Free online courses are a great way to improve your job prospects: they’ll enrich your resume, make a good subject for interviews, and a great way to spend your free time.
With so many well-established colleges now offering free online courses, deciding which one to take can be a challenge.
We’ve rounded up some of the most popular free online courses from some of the best schools in the world. This is by no means an exhaustive list – it just gives you a glimpse of the many schools that offer online learning experiences.
1. Harvard University
Harvard University provides over 600 free online courses and allows you to receive a free Ivy League education. Here are a couple of their courses that you might be interested in:
Shakespeare’s Life and Work: Over the course of four weeks, learn how to read William Shakespeare’s plays and learn about his history. The study also includes Elizabethan and Jacobean history, as well as contemporary performance.
Justice: A Course in Moral and Political Philosophy, In this 12-week course, Justice addresses the critical study of ancient and current conceptions. Aristotle, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, Jon Stuart Mill, and John Rawls will all be read.
Climate change and health: Climate change is more relevant than ever. This seven-week course will teach you how global warming impacts human health and how we can work together to lessen its consequences.
2. University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine provides a wide range of courses on a wide range of topics. Here are a handful that may pique your interest:
Better Business Writing in English: This course claims to help you build a personal voice in your writing while also allowing you to practice your writing abilities in many sorts of business communication.
Introduction to Electronics: Discover the fundamental components of electronics such as diodes, transistors, and operational amplifiers. Ideal for people interested in learning about electrical engineering.
Combination Game Theory for Beginners: A Beginner’s Guide to Combination Game Theory. The course teaches the mathematical theory and analysis of basic games that do not have random movements.
3. Georgia Institute of Technology
Since 2012, the Georgia Institute of Technology has provided online courses. Since then, 3.3 million individuals have discovered these world-class courses on a wide range of topics. Here are a few to get you started:
Business Data Analytics: This course will help you comprehend data and business analytics. You will subsequently be able to apply these business analysis techniques and approaches to real-world company data sets.
Innovation Leadership: A six-week course designed for anybody interested in becoming an innovation leader. You will discover why innovation leaders are critical to growth and how you may become one.
Supply Chain Principles: This 15-hour course is an excellent starting point for anybody interested in a career in the supply chain. It will assist you in comprehending the extended supply chain and making your desired career path a reality.
4. École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a premier French institution that combines cutting-edge research, scholarship, and innovation in science and technology. It provides 29 online courses, with 10 in English and 19 in French. Here are a few things you might be interested in:
Introduction to Probability: This two-part course, taught in French, includes weekly lectures that explain the fundamentals of probability, providing you with a step-by-step yet comprehensive grasp of probability and how it is applied in the real world.
How to Write and Publish a Research Paper: This course is designed for students who have past academic research expertise and will do precisely what the title suggests. In four weeks, you will learn how to write and publish a comprehensive academic article in English.
If you’ve ever wondered how the cosmos started, how it developed over the previous 14 billion years, or simply what the universe is comprised of, this is the course for you. The course is 10 weeks long and is taught entirely in French.
5. Michigan State University
Michigan State University, one of the major colleges in the United States, provides a range of online courses. Here are a few to consider:
Becoming a Journalist: News Reporting: Investigating Journalism’s Impact on Social Issues and Trends. Discover best techniques and ethical standards for news gathering. This course lasts six months and is ideal for aspiring journalists.
Write a full-length screenplay for film or television: You will write a full-length screenplay for cinema or television in 20 weeks. You will be taught an organized procedure for creating a polished script.
Game Art Expertise: Over the course of six months, this beginner-level course will teach you the essentials of 2D and 3D game art creation.
6. California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts is ranked 20th worldwide for art and design in the QS World University Ranking by Subject 2020. The school offers a range of innovative courses:
Graphic Design Expertise: This six-month course provides the fundamental skills required for graphic design. You will also complete a project that can be used for a professional portfolio.
Sharp Vision: Poetry Workshop: This 10-hour course will introduce you to key poetic concepts and methods by studying a wide range of poetry by modern and contemporary poets. You also have the opportunity to write your own poetry and get feedback from experts.
Design Language: Form and Meaning: In this course you will conduct an objective analysis of a graphic design work and question its effectiveness. This is a beginner’s course and lasts approximately eight hours.
7. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Hong Kong Institution of Science and Technology is an international research university devoted to enhancing the quality of science, technology, engineering, management, and industrial research education and research. Here is a sampling of the online courses available:
Introduction to Fintech: In Asia’s first FinTech MOOC, learn about the ideas, technology, and laws driving transformative finance (Mass Open Online Course). This training will begin on May 15th and will be presented by industry specialists.
Get a sense of the news: This six-week course will improve your critical thinking abilities, allowing you to detect and comprehend trustworthy material in press releases.
Government, Law, and Economics: If you want to learn about economics, this is a fantastic place to start. The course covers fundamental economic ideas that are pertinent to the study of political economy.
8. UCL (University College London)
One of the best universities in the United Kingdom, rated eighth in the world in the most recent QS World University Rankings. They provide a diverse selection of courses, including:
Why We Post: The Anthropology of Social Media A five-week course on the influence of social media as well as comparative and anthropological approaches to media consumption. Global social media usage.
Introduction to Citizen Science and Community Science: This course, taught by UCL’s Geography Department, will provide you a fundamental grasp of Citizen Science and expose you to the scientific literature in the topic.
Introduction to Culture, Health, and Welfare: This course will assist you in developing, implementing, and evaluating health and wellness initiatives at a museum, arts, heritage, or cultural institution. It’s an excellent starting point for anyone interested in working in this sector.
9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
According to the most recent QS World University Rankings, MIT is one of the world’s most distinguished universities. Here are some of their online courses:
Number Theory I: This graduate course covers a broad variety of algebraic number theory and analytic subjects.
Microeconomic Theory and Public Policy: If you want to study economics, why not learn from the best? This course examines public policy using microeconomic theory. It covers the fundamentals of economics and allows you to complete the course at your own speed.
Making Books in the Renaissance and Today: This course investigates the influence of new technologies on the recording and transmission of words and pictures through the timeline: development of the printing press in 1450, adaption of electricity to communications technology in the 19th century, and digital media today.