In the last few years, the education landscape has undergone a profound transformation, thanks to technological advancement and changes in learning preferences.
According to NCES, in 2021 public colleges enrolled around 8.5 million online students. Another report from the NCES says, in 2020, in the U.S. 75% of all postsecondary students (over 14 million) took online classes. So, it’s already shown how rapidly people are enrolling in online courses.
But are there any courses that offer college credit? Have this question poked you? Yes? Then know that not only you, but a lot of people have the same question in mind. And the answer is a big fat YES.
There are online programs and courses offered by a lot of prestigious colleges that come with real credits. And here in this guide, we’ll be taking you through 10 online courses that offer college credit.
10 Online Courses You Might Be Interested In
Well, there are a lot of courses and programs that offer credits, here we’re just showing some that are offered by the top-notch colleges. Check them out.
Information Literacy
- College: Thomas Edison State University
- Course Duration – 3 months (9 – 12 hours per week)
- Academic Credit – 3
- Course Type – Paid
- Instructor – Crystal Sands
In today’s time, the most powerful weapon for anyone should be information. If you have it, you can easily overpower the opponent. That being said, there is a lot of information that might come to your desk, how would you know which one’s true and which one’s not? How do you fact-check the info?
Well, that’s what you’re going to learn in this course. It’ll teach you how to evaluate the information that comes to you or you see online, how you can access credible sources of the information, and better ways to share information with others.
You’ll also learn about different information sources, how to develop academic research questions, the best way to present the research topics, etc.
In case you’re wondering where you can implement things you’ll learn in this course, well, this skill will always be valued everywhere you go.
Marketing Essentials
- College: DOANE University
- Course Duration – 3 months (7 – 9 hours per week)
- Academic Credit – 3
- Course Type – Paid
- Instructor – Jeffrey Frohwein
Whether it’s a community organization or a global corporation, the need for good marketing is inevitable. And this “Marketing Essentials” program from Doane University teaches you exactly that. This program includes 3 courses which are:
- Marketing Foundations
- Marketing Operations
- Marketing – Delivering the Value Proposition
Upon completing this program you’ll learn about different consumer behavior and positioning strategies, many analytical tools widely used for developing and accessing strategies, social media and value creation, market segmentation, pricing strategies, integrated marketing, and many more.
After the course completion, you’ll only be eligible for college credit and a certificate if you pass with over 70% grade.
Financial Accounting and Business Analysis
- College: Southern New Hampshire University
- Course Duration – 8 months (8 – 10 hours per week)
- Academic Credit – 6
- Course Type – Paid
- Instructors – Michael Newhouse. Zuzana Buzzell, and Mona Stephens
For growth in a business, financial accounting and business analysis is a must. This is what helps in making the right and calculated decision. This program teaches you all about accounting and analysis.
There are two courses under this program which are:
- Financial Accounting Fundamentals
- Critical Business Skills
After completion you should have extensive knowledge about the relevant industry information analysis, financial data analysis according to the industry standards, recording and preparing the financial information, communicating through data visualization, etc.
If you want a good career in accounting and data analysis, this program can be a good start. This program can also be good for those who want to be an entrepreneur since the courses teach how to leverage data to support business decisions.
Lastly, to be eligible for credits, you must pass the program with a 70% grade or higher. Otherwise, you won’t be able to claim credits.
Business & Professional Communication for Success
- College: Doane University
- Course Duration – 3 months (5 – 8 hours per week)
- Academic Credit – 3
- Course Type – Paid
- Instructors – Debora Sepich
Proper communication is key to an organization’s growth. The courses in this program mainly focus on helping students learn the essentials of effective business communication.
Plus, this program also works on business presentations, since that also plays a major role in the company’s performance. There are a bunch of tests on business communication and presentations conducted by the instructors throughout the program.
This program includes three main courses which are:
- Business Communication – The Basics
- Business Writing Techniques
- Professional Business Presentations
After completing the courses the students would have good knowledge about presentation supporting materials, storytelling, using presentation developing software, different communication models, styles, direct and indirect messages, etc.
Full Stack Application Development
- College: IBM
- Course Duration – 8 months (4 – 6 hours per week)
- Academic Credit – 3
- Course Type – Paid
- Instructors – Upkar Lidder, Joseph Santarcangelo, Alex Parker, Heather Nelson, etc.
It’s a digital era, and developers are needed almost everywhere now. Whether it’s a grocery store, restaurant, or just a laundry service, everyone needs a digital entity now and that’s where full-stack application developers come in.
Becoming a full-stack developer is indeed a long journey with a lot of ups and downs. But once the skills are acquired, there is no looking back.
In this course, you’ll learn almost all the major aspects of software development. You’ll be introduced to tools that developers use to build, deploy, test, and manage cloud-native applications. You don’t need any prior programming or cloud background experience to get started.
Here you’ll be learning the core concepts of cloud computing, models and architectures, cloud computing components, etc. You’ll be applying essential application development concepts and languages, such as HTML5, CSS3, Javascript, etc, to build the first cloud-based software.
This program includes many courses which are:
- Introduction to Cloud Computing
- Introduction to Web Development
- Introduction to Cloud Native, Agile, DevOps, and NoSQL
- Building Front-End Apps Using React
- Back End App Development
- Introduction to Containers, OpenShift, and Kubernetes
- Python Basics for Data Science
- Django
- Microservices and Serverless
Introduction to Information Technology
- College: Western Governors University
- Course Duration – 6 months (9 – 10 hours per week)
- Academic Credit – 3
- Course Type – Paid
- Instructor – Gary Dall
As technology is evolving at an incredible speed, the need for IT (Information Technology) professionals is also growing at the same speed. Not only in tech sectors, financial services, and manufacturing industries, IT professionals are needed almost everywhere.
This micro bachelor’s program “Information Technology” from Western Governors University can be a bridge for you to pursue your goal of becoming an IT expert.
During the program, you’ll be learning to identify the basic concepts essential for network security, examine basic computer programming elements, identify how technology contributes to success in today’s time and many more.
This program includes 3 courses which are:
- Information technology Foundation
- Network and Security Foundations
- Scripting and Programming foundations
Data Management With Python and SQL
- College: Western Governors University
- Course Duration – 8 months (9 – 10 hours per week)
- Academic Credit – 6
- Course Type – Paid
- Instructor – Gwen Britton, Curtis Geoge, Scott Overmyer
Being able to gather, manage, and use data to make decisions that support the organization’s growth is a crucial and profitable skill. Every organization needs such a skilled person to access and analyze data to understand the overall present condition of the company and future growth.
Here in this program, students would be learning data management using Python which is a programming language, and SQL. Throughout the course, students will be doing real-time projects which should help them gather the necessary skills to create structured database environments.
If you’re someone who is pretty interested in learning how to use data to solve issues, this program would be a gem. This program includes two courses which are:
- Scripting with Python
- Structured Database Environments with SQL
Business Analytics Foundations
- College: Southern New Hampshire University
- Course Duration – 8 months (8 – 9 hours per week)
- Academic Credit – 6
- Course Type – Paid
- Instructor – Gwen Britton, David Sze, Curtis Geoge
Business analytics plays a crucial role in today’s data-driven business world, providing numerous benefits for organizations. A Business Analyst (BA) plays a vital role in bridging the gap between business objectives and IT solutions, and their presence is essential for the successful execution of various projects within an organization.
After completing this program individuals should be able to develop fully functional programs using different professional tools. Translate business requirements into issues that can be computationally solved. This program will also allow individuals to formulate queries to solve via statistical analysis.
Overall, this program provides the students with all the foundational skills necessary to shine their careers in business and data analysis. There are two courses included in this program, they are:
- Scripting With Python
- Applied Statistics with Python
Mathematics and Statistics Fundamentals
College: London School of Economics and Political Science
- Course Duration – 5 months (11 – 14 hours per week)
- Academic Credit – 30 (UK)
- Course Type – Paid
- Instructor – Martin Anthony, James Abdey
The Mathematics and Statistics Fundamentals program from the London School of Economics and Political Science provides individuals with the necessary mathematical and statistical concepts, techniques, and methods.
Upon completion, individuals will be able to gain key mathematical concepts, conventions, and terminologies. They will understand how these techniques are used to solve issues.
Students will also learn to apply different methods for explaining, summarizing, and presenting data through clear diagrams, labels, and titles. Overall this program should be a good choice for you if you are interested in this field.
The program includes 4 courses which are:
- Mathematics – Differential Calculus
- Mathematics – Integral Calculus, Algebra, and Applications
- Statistics – Introduction
- Statistics – Statistical methods
Anatomy and Physiology Essentials
- College: Southern New Hampshire University
- Course Duration – 5 months (10 – 15 hours per week)
- Academic Credit – 3
- Course Type – Paid
- Instructor – Tina Lane, Darlene Attiah
If you want to pursue your career in Health Care and want to complete some credits online, then this program “Anatomy and Physiology Essentials” from Southern New Hampshire University can be a good start. This program comes with 2 courses:
- Human Anatomy and Physiology I
- Human Anatomy and Physiology II
These courses can lead you to different lucrative careers within the HealthCare industry.
At the end of the program, individuals would be able to describe the location and functions of human body systems using the right terms.
Analyze the interactions between body systems for how they work together and they should also be able to analyze the research for finding prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies.
To qualify for the certificate on “Human Anatomy and Physiology Essentials” from Southern New Hampshire University, individuals need to pass this program with more than 80% grade.
Things to Consider Before Taking An Online Course for College Credit
Though it might seem easy to choose a course and get started. But if you have a long-term plan, then it isn’t as simple as it seems. To make the right decision there are a bunch of things that need to be considered. Here’s what you should think about before enrolling in any course.
Relevance
If you want to complete any specific program make sure to enroll for courses that are relevant to that. For example, if you’d be doing a bachelor’s in business later, there is no point in completing a medical course. That being said, if you have a necessity, you can do any course that will fulfill the need.
Accreditation
First, you would want to make sure the course you’re enrolling for is accredited by a renowned institution. Know how much credit you’ll receive upon the course completion and also ensure the credits you’ve earned are widely accepted by universities.
In case you have a plan to transfer the earned credit, you’d want to make sure that’s possible. Contact the university where you want to transfer the completed credit, that should give you enough information.
Requirements
You’d want to go through the course prerequisites, some programs require software, tools, hardware, internet speed, etc. Make sure you know about all the requirements and then decide whether you fit in or not. If you might need to make some adjustments based on that.
Course Format
Different online courses follow different formats, some take live classes where you can interact with the instructors in real time. And some are just pre-recorded classes, which one would be best for you will depend on your preference. However, live classes are always best.
Cost
Unless you have high-income sources, you would want to check the cost of the courses. Not only the cost you’d pay to the institution for the course but the cost of textbooks, exam fees, project costs, etc.
If you know how much you’d be investing before starting the course, that will make the path smooth.
Time
If you have a job or business or do anything that requires your time, then you would want to check the class timings. Ensure the timing aligns with your work hours. If not, try to make some adjustments. It’s best to not keep a very tight schedule, as that might hamper the concentration on class.
Top 3 Platforms That Offer Online Courses With College Credit
There are a bunch of universities and other online platforms that offer paid/free courses with college credits. And among all those, here we’ve handpicked the top 3. Check them out!
edX
It’s an online learning platform founded by Harvard University and MIT (Massachusetts Institutes of Technology) in 2012. Since then, edX has grown into a global learning platform that now has millions of learners from all over the world.
edX offers a lot of courses and programs in collaboration with top-of-the-line universities, institutions, and organizations around the world. They have courses on different subjects such as Business, Humanities, Science, Engineering, etc.
They even offer MicroMasters programs which include a series of graduate level courses. edX provides professional certificates and credits that are accepted by a lot of prestigious institutions.
Coursera
Without a doubt, Coursera is one of the most popular online learning platforms in the world. It offers thousands of courses and programs with the collaboration of different institutes.
They also offer credit-eligible programs such as degree programs, master’s programs, and some courses that can be taken for credit. The gained credits are accepted by a lot of renowned colleges.
Sophia Learning
Like edX and Coursera, Sophia Learning is another popular online learning platform, though it’s not as popular as the other two in this list, but still good enough to book a seat in the top order.
There are a wide range of self-paced courses, and programs on various subjects including English, mathematics, Science, etc. They also offer programs and courses with credits.
Sophia learning is recommended for credit by the ACE (American Council on Education). And the credits are widely accepted by universities.
Conclusion
Overall, the availability of online courses that offer college credit has expanded significantly, providing learners with a flexible and accessible path to earning academic recognition.
Due to these platforms, now individuals can learn at their own pace and terms. There are a couple hundred courses and programs online that come with credit, in this guide, we’ve mentioned just a few of them.
But whatever you do, before enrolling make sure to check whether the course comes with credit or not, and if the credits are acceptable by well-known universities.
That’s all for now, will see you in another guide!
Sources:
Hamilton, I. (2023, May 24). The Rise Of Online Learning In The U.S. – Forbes Advisor. Www.forbes.com. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/online-learning-stats/
