These Canadian universities have free courses and here's what you can take online
You don't need to be a student to take classes on marketing, coding, astronomy and more.
University of Alberta campus. Right: Student at the University of Toronto.
Some Canadian universities have free courses you can take online without being enrolled as a student.
That means you can learn about coding, psychology, marketing, astronomy and more topics without spending money!
Currently, the University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, University of Alberta and Université de Montréal offer free classes that are known as Massive Open Online Courses.
These courses are available online through EdX and Coursera.
You can enroll in the classes for free and learn from the professor's provided course materials at your own pace.
But if you want graded assignments and a certificate at the end of the session, you have to pay a fee.
There are no prerequisites required to enroll for free, which means you can take these courses even if you have no prior experience and have never taken a university class before.
You don't have to be a student at these Canadian universities to enroll in these free online courses.
So, here are a dozen free online courses offered by universities in Canada and what you need to know about each class.
Astro 101: Black Holes
With this course from the University of Alberta, you'll learn the concepts behind black holes and the basic ideas of astronomy, relativity, and quantum physics.
You'll be able to compare black holes in popular culture to modern physics, recognize different types of stars, distinguish which stars can potentially become black holes and more by the end of the class.
How to Code: Simple Data
This course offered by the University of British Columbia focuses on learning a systematic programming method rather than a programming language.
It's meant to help you channel your creativity so that you can program in any programming language.
You'll learn techniques to develop program requirements, produce programs with consistent structure, and make your programs more reliable.
Indigenous Canada
In this course from the University of Alberta, you'll explore histories and contemporary perspectives of Indigenous peoples living in Canada.
It will teach you about the complex experiences Indigenous peoples face while highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations.
Topics of the course include the fur trade and exchange relationships, land claims, environmental impacts, legal systems, political conflicts and alliances, Indigenous political activism, and contemporary Indigenous life and art.
Business Foundations
In this University of British Columbia course, you'll learn the terminology, concepts and frameworks needed to understand businesses and build your own tool-kit for strategy and decision-making.
The course introduces basic concepts that can be applied at all levels of business and across markets.
Some of the topics include core value propositions, business model frameworks, competition and macro environmental tools, basic accounting literacy and more.
The City and You: Find Your Best Place
With this University of Toronto course, you'll learn what cities do, why they matter, what shapes urbanization and how to pick the right city for you.
It focuses on the importance of cities and the ways cities affect our lives, with topics like creative cities, divided cities, urban crises, and more.
At the end of the course, you'll apply what you learned in an exercise that will help you assess your own community and find the best place for you.
Introduction to Marketing
This course from the University of British Columbia will explore the core concepts and tools of marketing to help you better understand and excel in the field.
Topic areas for the class include market research and its importance, brand strategy, pricing, integrated marketing communication, social media strategy, and more.
Bias and Discrimination in AI
In this course from Université de Montréal, you'll explore how computer algorithms can be biased and impact everyday lives.
The main focus areas of the course are gender, race and socioeconomic-based bias and bias in data-driven predictive models.
You'll also learn how to identify and alleviate bias and discrimination in AI.
Introduction to Psychology
With this free University of Toronto course, you'll learn about the brain, human development, mental illnesses and treatments, and psychological studies.
It will include modules on experiments within the field of psychology, cognitive abilities like memory, learning, attention, perception and consciousness, and how the behaviour of others affects our own thoughts and behaviour.
Sustainable Food Systems
This course from the Université de Montréal focuses on the role, challenges and potential of sustainable food systems in ensuring food security, human health and planetary health.
It's explored through the context of climate crises, chronic disease epidemics and geopolitical crises.
You'll learn about the nuances between food security and food sovereignty, solutions for more sustainable food systems, and more.
Managing Your Health: The Role of Physical Therapy and Exercise
In this course offered by the University of Toronto, you'll learn the concepts and benefits of physical therapy and exercise.
Topics of the lesson modules include the importance of physical activity, common sports injuries, and how exercise relates to cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, cancer and arthritis.
Fundamentals of Recovery
With this course from the Université de Montréal, you'll learn the fundamentals of recovery in mental health and addiction and how it's "a process of continuous change."
Each chapter of the course presents a different dimension of recovery.
Dino 101: Dinosaur Paleobiology
This course from the University of Alberta gives you an overview of non-avian dinosaurs.
You'll learn about the anatomy, eating habits, locomotion, growth, environmental and behavioural adaptations, origins and extinction of dinosaurs.
Lessons are delivered from museums, fossil-preparation labs and dig sites, even though the class is online.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.