It’s old news that college costs present a daunting hurdle. But what you may not know is that you can still get access to great courses at top universities without having to pay a dime.
How? Many colleges provide MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) through either independent companies or their own websites. Some people think that only community colleges offer this option, but those wanting to learn from schools outside their city can do so easily. Whether you’re a recent high school graduate seeking a challenge or an adult wanting to enjoy top-notch learning at your own pace, you’ll likely find something that fits your needs among the many MOOCs available from these colleges.
The education experts at StartClass sifted through the top ranked schools to find those who offer MOOCs. They highlighted a few interesting examples of classes and detailed the platform each school uses. Note that these courses aren’t for credit.
Wesleyan University
Notable courses: Property and Liability: An Introduction to Law and Economics; Analysis of a Complex Kind; Marriage and the Movies: A History;
The Language of Hollywood: Storytelling, Sound, and Color; How to Change the World; Passion Driven Statistics
Platform used: Coursera
Hamilton College
Notable courses: Electronic Literature
Application of Linear Algebra; Medicinal Chemistry: The Molecular Basis of Drug Discovery; Representations of HIV/AIDS
Platform used: EdX
Davidson College
Notable courses: Electronic Literature; Medicinal Chemistry: The Molecular Basis of Drug Discovery; Representations of HIV/AIDS
Platform used: EdX
Emory University
Notable courses: The Addicted Brain; The Bible’s Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future; Understanding Violence; Introduction to Digital Sound Design
Platform used: Coursera
Case Western Reserve University
Notable courses: Beyond Silicon Valley: Growing Entrepreneurship in Transitioning Economies; Women in Leadership: Inspiring Positive Change; Representing the Professional Athlete
Platform used: Coursera
University of Rochester
Notable courses: History of Rock; The Music of the Rolling Stones, 1962-1974; Confronting the Big Questions: Highlights of Modern Astronomy; The Power of Markets
Platform used: Coursera
Georgetown University
Notable courses: The Divine Comedy: Dante’s Journey to Freedom; Globalization’s Winners and Losers: Challenges for Developed and Developing Countries; Terrorism and Counterterrorism
Platform used: EdX
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Notable courses: Internet History Technology, and Security; Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills; Programming for Everybody (Python)
Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind; Sleep: Neurobiology, Medicine, and Society; Introduction to Classical Music
Platform used: Coursera
Wellesley College
Notable courses: Shakespeare: On the Page and in Performance; Introduction to Global Sociology; Was Alexander Great? The Life, Leadership and Legacies of History’s Greatest Warrior; Introduction to Human Evolution
Platform used: EdX
Brown University
Notable courses: Arcahaeology’s Dirty Little Secrets;
The Fiction of Relationship; Exploring Neural Data
Platform used: Coursera
University of California – Berkeley
Notable courses: The Science of Happiness; Biology for Voters; Electronic Interfaces: Bridging the Physical and Digital Worlds
Platform used: EdX, Cal website
Carnegie Mellon University
Notable courses: Arabic for Global Exchange, Anatomy & Physiology; Evidence-Based Practice in Management and Consulting; Principles of Computing; Responsible Computing
Platform used: Carnegie Mellon website
Northwestern University
Notable courses: Teaching the Violin and Viola: Creating a Healthy Foundation; Career 911: Your Future Job in Medicine and Healthcare; Understanding Media by Understanding Google
Platform used: Coursera
Johns Hopkins University
Notable courses: Psychological First Aid; Confronting Gender Based Violence: Global Lessons with Case Studies from India; Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach
Platform used: Coursera
Cornell University
Notable courses: The Ethics of Eating; American Capitalism: A History; The Computing Technology: Inside Your Smartphone; Introduction to Global Hospitality Management
Platform used: EdX
Dartmouth College
Notable courses: Introduction to Italian Opera; Introduction to Environmental Science; The Engineering Structures Around Us
Platform used: EdX
Vanderbilt University
Notable courses: Programming Cloud Services for Android Handheld Systems; Leading Strategic Innovation in Organizations; Online Games: Literature, New Media, and Narrative
Platform used: Coursera
University of Notre Dame
Notable courses: Math in Sports; Jesus in Scripture and Tradition
Platform used: EdX
Rice University
Notable courses: Basics of Energy Sustainability; Medicine in the Digital Age; Religion and Hip-Hop Culture
Platform used: EdX
University of Chicago
Notable courses: Asset Pricing; Internet Giants; Global Warming; Understanding the Brain; Critical Issues in Urban Education
Platform used: Coursera
University of Pennsylvania
Notable courses: An Introduction to Corporate Finance; The Global Business of Sports; Modern & Contemporary American Poetry; Introduction to Key Constitutional Concepts and Supreme Court Cases
Platform used: Coursera
Duke University
Notable courses: Bioelectricity: A Quantitative Approach; Think Again: How to Reason and Argue; Sports and Society; Introduction to Genetics and Evolution; Dog Emotion and Cognition
Platform used: Coursera
Columbia University
Notable courses: The Civil War and Reconstruction 1850-1861; The Civil War and Reconstruction 1861-1865; The Civil War and Reconstruction 1865-1890
Platform used: EdX
Harvey Mudd College
Notable courses: CS for All: Introduction to Computer Science and Python Programming; MyCS: Computer Science for Beginners; Programming in Scratch
Platform used: EdX
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Notable courses: Preparing for the AP Computer Science A Exam; Preparing for the AP Chemistry Exam
Platform used: EdX
Stanford University
Notable courses: Planning for a Sustainable Future with Wind, Water and the Sun; Behind and Beyond Big Data; Careers in Media Technology; Environmental Risk and Resilience; Online Certificate Program in Novel Writing; Adventures in Writing
Platform used: Coursera, Stanford website
Yale University
Notable courses: America’s Unwritten Constitution; Capital Punishment: Race, Poverty, & Disadvantage; Introduction to Classical Music; Moral Foundations of Politics
Platform used: Coursera, Yale website
California Institute of Technology
Notable courses: The Evolving Universe; Pricing Options with Mathematical Models; The Science of the Solar System; Drugs and the Brain; Galaxies and Cosmology
Platform used: EdX, Coursera, CalTech website
Princeton University
Notable courses: Algorithms
Computer Architecture; Effective Altruism; Imagining Other Earths; Paradoxes of War; Reinventing the Piano; Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technology
Platform used: Coursera, Princeton website
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Notable courses: Introduction to Computer Science and Programming; Circuits and Electronics; Molecular Biology; User Innovation: A Path to Entrepreneurship; Introductory Physics: Classical Mechanics
Platform used: EdX, MIT website
Harvard University
Notable courses: Science and Cooking; Tangible Things: Discovering History Through Artworks, Artifacts, Scientific Specimens; Poetry in America: The Civil War and Its Aftermath
Platform used: EdX, Harvard Website