Interested in learning more about health-related topics? Maybe you're curious about a particular aspect of health and wellness, or you want to know how to improve your own health.
Whatever the reason, you'd like to take some free health courses online. Below, we'll give information about the top free online health courses.
Top 5 Schools Offering Free Online Health Courses
There are many colleges and universities offering free health courses online. Let's take a look at the top five schools and some of the courses they have available.
1. Stanford University
Stanford University is a large public school. Located in Stanford, CA, this school also offers many remote learning opportunities for both students and the general public.
Stanford offers a multitude of free online health courses through both edX and Coursera. Some of the options include:
- Introduction to Food and Health
- International Women's Health and Human Rights
- Introduction to Healthcare Communication Strategies
- Musculoskeletal Primer for the Non-Orthopedist
- Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
Each course varies in length, but they are all self-paced so you can progress through them at a rate that fits with your schedule and lifestyle.
2. Doane University
Doane University is a small private school. It has three campuses located in Nebraska as well as a strong online presence.
This school offers a variety of health and medicine courses through edX. The courses include:
- Essentials of Lifestyle Medicine and Population Health
- Medical Cannabis
- Nutrition for a Healthy and Sustainable Lifestyle
- U.S. Healthcare Systems
- Principles of Health Law and Regulatory Issues
Some of these courses take just a couple of hours to complete, while others require several weeks of regular study. However, they are all self-paced so you can study on your own time.
3. University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public state school located in Ann Arbor, MI. This large university offers a variety of online options.
Some of the many free online health courses available are as follows:
- Foundational Skills for Communicating About Health
- Impacts of the Environment on Global Public Health
- The Influence of Social Context on Health
- Sustainable Consumption and Health
- Anatomy
All courses are self-paced and available through Coursera. With regular study, some individual courses may take just a week or two to complete, while others are a series of courses that will require a commitment of several months.
4. Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University is a large, private research school located in Baltimore, MD. It offers some of its degree programs online, as well as free courses available to anyone.
Several health and medical courses are available through Coursera including:
- Foundations of Global Health
- Public Health Perspectives on Sustainable Diets
- Chemicals and Health
- Health Information Technology Fundamentals
- Patient Safety
Again, course lengths vary widely from a few hours to several months, and some courses are available as part of a series. All courses and series are completely free and self-paced.
5. University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota is a large state school and the flagship campus of the University of Minnesota System. It is located in the Twin Cities area.
This school offers online degrees, certificates, and free courses. Some of the free health courses available include:
- Integrative Health and Medicine
- Introduction to Social Determinants of Health
- Healthcare Marketplace
- Herbal Medicine
- Preventing Chronic Pain: A Human Systems Approach
All courses are offered through Coursera and run for varying lengths of time. Complete each course or series on your own schedule.
FAQs about Free Online Health Courses
Still have questions about these free health courses? Read on for answers.
What Are Free Online Health Courses?
Free online health courses are short, introductory class sessions offered to the general public by top medical colleges and universities.
They are generally self-paced so you can study whenever it's convenient. Usually they don't cost anything to take unless you want to pay for a certificate of completion at the end of the course.
What Topics Are Covered in Free Online Health Courses?
Health is an exceptionally broad-reaching subject. As a result, free online health courses can cover a huge range of health-related topics. Some of the topics covered include:
- global health
- diet and nutrition
- social and environmental health impacts
- pain management
- anatomy and physiology
What Are the Benefits of Taking Free Online Health Courses?
If you are interested in learning more or improving your own health, free online health courses enable you to expand your knowledge in a topic of interest without breaking the bank.
They also allow you to study whenever it's convenient for you so you don't have to change your lifestyle while you study.
Plus, they're taught by college professors who have spent time as a medical professional, so you can be sure they are high-quality.
Find the Right School for Free Online Health Courses Today
The schools discussed above offer a diverse array of free online health courses. Whatever your particular area of interest, you're sure to find a course that will suit your needs.