Coursera is one of the most popular online learning platforms out there, offering a wide range of free courses, short certificate programs, ​and even online master's degrees.Coursera is an e-learning platform with thousands of free courses and professional certificates .Topics ​range from computer science to psychology and courses are led by top colleges and companies.Coursera is one of the most popular online ​learning platforms out there, offering a wide range of free courses, short certificate programs, and even online master's degrees.

What is Coursera?

is an online learning platform founded by two Stanford University computer science professors. It offers thousands of ​online courses in partnership with over 200 of the world's leading universities and companies, including Yale, Princeton, Penn, Stanford, ​Google, and more. The site offers free individual courses as well as bachelor's and master's degree programs that reduce barriers to higher ​education. There are also professional certificate programs designed to aid workers in securing new roles or promotions.

How does Coursera work?

To use Coursera, you'll need to create a free account (or log in using your Facebook, Google, or Apple account). Once you're signed up, you ​can take free and paid courses in a few different ways:

You can "Enroll for free" in one-off courses like Yale's Science of Well-Being or SUNY's How to Write a Resume.

You can try out longer programs like Google's crash course in Python programming for free as part of a seven-day trial and then pay ​$39-$49 per month to earn a certificate of completion.

You can also browse courses that are part of longer programs for free by clicking the enroll button and then "audit this course."

You can pay to take official MasterTrack and degree programs, which can cost a couple of thousand dollars, depending on the program.

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