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The 20 Best Free Online Courses On Health And Medicine

Healthcare has been at the forefront of national discussions on policy and human rights for some time. Now it’s taken a more significant role in the zeitgeist. If you’re working in the field, you know that continually expanding your skills, knowledge, and experience is key to sustained success. And if you’re looking to work in health care, or just fascinated by health and medicine, this is for you.

In this list we’ve looked at twenty free online courses in health and medicine. Many of these are offered in part by elite universities around the world. We’ve ranked these courses by the number of reviews they received and the average rating to give you excellent options no matter what your niche is. You’ll find classes on specific diseases, conditions, nutrition, medical fields, and more. Let’s see what courses made it:

1) CDC Environmental Public Health Online Courses (EPHOC)

The CDC has partnered with Tulane University to offer a series of free e-learning courses on environmental public health issues. These courses are intended for new environmental public health professionals, students, people in the field looking to advance their skills and knowledge, and people wishing to take a state or national exam. There are 15 distinct courses offered to students, including Food Protection, Radiation Protection, Disaster Sanitation, and many more.

2) Understanding Dementia MOOC

The University of Tasmania presents this free course on dementia. It requires seven weeks of study and three hours a week to complete. It doesn’t require exams nor assignments, but students will still learn the most recent information about dementia care and research. How do you maximize the quality of life for people with dementia and those around them? This course is intended for policymakers, social scientists, health professionals, people impacted by dementia, and anyone interested in the subject.

3) Understanding Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

The University of Tasmania is back with this free online course on MS. Its goal is to raise awareness and understanding of the disease. It’s intended for people living with MS, their families, health professionals, and advocates. Students will tackle modules in Biology and Pathology, Diagnosis and Symptoms, Demographics and Intro to Risk, Risk Factors, Disease Management and Support Strategies, and Living with MS. This course takes six weeks to finish, and students can expect to spend two hours a week on it.

4) Maintaining a Mindful Life

This free course is offered by Melbourne, Australia’s Monash University, and aimed at improving student emotional health, communication, and relationships through mindfulness training. It lasts four weeks and requires three hours of study a week. Topics covered include empathy, compassion, and kindness, mindfulness and pain, self-compassion and performance, and much more. It’s technique-focused and will immerse students in formal and informal mindfulness practices. This course is for people with some previous mindfulness practice experience.

5) Preventing Dementia

The University of Tasmania is back again with another free course on dementia. This course inspects whether you can change your risk for dementia, based on the latest research about what decreases vulnerability to its conditions. Students will enter online discussions, figure out how to help people reduce their risks of dementia, and even be assessed for their chances. This course is intended for anyone interested, regardless of their background. It doesn’t require exams or assignments to participate. Students can expect to commit two hours a week for four weeks to complete the course.

6) Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance

Monash returns with another mindfulness course, this one on stress reduction. Students will learn to improve their wellbeing and increase their performance in studies and work during this free online course. It requires three hours a week for six weeks to complete. If you’re stressed by modern life, it might be for you. It’s intended for anyone, whether or not they have any experience with mindfulness. Students will learn techniques, decrease anxiety, and improve communication with others. They will be asked to reflect on their experiences. The next start date is 6/15/20.

7) Understanding Clinical Research: Behind the Statistics

The University of Cape Town and Coursera have partnered to present this free course. It’s for people who want to gain a better understanding of technical research terms. It’s intended for people who wish to understand published research better, and researchers alike. This includes complete beginners. You’ll learn to interpret ubiquitous statistical concepts and terminology. In total, this course takes 28 hours to complete. Areas covered include statistics, statistical analysis, clinical research, and statistical hypothesis testing.

8) Nutrition, Exercise and Sports

This free course is offered by edX and Wageningen University. It lasts six weeks and takes four to eight hours a week to complete. Students will learn about exercise physiology, sports, nutrition science, and how nutrition impacts energy, protein metabolism, fluid balance, and much more. You’ll move through Intro to Sports Nutrition, Skeletal Muscle, Exercise and Sports, Energy and Fluid Balance, Macronutrients, Micronutrients, and Ergogenic Supplements, and Exercise and Nutrition During Aging. Students will leave with a critical mind-set regarding Exercise, Nutrition, and Sports.

9) The Musculoskeletal System: The Science of Staying Active into Old Age

Newcastle University, The University of Sheffield, The University of Liverpool and FutureLearn all combine to offer this free course. It lasts three weeks and demands three hours of study a week. Students will learn why joints, muscles, and bones lose functionality as humans age and learn how to live well through aging. Topics covered include the musculoskeletal system, its health, the impacts of diet and exercise on it, and much more. This course is intended for patients, caregivers, and anyone who wants to learn about health and lifestyle. No previous experience in biology is required.

10) Discover Dentistry

The University of Sheffield and FutureLearn collaborated on this free course on dentistry. You’ll learn about the history of dentistry: what they do, why it matters, and much more. This course lasts six weeks and requires three hours of study a week. Topics include specializations in dentistry, dental charting, dentistry systems in different countries, tooth anatomy, development, disease, various roles in dentistry, and more. This course is for anyone interested in dentistry or science, no matter their previous experience or knowledge.

11) Introducción a la Regulación Emocional basada en Mindfulness

This free course tackles emotion regulation through mindfulness. It’s offered in Spanish by the University of Madrid and edX. The course takes four weeks and requires five to six hours a week. It’s self-paced. Students will learn to tolerate difficult emotions, cultivate emotions of gratitude and compassion, practice presence in the moment, counter negative biases about people, among other practices and outcomes.

12) Medicine and the Arts: Humanising Healthcare

The University of Cape Town and Future Learn present this free course covering the overlap between humanities, arts, and healthcare. It looks at anthropology, creative arts, history, social sciences, and health. Topics include mental illness, understandings of death, how children experience disease and recovery, and much more. This course requires six weeks of study and three hours a week. It’s intended for anyone interested, regardless of their background.

13) De-Mystifying Mindfulness

This courses if for anyone interested in meditation, contemplation, and mindfulness. It’s offered for free by Leiden University and Coursera. Students will spend approximately 34 hours on it in total (the program has flexible deadlines). Topics covered include the political and social significances of mindfulness, comparing distinct therapeutic and psychological approaches to mindfulness, and common conceptions and misconceptions of mindful practices. Students will also be able to interpret and create the methods that work for them.

14) Nutrition, Heart Disease and Diabetes

Wageningen University and edX present this free course. It’s focused on the current science and analysis of how lifestyle and nutrition impact the development and treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular issues. The session lasts five weeks and requires six to eight hours a week to complete. Modules covered include Cardiometabolic Disease Risk, Role of diet – Prevention of Cardiometabolic Diseases, Pathophysiology of Cardiometabolic Disease, Molecular Aspects, and Nutritional Strategies to Reduce Cardiometabolic Diseases. This course is for people with some education or training in healthcare, nutrition, and related areas.

15) Nutrition and Health: Micronutrients and Malnutrition

This course is also offered by Wageningen University and edX. It focuses on micronutrients (minerals, vitamins, and trace elements) in foods. Whereas macronutrients are types of foods (proteins, fats, carbohydrates), micronutrients are what we get out of food. This course looks at tactics to improve and fight against problems caused by malnutrition. It’s intended for health care professionals or people working in the food industry that don’t have a background in nutrition. Students will develop a critical outlook on food, health, and nutrition. This course requires seven weeks and six to eight hours per week to complete.

16) Viruses & How to Beat Them: Cells, Immunity, Vaccines

This course is offered free from Tel Aviv University and edX. It looks at how immune systems handle viral diseases. The course explores vaccinations, how viruses subvert our cells, specific viruses like AIDS and Ebola, and much more. This course requires seven weeks to complete, and students will spend two to three hours a week working on it. It’s intended as an introductory course open to people of all backgrounds. It also has a perfect 5/5 rating from 25 respondents.

17) COVID-19: Tackling the Novel Coronavirus

This course is offered free from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in conjunction with Future Learn. It provides students an in-depth exploration of the latest information about COVID-19 from international experts. It requires four hours a week for three weeks to complete. It’s intended for anyone working in health or interested in response to the outbreak.

18) Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19

This free course is courtesy of Harvard University and edX. It’s intended for licensed medical professionals, so they can support and assist those that use mechanical ventilators to care for COVID-19 patients. The course lasts a week and requires 2-5 hours to complete. This is an excellent option if you’re working in healthcare and looking to expand your understanding of mechanical ventilation. It can also give you credits towards health certifications and degrees you might be currently enrolled in. Topics covered include waveform analysis, how ventilation procedures are different in COVID-19 patients, troubleshooting with the ventilator, and much more.

19) Nutrition and Health: Macronutrients and Overnutrition

This course is free from Wageningen University and edX. It tackles macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. You’ll learn how they’re absorbed, stored, and used for energy, and how they impact health. It explores body weight regulation, being overweight and obese, and the latest in nutritional research/research methodologies. It covers the connection between nutrition, human health, and health problems stemming from overeating. This course is conveyed over nine weeks, and takes six to eight hours a week to complete.

20) Food as Medicine

Monash University and Future Learn team up to present this free course on health and nutrition. You’ll look at how food can be preventative of certain conditions, how it can help manage chronic diseases now and in the future, and how it has been used historically. Topics covered include food and the brain, food and the gut, food and our genome, and much more. This course is intended for anyone interested but will be extremely useful for healthcare professionals. It’s completed over three weeks and requires four hours of study each week.

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Resource Guide for Health Professionals

Health is a rising concern in modern society. The more we learn about illness, the more overwhelming it can be for the average person to keep tabs on all the advancements and innovations in the medical world. This resource guide aims to provide readers with a list of thirty high quality resources that are accessible whether you are a medical professional or not. The list is broken up into five categories consisting of General Health, Fitness, Nutrition, Mental Health and Happiness, and Medical Health.

General Health

  • Harvard Health Publications is responsible for printing Harvard journals, magazines, and creating web content for the purpose of disseminating practical health information and research.
  • World Health Organization publishes a wide range of journals, newsletters, and magazines addressing major global health issues. The subjects range from practical application and travel safety to in-depth research and statistics.
  • The National Institutes of Health website is devoted to providing readers with important information on every aspect of health. The NIH is the foremost organization responsible for helping to fund research projects.
  • Centers for Disease Control is responsible for controlling the outbreak of infectious disease and other public health risks. The website contains useful information for staying healthy. The CDC is one of the leading research organizations for public health related risks.
  • Prevention Magazine is focused on general health and is one of the oldest, best known health magazines available today. The magazine runs articles covering everything from healthy recipes to staying healthy as you age.
  • The Mayo Clinic website is one of the best general health resources available with everything from a symptom checker to access to some of the leading treatment research for many of the nation’s deadliest diseases.

Fitness

  • Livestrong Fitness is a sub-section of the Livestrong organization which promotes a healthy, well rounded lifestyle. The website offers insights into how the average person with all the pressures of life can still find time to be fit and healthy.
  • Runner’s World is a website all about running, the go-to form of cardiovascular exercise for many. There is a science behind running that includes strategies for long term success which includes running under the right conditions, how to maintain consistency, and choosing the right equipment for the style of running you prefer. This website covers it all.
  • Fitness Magazine is available both in print and online. The website offers shorter articles while the longer form articles are more likely to be published in the print edition. The magazine covers primarily fitness, though it does include articles on the importance of proper nutrition when embracing a fitness routine.
  • Men’s Fitness features articles that cover nearly every aspect of a man’s life. From the effect of physical health on the sex life, to strength training routines, cardio routines, proper eating, equipment reviews and more.
  • Shape is all about helping women be healthy and feel good about themselves. The magazine focuses on more than just fitness routines but fitness is still the primary subject matter in the magazine and most, if not all articles deal with various issues from a fitness perspective.
  • Ace Fitness features web tools geared toward helping you create a personalized fitness routine. Now, just having a routine doesn’t necessarily make you more likely to stick to it, but they also provide an easy way to look up Ace certified trainers in your location.

Nutrition

  • Nutrition.gov features content consisting of everything the government believes you need to know about nutrition. The website offers readers diet guidelines, recipe suggestions, shopping advice, and research.
  • Eat Right, offers strategies for getting those reluctant eaters to eat healthy foods. The advice on the website spans all age brackets from children to the elderly.
  • Harvard Nutrition is a website of the Harvard School of Public Health. The website features material on a wide range of nutrition issues. The articles are based on in depth research, but are written to be accessible to a broad audience.
  • Senior Journal is a valuable and rare resource that covers the myriad unique health issues faced by senior citizens with a particular focus on nutrition. Senior Journal is a great resource for the elderly, their loved ones, and caretakers.
  • Guy Gourmet is the nutrition section of the Men’s Health magazine website. The site deals with nutrition from a man’s perspective and features articles on creating healthy foods that still taste good and satisfy the nutrition needs of men.
  • Women’s Health Nutrition is the nutrition portion of Women’s Health magazine and approaches the subject with an understanding of the unique health needs of women.

Mental Health and Happiness

  • Psychology Today is an important mental health publication, devoted to bridging the gap between scientific research, academically oriented journals, and the average person. The magazine features useful tips for improving mental health, publishes longer form articles on pressing mental health issues, and shares advice and research with a broad audience.
  • Scientific American-Mind takes a scientific approach to mental health and happiness. The magazine deeply examines mental health trends, the effect of modern innovations in technology and the sciences on mental health, and delves into the innermost workings of the mind.
  • Psychologies is a UK based publication devoted to exploring the impact of every day decisions and circumstances on mental health. The magazine offers insights into everything from combating depression to building confidence in your personal life and the workplace.
  • Find Treatment is a government service offered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Find Treatment is a tool for locating mental health services in your region.
  • Delivering Happiness isn’t your average corporation. The goal of this organization is to advance the cause of happiness around the world. The founder of Delivering Happiness is determined to prove that companies devoted to helping their employees achieve happiness will be more successful on all fronts.
  • Mental Health America is the premier advocacy organization for mental health policy. The organization is also devoted to researching the impact of mental health trends and educating the world about the impact of mental health on society and culture.

Medical Health

  • Discover Magazine has a portion of their website devoted to health and medicine. The articles featured are focused on everything from fighting cancer to preventing outbreaks. The website takes many complex issues of health and medicine and communicates what can be done about them on an accessible level, making the magazine a quality resource for professionals and laypersons alike.
  • Science Daily features news and articles on some of the most prevalent medical issues, advancements and innovations of our time.
  • Medscape is a medical news website that categorizes its past articles according to what medical issues they address, making it easy to look up information on a wide variety of medical matters.
  • WebMD is famous for its main function which is to help people identify what kinds of illnesses go with which symptoms. The site is not intended to be used for self diagnosis, but is intended to help people determine whether or not a doctor visit is warranted. The site also features articles on various issues in the medical field.
  • Health Central approaches medical issues from many different angles. From educating people on little known symptoms of well known illnesses and medical events to highlighting some of the best preventative measures available to those seeking to stave off specific health issues, Health Central has a plethora of medical information available.
  • Medline Plus is a website of the National Institutes of Health and is devoted to educating people on major medical issues in accessible language. The website is easily laid out so that users may look specifically for information on things that affect seniors, children, men, women, or all of thee above.
Find Your Degree!
BestHealthDegrees.com is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.

The Best Health Degrees

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