- With the rising cost of formal education, online classes are becoming increasingly popular.
- Coursera is one of the most comprehensive e-learning platforms, offering a wide range of courses and the ability to audit classes for free.
- We reached out to Coursera to find out which courses have the highest completion rates – a metric that signals how much value the course provides to its students.
- Coursera wasn’t able to share exact completion rates with us, but they did share a hand-picked list of courses that they say have both high enrollment numbers and corresponding high completion rates.
These days, you don't need a classroom or a backpack full of textbooks to pick up a new skill or dive into a new subject. Online classes are breaking down the barriers to education as we know it, making learning more flexible, convenient, and affordable than ever before.
Coursera is a popular e-learning platform, offering thousands of courses administered by some of the top universities and higher-learning institutions in the world. While all courses are different, in general, they all include video lectures, some assignments, and discussion forums where you can communicate with classmates in your course.
Individual courses start at $29 and go up to $99, though you can also purchase specializations - a series of courses and hands-on projects to help you master a skill - for a monthly rate. On Coursera, you can learn everything from Java programming and international tax law to principles of chicken behavior and how to influence others.
With such a breadth of options, it can be hard to know what courses are worth your time and money. Good news is, plenty of courses on Coursera are available for free. If you want to try out a specialization, you can do a 7-day free trial before paying for the series. If you just want one course, you can audit it completely free - you just won't have access to the assignments or be able to get a completion certificate.
We reached out to Coursera to get some insight on their most popular courses based on completion rates, a metric we felt signaled the value a course was providing to students. Coursera wasn't able to share exact completion rates with us, but they provided a list of courses that they say have both high enrollment numbers and corresponding high completion rates. Additionally, these courses had higher completion rates for both paying and non-paying enrollees than other courses.
Whether you're looking to sharpen up some business skills or pick up a new hobby, Coursera probably has something for you.
Find 13 of the most popular courses, based on high enrollment numbers and completion rates, below:
Machine Learning
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Machine learning is something that touches our lives multiple times a day, though we may not even realize it. This course offers a broad introduction to machine learning, data mining, and statistical pattern recognition.
Number of students enrolled: Over 3.3 million
Offered by: Stanford University
Taught by: Professor Andrew Ng
Rating: 4.9/5 stars
Learning How to Learn
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Want to master a new skill? This course will teach you the mental tools needed to learn and retain information used by experts in art, math, science, and more.
Number of students enrolled: Over 2.3 million
Offered by: University of California San Diego and McMaster University
Taught by: Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski
Rating: 4.8/5 stars
Programming for Everybody: Getting Started with Python
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Learn the basics of programming computers with Python. This course covers everything from how to install Python, write your first program, and understand the nuances of the language.
Enrolled: Over 1.5 million
Offered by: University of Michigan
Taught by: Professor Charles Severance
Rating: 4.8/5 stars
Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills
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Strong negotiation skills can propel you in your career and personal life. Learn key communication tactics, how to prepare, and how to create a contract, so you can become a better negotiator.
Number of students enrolled: Over 824,000
Offered by: University of Michigan
Taught by: Professor George Siedel
Rating: 4.8/5 stars
Neural Networks and Deep Learning
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This course will help you develop a strong background in deep learning, so you can break into the world of AI. Learn about the technology as well as how to build, implement, and fully understand neural networks.
Number of students enrolled: Over 710,000
Offered by: Deeplearning.ai
Taught by: Professor Andrew Ng, Teaching Assistant Kian Katanforoosh, Teaching Assistant Younes Bensouda Mourri
Rating: 4.9/5 stars
Stanford Introduction to Food and Health
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Explore innovative strategies to help promote healthy eating. This course covers food safety, food science, health informatics, and nutrition.
Number of students enrolled: Over 405,000
Offered by: Stanford University
Taught by: Maya Adam, MD
Rating: 4.7/5 stars
Marketing in a Digital World
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Learn how digital tools, like the Internet, smartphones, and 3D printing, are changing the marketing industry and how brands can adapt.
Number of students enrolled: Over 348,000
Offered by: University of Illinois
Taught by: Professor Aric Rindfleisch
Rating: 4.7/5 stars
Financial Markets
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Understand the real-world functioning of securities, insurance, and banking industries with a course that focuses on financial ideas, methods, and institutions.
Number of students enrolled: Over 588,000
Offered by: Yale University
Taught by: Professor Robert Shiller
Rating: 4.8/5 stars
Introduction to Marketing
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Learn the three key principles in building customer loyalty: branding, customer centricity, and go-to-market strategies.
Number of students enrolled: Over 234,000
Offered by: University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business
Taught by: Professor Peter Fader, Professor Barbara E. Kahn, Professor Jagmohan Raju
Rating: 4.8/5 stars
Technical Support Fundamentals
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Prepare for a role as an entry-level IT support specialist with this course. Introduce yourself to the world of IT and get tips on how to best prepare for a career in the industry.
Number of students enrolled: Over 349,000
Offered by: Grow with Google
Taught by: Grow with Google
Rating: 4.8/5 stars
What is Data Science?
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Meet a range of data science professionals and learn about what they do, getting a real overview of what data science looks like today.
Number of students enrolled: Over 299,000
Offered by: IBM
Taught by: Alex Aklson, Ph.D., Data Scientist and Polong Lin, Data Scientist
Rating: 4.7/5 stars
Initiating and Planning Projects
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Learn the key roles and responsibilities it takes to be a project manager, like how to plan for successful outcomes.
Number of students enrolled: Over 215,000
Offered by: University of California Irvine, Division of Continuing Education
Taught by: Margaret Meloni, MBA, PMP
Rating: 4.7/5 stars
Psychological First Aid
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Learn the RAPID model (Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition) to help aid people in emergency. Bring this applicable skill to your workplace, volunteer organizations, and more.
Number of students enrolled: Over 233,000
Offered by: Johns Hopkins University
Taught by: Professor George Everly, Jr., PhD
Rating: 4.8/5 stars