Medical and Technological Fields
Harvard University, founded in 1636, is the oldest university in the United States. In fact, Harvard was founded nearly 150 years before the 13 colonies became a country. Harvard is a prestigious university attracting applicants from around the U.S. and worldwide. Admittance to the university is extremely difficult, with a 3% acceptance rate.
According to U.S. News & World Report, Harvard University is ranked in the top ten across a wide range of categories, including national universities, best-value schools, biocomputing/bioinformatics/biotechnology programs, data analytic/science programs, psychology programs, economics programs and undergraduate research. Read on to learn about five Harvard University free online courses in some of these fields.
Online Learning at Harvard
Whether you are a young adult with aspirations of attending Harvard, a professional seeking growth in your career or a retiree exploring new interests, Harvard University's free online courses have something for you. The Professional and Lifelong Learning Program at Harvard provides online access to over 800 courses taught by the same professors who teach face-to-face classes in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Although some courses have an associated cost, there are over 100 free online learning opportunities. In some instances, after completing a free online course, you can purchase verified certification, costing between $69 and $299.
Free Online Learning Courses at Harvard
The Professional and Lifelong Learning Program at Harvard University offers 129 free courses in eleven content areas. The areas include art & design, business, computer science, data science, education & teaching, health & medicine, humanities, mathematics, programming, science and social sciences. The courses offered are designed to last anywhere from one week to sixteen weeks. Most of the learning experiences are introductory, but there are over 15 courses that are either intermediate or advanced. Harvard professors have created these free online courses, and almost all are available now. New health classes will become available on November 15, 2023, and new data science and computer science classes will be available in April 2024.
Areas of Interest
According to CNBC and Forbes, the fastest-growing careers are in the medical and technological fields. The fields include health care providers, web development, computer science and data science. Alongside these growing fields, there is the field of education, which has over 4 million teachers in the U.S. alone. Let's look at free online learning experiences in these fields at Harvard University.
Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs
This 6-week course requires two to four hours a week to complete. Rajesh Ramesh Panjabi, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, teaches the class. This healthcare course will explore community health concepts and possible solutions to the lack of healthcare options for 50% of the world's population.
Improving Global Health: Focusing on Quality and Safety
This 8-week course requires two to four hours a week to complete. The class is taught by Ashish Jha, Director of the Harvard Global Health Institute and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. This healthcare course will push participants to consider the quality of healthcare services worldwide.
Data Science: R Basics
This 8-week course requires one to two hours a week to complete. The class is taught by Rafael Irizarry, Professor of Biostatistics at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. This data science course will introduce the basics of R programming, a language used for statistical computing.
CS50's Understanding Technology
CS50 is Harvard University's computer science pathway. This 6-week course requires two to six hours a week to complete. The class is taught by Gordon McKay, Professor of Computer Science at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. This computer science course is designed for people who work with technology but do not yet thoroughly understand the underlying processes.
Leaders of Learning
This 10-week course requires two to four hours a week to complete. The class is taught by Richard Elmore and Gregory R. Anrig, Professor of Educational Leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This course challenges leaders to look at their leadership styles and envision the future of education.
Benefits of Continuous Learning
There are many benefits to enrolling in a free online learning university course. If the topic is of personal interest, it can lead to increased knowledge and overall enjoyment. If the topic relates to your career, you can increase your skills and make yourself a more desirable employee.
Professional development adds value to a specific knowledge area. It can also increase confidence, improve use of technology, contribute to skills development and provide access to resources. The Professional and Lifelong Learning Program is an excellent place to start if you are considering free online courses at Harvard University.
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