Online courses offered by universities (some you have to pay for)
MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course and they are designed by universities across the world. They are short online courses and you don't need a degree to do them, just an interest in the topic. Some are free but some might require you to pay.
Why not study a short online course on a subject you might want to study in the future?
If you are in Year 13 or college and planning on going on to university or are in Year 12 and wondering what you are going to do after your A Levels - studying a short, online course will have lots of benefits;
- They are sometimes free to study although sometimes they are only free for a certain length of time, so do check.
- There are hundreds of different short courses available and they offer an opportunity to focus on subjects you are studying now or are interested in studying at university. The courses also offer a chance for you to try something new and develop an area of interest.
- You do not need any qualifications to start the course, and they maybe as little as 2 hours a week - so you could always do several different courses.
- Although you may not get a formal qualification, the knowledge gained from doing one could help you prepare for higher education, or choose a course - and they are great to mention on your personal statement too.
FutureLearn offer a diverse selection of high-quality online courses from some of the world’s leading universities and other outstanding cultural institutions. Some might be free or low cost or require you to pay a subscription- do check!
They aim to connect learners from all over the globe with high-quality educators, and with each other.
Courses are delivered one step at a time and are accessible on mobile, tablet and desktop.
Taster courses for school leavers
FutureLearn offer ‘FutureLearn Choices' courses, which last three to eight weeks. These are taster courses to give school leavers a real sense of university level study.
Courses to help students secure a place at university:
- How to Succeed at Interviews
- How to Succeed at Writing Applications
- Preparing for Uni
- Developing your Research Project.
Courses to help give students an experience of subjects outside the national curriculum:
Here are a few examples of other FutureLearn courses on offer:
Coursera offers 2700+ courses from 150+ partners.