Want to learn more about public health without investing a lot of time or money? Maybe you're curious about the topic and are curious about online courses that will fit your schedule and budget.
If this sounds like you, then you've come to the right place. In this article, we'll talk about some of the best free online public health courses and the colleges and universities that offer them.
Top Schools Offering Free Online Public Health Courses
Many schools offer free online public health courses. Let's take a look at some of the top medical schools and the variety of courses they offer.
1. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill is the flagship campus of the University of North Carolina System and one of the oldest public schools in the U.S.
This school offers two free online public health courses: Epidemiology: The Basic Science of Public Health and Infection Prevention in Nursing Homes.
Both courses are available through Coursera and deal with the spread and control of diseases, as well as how they affect various groups of people.
The courses are self-paced and require five to six hours of study to complete.
2. Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University is a private school located in Maryland. It is known for its medical school and the associated Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Those looking for free online public health courses by Johns Hopkins have a variety of options to choose from. Courses include:
- Systems Thinking in Public Health
- Public Health Perspectives on Sustainable Diets
- Summary Statistics in Public Health
- Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach
- Evaluating Public Health Programs at Scale
All courses are self-paced and available through Coursera. Some are part of longer course series or specializations; they may be taken as part of the specialization or on their own.
3. University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is the largest school in the state. It offers online degree and certificate programs as well as individual courses and classes.
A variety of free online public health courses are available including:
- Breastfeeding: Public Health Perspectives
- Climate Change, Sustainability, and Global Public Health
- Tobacco and Nicotine: Public Health, Science, Policy, and Law
- Environmental Hazards and Global Public Health
- Assessing and Improving Community Health
All courses can be taken through Coursera. They are self-paced and require anywhere from eight to 23 hours of study time.
4. State University of New York
The State University of New York is a system of campuses located throughout New York state. It is one of the largest collegiate systems in the country.
This system makes several free online public health courses available through Coursera. Options include:
- Communication and Leadership During a Public Health Crisis
- Global Health Diplomacy
- Connect with Diverse Audiences During a Public Health Crisis
These self-paced courses vary in length from 13 to 30 hours.
5. Emory University
Emory University is a private school in Georgia. The associated Emory Healthcare system is the largest healthcare network in the state.
Emory offers several free online public health courses to the general public including:
- Health in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies
- Childbirth: A Global Perspective
- Ebola Virus Disease: An Evolving Epidemic
All courses can be found on Coursera and vary from eight to 18 hours of self-paced study time.
6. Stanford University
Stanford University is located in California. It is a private school that offers a variety of degrees, certificates, and classes in an online format.
Online public health courses include:
- Partnering with the Public and Patients in Medical Research
- Introduction to Food and Health
- Introduction to Healthcare Communication Strategies
These self-paced courses and more are offered through the edX platform.
7. Doane University
Doane University is a private school in Nebraska. This university offers several public health courses through edX.
Available courses include:
- Healthcare Analytics and Decision Making
- Biostatistics
- Health Informatics Technology in Population Healthcare Analytics
Each course is self-paced but generally lasts from three to eight weeks if you spend five to 10 hours per week studying.
8. Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University is a public school system with campuses throughout Pennsylvania.
This school system offers a few different options for free online public health courses:
- Epidemics–The Dynamics of Infectious Diseases
- Comparative Health Systems
- Intellectual Property in the Healthcare Industry
These courses are all available through Coursera.
9. University of Nebraska
The University of Nebraska is a public school and the flagship campus of Nebraska's university system.
This school offers one public health course titled High Level Biocontainment for Healthcare Facilities.
Geared toward healthcare workers, this course teaches you how to treat patients with highly contagious diseases and how to keep those pathogens from spreading to others.
This Coursera course can be completed in about 11 hours of self-paced study.
10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private school known for its advances in technology research.
This school offers one free online public health course. It is titled Collaborative Data Science for Healthcare.
This course teaches how public health practices can be improved through collecting and analyzing patient data.
The course is available through edX and typically takes about 12 weeks of self-paced study to complete.
FAQs About Free Online Public Health Courses
Still have questions? Read on for answers about free online public health courses and classes.
Are Free Public Health Courses Available Online?
Yes, all of the courses outlined in this article are available in a flexible online format so you can study wherever you have an internet connection.
What Topics Are Covered in Free Online Public Health Courses?
Some of the topics covered in the above courses include controlling infectious diseases, public health perspectives on depression, and how factors such as diet and the environment affect public health.
What Are the Benefits of Taking Free Online Public Health Courses?
The courses are free and self-paced, allowing you to study anytime without making a great financial commitment.
Despite being free, the courses provide a lot of quality information for anyone who works in healthcare or who has an interest in learning more about public health.
Find the Right School for Free Online Public Health Courses Today
If you're interested in public health, check out the free online public health courses discussed above. There are many options available, so you shouldn't have much trouble finding one to fit your specific interests.
