Many of these online courses were made free as a result of travel restrictions and quarantine notices due to COVID-19. Many thanks to the companies and organizations that opened these resources to the public during these tough times! You can now take super productive, accredited, once-in-a-lifetime courses to not only distract yourself but help make your mind and your resume more sexy post-coronavirus than ever before.
All of these courses are completely free, with some having the option to get an official certificate for a small fee. The websites I've found hosting the most free online courses include Coursera and ed.
Let's make the most of being stuck at home!
Nikon Free Online Photography Classes
Timeframe: April 1-30, 2020
There are 10 online photography courses are available at the Japanese camera company until April 30. These classes run between 15 minutes and well over an hour.
Certificate in Hospitality and Tourism Management, Florida Atlantic University
Timeframe: April 9-23, 15 hours
The hospitality industry is generally recognized as being comprised of four key segments: lodging, food service, transportation, and commercial recreation. Florida Atlantic University‘s Certificate in Hospitality and Tourism Management program will benefit participants from all segments of the industry, including hotels, restaurants, cruise lines, theme parks, destination marketing organizations, destination management companies, tour operators, travel agencies (both online and brick & mortar), private clubs, casinos, resorts, meetings & events, conventions & visitors bureaus, and the like.
Free Course on Introduction to Project Management, University of Adelaide
Timeframe: 2hrs/week, 6 weeks
An Introduction to Project Management, you will learn practical ways to use project management skills, whether your project is large or small. Join us to explore how you can benefit from using project management techniques in your own projects.
Completely free, get an official certificate for $199 (and save 6% if you activate Rakuten).
[bctt tweet=”How often can you get 7 weeks of intensive Spanish lessons, free classes from @microsoft, and a ‘How to Be Happy' class via Yale completely free at home. ….Thanks, COVID-19?” username=”packslight”]
Innovation Leadership by Georgia Teach
Learn what it takes to become an innovation leader in the 21st Century from former Medtronic Chair & CEO Professor Bill George, as he teaches you the concepts, tools and practical tips needed for innovation leadership.
Timeframe: 4hrs/week, 6 weeks
The online course is open to everyone from any corner of the world. Completely free, get an official certificate for $49 (and save 6% if you activate Rakuten).
Free TOEFL® Test Preparation
Timeframe: 2hrs/week, 6 weeks
This free TOEFL test preparation course, developed by the experts who create, administer and score the TOEFL test, will help English language learners improve their skills. The online course is open to everyone from any corner of the world. Completely free, get an official certificate for $49 (and save 6% if you activate Rakuten).
Free Basic Spanish Classes via a Spanish University
Timeframe: 5hrs/week, 7 weeks
This 7-week Spanish language course is aimed at students who would like to learn conversational Spanish starting with Spanish basics. The course introduces everyday language and includes activities to practice all four language skills: reading comprehension, writing, listening comprehension and speaking.
The online course is open to everyone from any corner of the world. Completely free, get an official certificate for $40 (and save 6% if you activate Rakuten).
Free Microsoft Classes
Timeframe: 6 weeks
Free online courses taught by Microsoft experts in a variety of fields such as Sharepoint, Data Visualization, C++, Java, Machine Learning, Data Science, and more.
The online course is open to everyone from any corner of the world. Completely free, get an official certificate for $99 (and save 6% if you activate Rakuten).
The Science of Well-Being by Yale University
Timeframe: 3 hrs/week, 4 weeks
In this course you will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits. As preparation for these tasks, Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change. You will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into your life.
The online course is open to everyone from any corner of the world. Completely free, get an official certificate for $40 (and save 10% if you activate Rakuten).
Social Media Marketing Course from Boston University
Timeframe: Enrollment opens April 20, 4hrs/week, 6 weeks
In this course, part of the Digital Product Management MicroMasters program, we examine how organizations capitalize on social media and consumer-to-consumer interactions to support their marketing efforts. We view these issues from a strategic and a practical perspective, rather than a technical or platform perspective. We will give you the knowledge you need to create engaging content for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat and how to identify influencers, deliver content to a targeted audience, and measure the success of your efforts.
The online course is open to everyone from any corner of the world. Completely free, get an official certificate for $399 (and save 6% if you activate Rakuten).
How to Write an Essay Course, U.C. Berkley
Timeframe: Anytime, 5 weeks
College Writing 2.1x is an introduction to academic writing for English Language Learners, focusing on essay development, grammatical correctness, and self-editing. The five-week course includes a review of basic grammar terminology and understanding; writing effective sentences and paragraphs; introductions and conclusions; strategies for writing longer texts; and thesis statements.
The online course is open to everyone from any corner of the world. Completely free, get an official certificate for $49 (and save 6% if you activate Rakuten).
COVID-19 Online Course by WHO
Timeframe: Anytime/Self-paced
World Health Organization is offering COVID-19 Online Course with Free Certificate. Anyone with any nationality and from any part of the world can enroll in this free online course. OpenWHO courses are self-paced, meaning you can take as much time as you need to complete a course.
This 3-module learning package introduces the context for the need for a coordinated global response plan to the COVID-19 outbreak. It provides the required guidance to implement the Operational Planning Guidelines to Support Country Preparedness and Response. These planning guidelines describe priority steps and actions to be included in countries’ preparedness and response plans across the major areas of public health preparedness and response.
Harvard Business Lessons
Timeframe: Available April 9 – June 9, 2020
This offering features business concepts from a selection of HBS Online courses. Explore one or all of the following:
- Entrepreneurship Essentials: Develop a framework for analyzing the essential components of a venture
- Global Business: Examine the theory of government and its implications for your business
- Leadership Principles: Learn how to cultivate and lead high-performing teams
- Management Essentials: Consider decision-making as a process and explore how you can achieve better outcomes
- Sustainable Business Strategy: Understand and communicate the business case for taking purpose-driven action
- Leading in Turbulent Times: Gain insights on how to become a more resilient leader by exploring the courageous leadership of Ernest Shackleton
Jumping on any of these courses? Let me know in the comments.
4 comments
Hi I am signing up for few courses.
Awesome, I hope you enjoy!
Wow Gabby! These are some quality, free courses and certifications. Thank you for doing the research for us!
I just spent two hours looking for this!
I woke this morning and check the news , make my coffee, and prepare my herbal medicine (proud wake and baker) and checked Facebook. A post that features this article was my morning motivation. I wanted to read on your blogging journey and got distracted by a phone call. So it just too ke me two in a half hours to find this gem. I will be enrolling in the hospitality and tourism program. Before this outbreak I changed my degree plan to hospitality. So thank you. Peace. ✊