Learn Sass with online courses and programs

Create a better user experience through functional web design. Learn Sass (short for syntactically awesome style sheets) to add more features to cascading style sheets (CSS).

What is Sass?

Sass is a scripting language used to generate cascading style sheets (CSS), an essential building block in the creation of functional, well-designed websites. Sass helps developers add functionality to CSS.^{Footnote 1}

Individuals who want to become experts in front-end development may benefit from the study of the Sass language. Enrollment in a Sass course may help improve a learner’s CSS workflow, which can enable them to create consistent, repeatable style sheets with efficiency.

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Sass course curriculum

An introductory Sass course can begin by reviewing the history and origins of Sass as a scripting language, along with its benefits over traditional CSS. Coursework in Sass might cover installation and setup, basic syntax, architecture, debugging, and troubleshooting. When learners complete a program of study that includes a Sass tutorial, they should be able to determine how and when to use this scripting language in real-world applications.

If you are interested in learning about web design, explore the range of educational opportunities made available through edX. From accelerated boot camps that provide practical, hands-on experience to full degree programs that enable learners to pursue bachelor’s degrees or, for more advanced learners, master’s degrees, there are many different formats available that can help you build valuable skills. Busy professionals even have the option to enroll in executive education courses that can be a convenient choice for upskilling. Discover the power of online learning and propel your professional development forward with edX.

Explore Sass jobs

Knowledge of how to use Sass can be helpful in a variety of careers, including:

Front-End developer: These developers who focus on the construction of the user-facing portion of an application, also called the user interface. Front-end developers can use Sass to code efficiently and create an interface that is easier to maintain.^{Footnote 2}
UI/UX designer: This hybrid developer/designer role specializes in the user experience. While a design-focused role may not have direct Sass coding or other language coding responsibilities, knowledge of Sass can help a designer understand how design concepts translate into code.^{Footnote 3}
Full stack developer: These developers, who are responsible for both the front (user-facing) side and the back-end of an application, can benefit from the knowledge of Sass to create more efficient front-end code.^{Footnote 4}
Freelance developer: Individuals who prefer to work independently and maintain autonomy over their time and workload often opt for freelance careers. In the world of a freelance developer, familiarity with Sass scripting language may help enhance the freelancers' skillset.^{Footnote 5}

Each of these roles will have different education and skills requirements. Professionals may be able to build the skills they need in a coding or UX/UI design boot camp for example, but some employers may seek out candidates with higher level degrees. Before you decide on a learning pathway, research potential roles and employers and align your educational coursework with your professional goals.

How to use Sass to become a developer

The Sass language is most common in front-end development. Anyone who plans to become a developer is advised to learn the building blocks of web application development – HTML and CSS. Once learners have a solid foundation in these basic coding languages, which can be acquired through a coding boot camp, they can learn how to add more functionality to their CSS sheets with Sass.

One way to master Sass development is to convert existing CSS code to Sass. Hands-on experimentation can help learners navigate the ins and outs of Sass, which helps them effectively learn when and how to use this language in development.

It is important to remember that tools evolve constantly. A Sass course can be a great way to upskill, but learners should consider investing in continuous study to stay up to date with the latest ways to use Sass in development.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Sass used for?

Sass is a scripting language used by front-end developers to create feature-rich CSS style sheets, which makes the front-end coding process more efficient. It’s a prominent industry tool because it makes front-end code easier to maintain.

Is Sass better than CSS?

Sass isn’t a replacement for CSS; it’s like an upgrade that makes CSS better. Front-end developers often use Sass, a preprocessor scripting language, to improve their workflow, add more features, or help keep their CSS organized. One of the primary reasons that developers use Sass is to prevent errors and improve collaboration with other developers and design teams. It offers a way to organize CSS code more effectively, which makes big projects easier to manage.

Is Sass easy to learn?

For learners with a solid foundation in CSS, learning Sass may be relatively straightforward. However, it’s a buildable skill, so those without much knowledge of CSS might be missing key pieces of information. Before a learner signs up for a Sass coding course, they may want to self-assess mastery in variables, nesting, mix-ins, functions, and partials.

Why do developers use Sass instead of CSS?

One of the main reasons that developers rely on Sass instead of traditional CSS is that there are more features available. For example, if a developer needs to create loops, conditional statements, or built-in functions, the sophisticated styling in Sass can provide more flexibility. Aside from functionality, many developers prefer Sass because it’s easier to maintain consistency. Developers can define colors, fonts, and other properties that transfer from sheet to sheet. While Sass provides more functionality and better organization, it's essentially an extension of CSS.

Is Sass used professionally?

Yes, Sass is popular in front-end development. It’s particularly useful in large development projects where it quickly becomes difficult to manage multiple style sheets. Front-end developers and UX designers will likely encounter the application of Sass in their day-to-day job responsibilities and development projects.

What is the main difference between Sass and CSS?

Sass is a more advanced language that offers developers more control and flexibility. Key differences include: syntax, code organization, inheritability, and reusability. The Sass syntax allows developers to utilize features that are not available with traditional CSS. Additionally, the organization of Sass supports modularity, which makes it efficient to use and easy to maintain. Another significant difference between Sass and CSS is inheritability. Developers can use Sass to create a base set of properties that all corresponding style sheets can inherit.