Harvard University, one of the most recognizable higher education institutions in the United States, offers free online courses that anyone around the world can access and participate in.
The cost of higher education has prevented thousands of individuals from pursing further education and obtaining qualifications. This is why, more and more young people are opting for free online courses, as it can help them gain new skills and knowledge at no price.
A free online course not only provides learning opportunities at no cost, but also gives students the advantage do it from home or from anywhere as long as they have a good Internet connection.
At Harvard University, an array of courses are offered, including Computer Science, Social Science, Data Science, Humanities, Business, Health & Medicine, Mathematics, Programming, Education & Training are available.
Here are a few free online courses offered by Harvard University:
PredictionX: Omens, Oracles & Prophecies
This free, one week online course covers an overview of divination systems, ranging from ancient Chinese bone burning to modern astrology.
Students will examine the details of over a dozen prediction systems as well as theoretical frameworks connecting them.
This module is a part of PredictionX, which examines efforts to predict the future over all of recorded history. PredictionX courses will cover topics from omens and oracles in ancient civilizations, which this course discusses, to the evolution of the general approach to science most take today as well as modern computer simulations and the role they play in predicting our futures today.
Invasions, Rebellions, and the Fall of Imperial China
Case Studies in Functional Genomics
This five-week, free online course allows students to perform RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq, and DNA methylation data analyses, using open source software, including R and Bioconductor.
Pyramids of Giza: Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology
Over 8-weeks, explore the archaeology, history, art, and hieroglyphs surrounding the famous Egyptian Pyramids at Giza. Learn about Old Kingdom pharaohs and elites, tombs, temples, the Sphinx, and how new technology is unlocking their secrets.
This online introductory course will explore the art, archaeology, and history surrounding the Giza Pyramids. Students will learn about Egyptian pharaohs and high officials of the Pyramid Age, follow in the footsteps of the great 20th-century expeditions, and discover how cutting-edge digital tools like 3D-modeling are reshaping the discipline of Egyptology.
The Health Effects of Climate Change
Learn how global warming impacts human health, and the ways we can diminish those impacts.
By looking at air quality, nutrition, infectious diseases, and human migration, this course will show students how increases in greenhouse gases impact public health.
Experts working in a variety of settings will present their recommendations for responding to these challenges, and interested students will have the opportunity to learn about the research methods that measure the health effects of climate change.
Created with support from the Harvard Global Health Institute, this seven-week online course will explain how climate change impacts people around the globe, but also how it directly affects you and your life.
Applied Calculus
In this 10-week, free online course, educators and students go beyond the calculus textbook, working with practitioners in social, life, and physical sciences to understand how calculus and mathematical models play a role in their work.
Through a series of case studies, students will learn about a wide range of applications, from predator-prey models to how statisticians use functions to model data. With real practitioners as a guide, students will get hands-on experience with data and graphs, equations, calculus computations, and educated guesses and predictions.
This course provides a unique supplement to a course in single-variable calculus. Key topics include the application of derivatives, integrals and differential equations, mathematical models and parameters.
This course is for anyone who has completed or is currently taking a single-variable calculus course (differential and integral), at the high school (AP or IB) or college/university level. You will need to be familiar with the basics of derivatives, integrals, and differential equations, as well as functions involving polynomials, exponentials, and logarithms.
This is a course to learn applications of calculus to other fields, and NOT a course to learn the basics of calculus.
Religious Literacy: Traditions and Scriptures
The study of religion is the study of a rich and fascinating dimension of human experience that includes but goes well beyond beliefs and ritual practices.
In this five-week online religion course, learners explore case studies about how religions are internally diverse, how they evolve and change through time, and how religions are embedded in all dimensions of human experience.
These tenets will be explored through the lens of scripture and through themes such as gender and sexuality, art, violence and peace, science, and power and authority.
Electrochemistry
To understand electrochemistry, students will combine the concepts of Gibbs Free Energy, electron flow, and chemical transformation.
In this 10-week, free online course, students will explore key concepts of acid-base reactions and their relation to chemical equilibrium. You will learn the significance of electrochemistry, understanding how electrical, chemical, and mechanical energy are linked.
By the end of the course, you will be able to identify differences in efficiencies between renewable energy sources and fossil fuel-based ones, including which battery types are leading the transition away from fossil fuels.
There are more courses on offer at Harvard University.
Students have the option of taking these online courses while completing other degrees, in-between jobs, or while raising a family. It allows them to make their own schedules, giving them time for work, hobbies, etc.
