, Governance Risk Management and Compliance, Regulatory Requirements, Risk Management, Governance, Risk Mitigation, Strategic Planning, Risk Analysis, Brand Management
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

Skills you'll gain: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Compliance Management, Compliance Training, Regulatory Compliance, Business Continuity Planning, Occupational Safety And Health, Law, Regulation, and Compliance, Business Continuity, Labor Compliance, Risk Management, Health And Safety Standards, Human Resources, Operational Risk, Safety Training, Risk Mitigation, Human Resource Policies, Standard Operating Procedure, Labor Law, Labor Relations, Human Resources Management and Planning
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

University of Pennsylvania
Skills you'll gain: Compliance Training, Compliance Management, Regulatory Compliance, Law, Regulation, and Compliance, Internal Communications, Regulatory Requirements, Procedure Development, Continuous Monitoring, Culture Transformation, Behavior Management, Disciplinary Procedures, Ethical Standards And Conduct, Psychology, Strategic Planning
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

Skills you'll gain: IT Service Management, Governance Risk Management and Compliance, Information Technology Infrastructure Library, Service Management, IT Management, Responsible AI, Compliance Auditing, Cyber Risk, Data Ethics, Cyber Governance, Information Technology, Regulatory Compliance, Auditing, Cybersecurity, Regulation and Legal Compliance, Compliance Management, Law, Regulation, and Compliance, Cyber Security Assessment, ISO/IEC 27001, Risk Management
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

Amazon Web Services
Skills you'll gain: AI Security, Responsible AI, Data Governance, AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), Cloud Security, AI Integrations, Amazon Web Services, Threat Modeling, Security Controls
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

University of Pennsylvania
Skills you'll gain: Compliance Training, Compliance Management, Regulatory Compliance, Law, Regulation, and Compliance, Regulation and Legal Compliance, Legal Risk, Business Ethics, Internal Controls, Risk Analysis, Risk Mitigation, Fraud detection, Business Risk Management, Ethical Standards And Conduct, Commercial Laws, Risk Management, Due Diligence, Employee Training, International Relations, Operations Management, Strategic Planning
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

Skills you'll gain: Disaster Recovery, Law, Regulation, and Compliance, Regulation and Legal Compliance, Risk Management, Risk Management Framework, Compliance Management, Regulatory Compliance, Governance Risk Management and Compliance, Regulatory Requirements, Business Risk Management, Risk Analysis, Business Continuity Planning, Risk Mitigation, Cloud Security, Business Continuity, Cyber Risk, Cyber Governance, Security Management, Vendor Management, Supplier Risk Management
Advanced · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

Macquarie University
Skills you'll gain: Cyber Security Strategy, Incident Response, Cyber Governance, Incident Management, Security Strategy, Computer Security Incident Management, Risk Modeling, Risk Analysis, Cyber Security Policies, Governance Risk Management and Compliance, Cyber Threat Intelligence, Event Monitoring, Cyber Risk, Cybersecurity, Cyber Security Assessment, Governance, Compliance Management, Cyber Operations, Risk Management, Risk Control
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Skills you'll gain: Bank Regulations, Compliance Management, Financial Regulation, Governance Risk Management and Compliance, Financial Regulations, Regulatory Requirements, Regulatory Compliance, Compliance Auditing, Governance, Compliance Reporting, Law, Regulation, and Compliance, Fraud detection, Auditing, Financial Controls, Risk Management Framework, Due Diligence, Risk Analysis, Transaction Processing, Risk Management, Microsoft Copilot
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

Skills you'll gain: Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) Compliance, Governance, Financial Controls, Internal Controls, Financial Reporting, Fraud detection, Auditing, Compliance Management, Financial Regulations, Financial Auditing, Regulatory Compliance, Corporate Accounting, Financial Accounting, Case Studies, Public Accounting, Corporate Finance, Finance, Business, Accounting, Accountability
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Compliance is the practice of helping organizations follow laws, regulations, standards, and internal policies. It can apply to areas such as financial transactions, workplace practices, cybersecurity, corruption prevention, artificial intelligence, and broader risk management. Courses like Regulatory Compliance, Effective Compliance Programs, Anti Money Laundering and Transaction Compliance, and Cybersecurity Compliance Framework, Standards & Regulations show how compliance connects legal requirements with practical business processes. On Coursera, you can explore compliance from general foundations to more specialized areas like anti-corruption, AML, cybersecurity, and AI governance.
Compliance is used in roles across legal, finance, human resources, cybersecurity, risk management, operations, and governance. Professionals may work on activities such as monitoring policies, reviewing transactions, supporting audits, managing regulatory risk, training employees, or helping teams follow security and privacy standards. Courses on this page reflect that range, including Compliance and Risk Management from HRCI, Anti Money Laundering and Transaction Compliance from SkillUp, and Security, Compliance, and Governance for AI Solutions from Amazon Web Services. Learning compliance can help you build skills that support many organization-focused roles where rules, ethics, and accountability matter.
Before studying compliance, it helps to have basic communication, critical thinking, and business awareness skills. You do not need to be a lawyer to begin, but you should be comfortable reading policies, comparing requirements, asking careful questions, and documenting decisions clearly. Some areas may also benefit from background knowledge in finance, cybersecurity, HR, or technology, depending on the compliance path you choose. Introductory options like What is Compliance? and Regulatory Compliance can help you build a foundation before moving into topics such as anti-money laundering, cyber regulations, or AI governance.
Compliance pairs well with risk management, ethics, auditing, cybersecurity, data privacy, legal research, and project management. These complementary skills help you understand not only what rules apply, but how organizations can put controls, training, monitoring, and reporting processes into practice. For example, Cybersecurity Compliance Framework, Standards & Regulations connects compliance with security standards, while What is Corruption: Anti-Corruption and Compliance focuses on ethics and anti-corruption practices. Building adjacent skills can make your learning more practical and help you apply compliance concepts in workplace, technical, or industry-specific settings.
A good way to start learning compliance is to begin with the purpose of compliance, then study how effective programs are designed and maintained. Introductory courses such as What is Compliance? and Regulatory Compliance can help you understand key concepts, while Effective Compliance Programs can show how organizations structure policies, controls, training, and oversight. From there, you can choose a specialization based on your interests, such as anti-money laundering, risk management, cybersecurity, anti-corruption, or AI governance. Coursera’s course selection lets you compare beginner-friendly and specialized options as you plan your next step.
Yes. You can start learning compliance on Coursera for free in two ways:
If you want to keep learning, earn a certificate in compliance, or unlock full course access after the preview or trial, you can upgrade or apply for financial aid.
Beginner-friendly compliance courses include What is Compliance?, Regulatory Compliance, and Effective Compliance Programs from the University of Pennsylvania. These courses can help you understand core compliance concepts, why organizations create compliance programs, and how policies, oversight, and accountability support regulatory responsibilities. If you already know your area of interest, you might also consider Compliance and Risk Management from HRCI, Anti Money Laundering and Transaction Compliance from SkillUp, or Cybersecurity Compliance Framework, Standards & Regulations from IBM. Starting with a broad course first can make it easier to choose a more specialized compliance path afterward.
Compliance courses typically cover regulations, organizational policies, risk management, ethics, controls, monitoring, reporting, and program design. Depending on the course, you may also study anti-money laundering, corruption prevention, cybersecurity frameworks, governance for AI solutions, or workplace compliance responsibilities. The courses listed on this page show that compliance can be both broad and specialized, from What is Compliance? to Security, Compliance, and Governance for AI Solutions and Cybersecurity Compliance Framework, Standards & Regulations. As you compare courses on Coursera, look for topics that match the type of organization, regulation, or risk area you want to understand better.