Essential MOOC Courses In Business For October

Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen teaches courses in strategic philanthropy at Stanford Graduate School of Business

Take a MOOC and win $100,000?

Sounds like a win-win situation to most. And it’s technically true…if you’re in a charitable mood.

In October, Stanford’s Giving 2.0 MOOC breaks new ground in education. As part of Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen’s course, students will assess various nonprofits, identifying those worthy of funding from a $100,000 grant by the Learning By Giving Foundation. From there, students actually vote on the nonprofits who’ll receive grants. Talk about Democracy in action!

And that isn’t the only big news for October, which seems to be the most popular time to launch a MOOC. This month, you’ll find over 40 business-related courses. For starters, George Siedel, known for teaching negotiation to executives worldwide, brings his “Successful Negotiation” course from the University of Michigan to students everywhere. It’s a can’t-miss for anyone looking to boost their bottom line!

Looking to break into the world of Versace, Jaguars, Gucci, and Chanel? Check out Università Bocconi’s Managing Fashion and Luxury Goods, taught by professors who’ve authored, co-authored, and edited 18 books on the topic between them. And don’t forget Wharton’s “Better Leader, Richer Life,” taught by Wharton’s legendary Stewart D. Friedman, ranked among the most influential leadership thinkers today.

What’s more, many popular MOOCs are returning for another go-around. Gautam Kaul is back with his third section of his wildly popular “Introduction to Finance” course. The same is true of Darden’s Michael Lenox, whose “Foundations of Business Strategy” has enrolled over 160,000 students in its first two runs. And the quants are certain to lap up the “Game Theory” and “Model Thinking” courses from Stanford University and the University of Michigan respectively.

And those are just the MOOCs starting before October 11th. Later in the month, prospective students can choose from topics like marketing, onboarding, advertising and entrepreneurship from institutions like Wharton, Harvard, Northwestern, Darden, and Duke. Look for them in the coming weeks on Poets&Quants.

In the meantime, here are the MOOCs starting in early October. Click on the links below to learn more and enroll.

Successful Negotiation / October 6 / University of Michigan

Managing Fashion and Luxury Companies / October 3 / Università Bocconi

Giving 2.0 / October 6 / Stanford University

Beyond Silicon Valley: Growing Entrepreneurship in Transitioning Economies/ October 3 / Case Western Reserve University

Better Leader, Richer Life / October 5 / Wharton

Introduction to Finance / October 6 / University of Michigan

Foundations of Business Strategy / October 6 / University of Virginia

Understanding Media By Understanding Google / October 6 / Northwestern University

What’s Your Big Idea? / October 6 / University of North Carolina

Game Theory / October 5 / Stanford University and the University of British Columbia

Model Thinking / October 6 / University of Michigan