Updated April 21, 2022
If you’re considering taking a class or want to learn something new to advance your career or just because you’re interested, you cannot go wrong with free courses that you can take online.
Coursera alone has hundreds of free online courses taught by professors from prestigious universities, including Ivy League universities. Taking a class is easy — simply sign up and you can begin to learn at your own pace. There’s no stress involved.
So, if you have a few free hours in your week, take your pick from this curated list of 100 free courses taught by Ivy League professors and start delving into topics that interest you.
For ease of reference, we’ve categorized them broadly so, if you prefer, you can jump to the sections you’re interested in. If you take the time to browse the list, though, you may come across a topic that piques your interest and take you on another path.
Arts and Humanities
Journey of the Universe: A Story for Our Times – Yale University
Introduction to Classical Music – Yale University
Greek and Roman Mythology – University of Pennsylvania
Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization – University of Pennsylvania
Ancient Philosophy: Plato & His Predecessors – University of Pennsylvania
Modern & Contemporary American Poetry (“ModPo”) – University of Pennsylvania
Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and His Successors – University of Pennsylvania
Roman Architecture – Yale University
Wonders of Ancient Egypt – University of Pennsylvania
Age of Cathedrals – Yale University
Effective Altruism – Princeton University
A Journey through Western Christianity: from Persecuted Faith to Global Religion (200 – 1650) – Yale University
Music and Social Action – Yale University
American Education Reform: History, Policy, Practice – University of Pennsylvania
Philosophy of Science – University of Pennsylvania
Business
Business Foundations – University of Pennsylvania
Business and Financial Modeling – University of Pennsylvania
Entrepreneurship – University of Pennsylvania
Foundations of Positive Psychology – University of Pennsylvania
Lending, Crowdfunding and Modern Investing – University of Pennsylvania
Construction Management – Columbia University
Fintech: Foundations & Applications of Financial Technology – University of Pennsylvania
Business Strategies for A Better World – University of Pennsylvania
Regulatory Compliance – University of Pennsylvania
Culture-Driven Team Building – University of Pennsylvania
Finance & Quantitative Modeling for Analysts – University of Pennsylvania
Intellectual Property Law – University of Pennsylvania
Financial Markets – Yale University
Introduction to Negotiation: A Strategic Playbook for Becoming a Principled and Persuasive Negotiator – Yale University
Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content – University of Pennsylvania
More Introduction to Financial Accounting – University of Pennsylvania
Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society – University of Pennsylvania
Social Impact Strategy: Tools for Entrepreneurs and Innovators – University of Pennsylvania
Crowdfunding – University of Pennsylvania
Computer Science
Algorithms, Part I – Princeton University
Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies – Princeton University
Algorithms, Part II – Princeton University
Gamification – University of Pennsylvania
Computer Science: Algorithms, Theory, and Machines – Princeton University
Computational Thinking for Problem Solving – University of Pennsylvania
Computer Science: Programming with a Purpose – Princeton University
Analysis of Algorithms – Princeton University
Data Science
Business Analytics – University of Pennsylvania
A Crash Course in Causality: Inferring Causal Effects from Observational Data – University of Pennsylvania
Causal Inference – Columbia University
Causal Inference 2 – Columbia University
Health
Bats, Ducks, and Pandemics: An Introduction to One Health Policy – Princeton University
The Business of Health Care – University of Pennsylvania
Healthcare Law – University of Pennsylvania
Introduction to Psychology – Yale University
Vital Signs: Understanding What the Body Is Telling Us – University of Pennsylvania
Everyday Parenting: The ABCs of Child Rearing – Yale University
Anatomy of the Chest, Abdomen, and Pelvis – Yale University
Moralities of Everyday Life – Yale University
Anatomy of the Upper and Lower Extremeties – Yale University
Introduction to Breast Cancer – Yale University
Essentials of Global Health – Yale University
Introduction to Dental Medicine – University of Pennsylvania
The Oral Cavity: Portal to Health and Disease – University of Pennsylvania
Social Norms, Social Change II – University of Pennsylvania
Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers – Yale University
Feeding the World – University of Pennsylvania
HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Clinical Perspective) – Columbia University
HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Administrative/IT Perspective) – Columbia University
HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Social/Peer Perspective) – Columbia University
Language Learning
English for Career Development – University of Pennsylvania
English for Business and Entrepreneurship – University of Pennsylvania
English for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – University of Pennsylvania
English for Journalism – University of Pennsylvania
English for Media Literacy – University of Pennsylvania
Math and Logic
Calculus: Single Variable Part 1 – Functions – University of Pennsylvania
Single Variable Calculus – University of Pennsylvania
Calculus: Single Variable Part 2 – Differentiation – University of Pennsylvania
Calculus: Single Variable Part 4 – Applications – University of Pennsylvania
Calculus: Single Variable Part 3 – Integration – University of Pennsylvania
Analytic Combinatorics – Princeton University
Personal Development
Achieving Personal and Professional Success – University of Pennsylvania
The Science of Well-Being – Yale University
Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty & Stress – Yale University
East Asian Religions and Ecology – Yale University
South Asian Religions and Ecology – Yale University
Applying to U.S. Universities – University of Pennsylvania
Physical Science and Engineering
Robotics – University of Pennsylvania
Computer Architecture – Princeton University
The Age of Sustainable Development – Columbia University
MOS Transistors – Columbia University
Imagining Other Earths – Princeton University
Exploring Renewable Energy Schemes – University of Pennsylvania
Social Sciences
Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners – Columbia University
Social Norms, Social Change I – University of Pennsylvania
An Introduction to American Law – University of Pennsylvania
Economics of Money and Banking – Columbia University
Moral Foundations of Politics – Yale University
A Law Student’s Toolkit – Yale University
The Global Financial Crisis – Yale University
American Contract Law I – Yale University
Microeconomics: The Power of Markets – University of Pennsylvania
Paradoxes of War – Princeton University
Introduction to Key Constitutional Concepts and Supreme Court Cases – University of Pennsylvania
Microeconomics: When Markets Fail – University of Pennsylvania
Network Dynamics of Social Behavior – University of Pennsylvania
America’s Written Constitution – Yale University
America’s Unwritten Constitution – Yale University
Arts and Culture Strategy – University of Pennsylvania
American Contract Law II – Yale University
Orchestrating Whole Classroom Discussion – University of Pennsylvania
Note that individual courses on Coursera are FREE to audit, which includes all course lectures. Paying for a course, though, will give you access to quizzes, projects and a shareable Course Certificate upon completion. All Specializations can be started for FREE with a 7-day trial.
