Best Free MOOCs In Business For October

October Resize

You had to know the time was coming. The proposition always seemed too good to be true. Free courses taught by renowned faculty? How could they afford that?

Indeed, MOOCs democratized higher education. Whether you hailed from Taipei or Toronto, you only needed an internet connection to join. Rich or poor, you werenā€™t required to shell out big bucks ā€“ and you would gain access to the professors and ideas that had once been available only to the select few who could get into a highly selective university. Ā Young or old, you could forego those required courses, learning what you wanted when it was convenient for you.

THE FREE LUNCH IS OVER

Now, MOOCs have matured and reached the proverbial pivot point. Now, an old axiom rings as true as ever: ā€œThereā€™s no such thing as a free lunch.ā€Ā This fall, youā€™ll find a proliferation of ā€œspecializationsā€ on Coursera, the largest and most recognizable provider of MOOCs. Here, students can earn a certificate by completing a series of three-to-five paid courses and completing a capstone project (i.e. conducting a presentation or partnering with a company to produce a deliverable for them). Generally, courses are priced at $79-$95, with specializations costing roughly $400-$500 in total (and taking up to six months to complete).

For example, the University of Michigan, home to one of the worldā€™s top business schools, is offering a ā€œLeading People and Teamsā€ specialization. It encompasses four classes (ā€œInspiring and Motivating Individuals,ā€ ā€œManaging People,ā€ ā€œInfluencing People,ā€ and ā€œLeading Teamsā€) plus a capstone for the cost of $595. And they arenā€™t alone. Youā€™ll also find leading business schools getting into the act, including Duke (Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business), Northwestern (Social Media Marketing), the University of Virginia (Business Strategy), HEC Paris (Inspirational Leadership: Leading with Sense), Copenhagen Business School (Strategic Management and Innovation), and ESSEC (Strategic Business Analytics).Ā Only last month Wharton debuted its second specialization in Business Analytics to teach the basics of Big Data and how data is used to make business decisions. This new series of four courses follows Wharton’s Business Foundation specialization and features a capstone project with Yahoo!

Perhaps the emergence of specializations is a positive sign. More than a reckoning, it reflects a professionalization of MOOCs. In the free model ā€“ just 15% of students finished their courses according to Katy Jordan, an educational researcher who tracks MOOC completion rates. With student skin now in the game, such specializations will likelyĀ boost these rates ā€“ while providing MOOC providers with more reliable revenue streams. The capstone project ā€“ a staple in most business programs ā€“ adds an experiential angle for students. Not to mention, students can still take specialization courses ala carte, retaining the flexibility that made MOOCs such a runaway hit among students in recent years.

A VAST ARRAY OF FREE COURSES START THIS MONTH FROM TOP UNIVERSITIES

Of course,Ā Ā the vast majority of MOOCs are still free. And this monthā€™s courses cover a wide range of disciplines. On the soft side, the London Business School is offering ā€œBrand Management: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour,ā€ a unique course that tackles branding from an operational, rather than a creative, perspective. The University of California-Berkeley has partnered with Philanthropy University to produce ā€œHow to Scale Social Impact,ā€ a course designed to teach strategic thinking skills to enhance the value and scope of student efforts in the social sector. Wharton also returns with its famed ā€œIntroduction to Marketingā€ MOOC, part of its core courses for first-year MBAs. And several old favorites, featuring topics like international leadership, entrepreneurship, and fund-raising, also return for another round.

On the hard side, the University of Illinois introduces ā€œOperations Management,ā€ which will vie with Whartonā€™s ā€œIntroduction to Operations Managementā€ for students. The University of Michigan returns with ā€œModel Thinking,ā€ among the best-reviewed business MOOCs on CourseTalk. The Indian Institute of Management is also releasing ā€œIntroduction to Managerial Economics,ā€ which focuses on how economic trend shape corporate decision-making at all levels. Wharton has also recycled its ā€œMore Introduction to Financial Accounting,ā€ to provide a deeper dive for students interested in financial accounting. In addition, youā€™ll also enjoy free courses in private equity, venture capital finance, and Federal Reserve basics.

To learn more about these courses ā€“ and register for them ā€“ click on the links below. To learn about the specializations, go to the ā€œAdditional Coursesā€ link.

Marketing and Management

Brand Management: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour / October 7 / London Business School

How to Scale Social Impact / Philanthropy University and the University of California-Berkeley / October 6

Fundraising: How to Connect with Donors / Philanthropy University / October 13

An Introduction to Marketing / October 5 / Wharton School of Business

User Innovation: A Path to Entrepreneurship / MIT / October 1

International Leadership and Organizational Behavior / October / SDA Bocconi

Social Entrepreneurship 101: Discovering Your Path And Passion To Change The World / October 7 / Stanford University and Acumen

Entrepreneurship 102: Who Is Your Customer? / MIT / October 1

DQ 101: Introduction to Decision Quality / October 15 / Strategic Decisions Group

Finance and Operations

Operations Management / October / University of Illinois

Introduction to Operations Management / October 5 / Wharton School of Business

Understanding the Federal Reserve / October 1 / New York Institute of Finance

Private Equity and Venture Capital / October / SDA Bocconi

Introduction to Managerial Economics / October 20 / Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore)

Model Thinking / October 5 / University of Michigan

New Venture Finance: Startup Funding for Entrepreneurs / October 12 / University of Maryland

More Introduction to Financial Accounting / October 9 / Wharton School of Business

Introduction to Financial and Management Accounting / October 12 / ACCA

 

Additional Courses

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