Which Fortran training course fits me: Introduction, Advanced, or Conversion?

Fortranplus offers three named courses, and the right one depends on your starting point: Introduction to Programming with Modern Fortran if you have little or no programming experience, Advanced Modern Fortran if you already program in another language or have finished the introductory course, and Conversion to modern Fortran if you maintain legacy Fortran 66 or 77 code. All three can be tailored to a client's needs, so the descriptions below are starting points for a conversation rather than fixed syllabuses.

Match your background to a course

The Introduction and Advanced courses form a sequence; the Conversion course is a separate track aimed at existing legacy code rather than at learning to program from scratch.

What each course is for

Introduction to Programming with Modern Fortran

This is the entry point. It assumes no prior programming background, so it has to cover programming fundamentals alongside modern Fortran itself. Choose it if terms like variables, loops, and subroutines are new to you, or if you have only ever written scripts in a high-level tool and want a structured grounding.

Advanced Modern Fortran

This course serves two audiences at once: people continuing from the introductory course, and experienced programmers from other languages. The site's keyword list points to the topics associated with modern Fortran at this level — Fortran 2003 and Fortran 2008 features, object-oriented programming in Fortran, and parallel programming with Fortran. If you already know how to program, this is where you start rather than repeating fundamentals.

Conversion to modern Fortran

Aimed at organisations and individuals holding Fortran 66 and 77 code. The goal is migration to modern Fortran rather than introductory teaching. If your task is "make this old codebase maintainable and current," this is the relevant course.

Delivery, prerequisites, and tailoring

The site states that both main courses can be tailored to suit clients' needs, and the Conversion course exists as a distinct offering for legacy code. That means prerequisites are negotiable in practice: if your team mixes beginners and experienced developers, or has a specific codebase to work against, the sensible move is to describe your situation and let Fortranplus propose a format.

The published material does not specify delivery format (in-person versus online), duration, or price for any course. Treat those as questions to ask directly rather than assumptions — the site provides a contact route and a course evaluation form, which indicates courses are run for real clients and feedback is collected.

Enrolling and getting answers

1. Go to the Fortranplus site and open the Fortran Courses section to review the three course descriptions.
2. Use the Contact Fortranplus page to state your background (no experience / another language / legacy Fortran 66–77 code), your goal, and your preferred timing.
3. Ask explicitly about delivery format, duration, prerequisites, and cost, since these are not published on the pages reviewed here.
4. If you want the course adapted, say so — tailoring is offered for the main courses.

Before you commit: use the free resource file

Fortranplus publishes a Fortran resource file, updated 21 December 2025, covering Fortran compilers, books, courses, and discussion forums. If you are still deciding whether to take a course at all, this is a low-cost way to check what tooling and self-study material exist. It is also useful after training, when you need a compiler or a reference book.

When training alone is not enough

Fortranplus also offers a consultancy service, documented on its consultancy pages. If your problem is a specific codebase — performance, porting, or integrating Fortran with C++, Python, or Linux — consultancy may fit better than a standard course. The site's keyword list includes C++, Python, and Linux alongside the Fortran topics, which suggests cross-language work is within scope.

Practical next step

Decide which of the three descriptions matches your situation using the table above, then contact Fortranplus with that description and your constraints. If you are unsure between Introduction and Advanced, the deciding question is simple: have you programmed before in any language? If yes, Advanced; if no, Introduction. If your real problem is old code rather than new skills, ask about Conversion.