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.