certificates of completion for online coursework

Trade Schools, Colleges and Universities

Join Over 1.5 Million People We've Introduced to Awesome Schools Since 2001

Trade Schools Home > Articles > Free Online Courses with Certificate of Completion

31 Free Online Courses With Certificates of Completion

By Publisher | Last Updated February 29, 2024

Ready to expand your knowledge and career opportunities without paying a dime? Several companies offer free online courses in business, digital technology, communication, science, education, art and design, and social sciences. You can even boost your resume by earning certificates of completion—all while learning from home.

This article contains affiliate links. We are compensated with a small commission, at no extra cost to you, for sales made through the links.

Exploring free online courses with certificates of completion can open up a whole new world of educational and career opportunities. After all, expanding your skills and broadening your knowledge base will always serve you well. You can improve your resume and develop new skills to help you be more effective in your job; if you don't have to spend any money doing it, there's not much of a downside.

MOOCs (massive open online courses) are college-level courses published online and accessible to anyone in the world for free. Many of these free online courses come with a certificate of completion that you can put on your resume or share on social media. MOOCs offer a unique opportunity to learn from industry experts without spending a cent. In 2018 alone, 20 million people around the world signed up for at least one MOOC.

However, the big English-language MOOC providers ( Coursera , edX , Udacity , and FutureLearn ) offer the actual courses for free but charge a fee if you want to receive a certificate of completion. You have to pay the fee to complete exams or access the full course materials in some cases.

But there are still plenty of online courses available that come with a certificate of completion and don't cost you a dime. We've compiled a list of examples below, along with some tips on how to make the most of free online training and how free online certifications can boost your career prospects.

• 3 ways to get the most value out of free training

5 Companies that Offer Free Online Courses with Certificates of Completion

• Business and management
• Computer science
• Communication
• Social sciences
• Art and design
• How free certifications can help your career

3 Ways to Get the Most Value Out of Free Training

Getting free certifications online can enhance your productivity and make you a more valuable employee. Just because they're free doesn't mean they don't require any effort. Here are a few tips on how to maximize the benefits of free online training:

1. Choose wisely

Do some research to make sure you want to learn whatever the course is teaching. Find a course that suits you on a topic you want to know more about. Some of the most useful courses offer project-based work that will give you something concrete (besides your certificate) to show an employer to demonstrate your competence.

2. Pace yourself

Boost your chances of success by only taking one course at a time. You don't want to exhaust your mental resources. You need to be realistic about what you can fit into your lifestyle: A self-paced course might be a better fit than one with a set schedule, for instance. Make sure to plan out when you can do the work—maybe you could watch videos during your morning bus ride or read course materials just after dinner. Watch that you don't overschedule yourself.

3. Commit to the process

It takes serious mental discipline to keep going with a course even when your interest wanes or your lifestyle gets hectic. If you find your motivation sagging, try to refocus on what skills you hope to acquire and why you wanted to take the course in the first place. Practicing good time-management skills can go a long way toward reducing your stress and keeping your enthusiasm level high.

It's easy to find companies that provide free online courses; it's a bit trickier to find those that will also provide a free certificate of completion. Here are some that fit that description:

• Coursera : Coursera offers many free certificate programs online, enabling individuals to enhance their expertise in various fields. Upon completing these courses, participants receive certificates of completion as tangible evidence of their newly acquired skills for employment opportunities.
• Saylor Academy : Saylor is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. that offers more than 70 free self-paced online courses in 18 different areas. You earn a free certificate of completion if you pass a course's final exam with a grade of at least 70 percent.
• Aquent Gymnasium : Aquent focuses on courses for digital, creative, and communications professionals. It offers nine free online courses on topics like web design and content development. If you score at least 85 percent on the final exam, you get a free certificate of excellence.
• Oxford Home Study Centre : UK-based Oxford Home Study Centre offers more than two dozen free online courses that come with certificates of completion. A wide range of courses is available, from marketing and business management to fashion design and public relations.
• Stanford Online : This site hosts online courses taught by Stanford faculty. Some (but not all) are free and offer a Statement of Accomplishment to those who meet certain criteria.

Free Online Courses in Business and Management

1. Supply Chain Management

Learn how to manage the logistics of getting a product from manufacturers to delivery services to stores and ultimately to consumers. You'll focus on the mechanics of a working supply chain and the process of sourcing operations.

2. Introduction to Marketing and Strategy

Figure out best practices by scrutinizing the branding and product positioning techniques of some of today's most successful companies. This beginner-level course includes instruction in market research, pricing, communications, and more.

3. Event Management

Weddings, festivals, and corporate parties all rely on an event manager's expertise to handle the details and make sure things go off without a hitch. This free course teaches the fundamentals of event creation along with strategies for effective event marketing. The course is designed to be 20 hours long, and no prior experience is required.

4. Business Law

Explore the laws and ethical standards that businesses must abide by. This course takes about 49 hours to complete and covers topics like dispute resolution, torts, contracts, property law, and business ethics. Through it, you can develop a solid understanding of the legal framework that protects both consumers and businesses.

5. Small Business Management

Discover the key steps involved in starting and running a business. You'll learn about creating a plan, assembling a team, and securing financing. You'll also get lessons on how to be an effective leader.

6. Introduction to Accounting and Finance

Do you wish you knew more about cash flow statements and balance sheets? This course provides an overview of the accounting process and the fundamentals of analyzing financial statements and markets.

Free Online Courses in Computer Science

7. Introduction to Computer Science

Learn the basic concepts of computers and computing. A beginner class specifically designed for students with no programming experience, this course provides an introduction to software development, object-oriented programming, the fundamentals of Java, user-defined methods, and arrays. Completing all course units requires about 52 hours.

8. Responsive Web Design Fundamentals

Learn what goes into making content look great across different devices. This web design fundamentals course is designed for front-end developers as well as web designers with coding experience. The course covers topics like designing with flexible grids, creating layouts that incorporate typography and fluid media, and using CSS media queries. By the end of the course, you will have built a responsive website from scratch.

9. JavaScript and jQuery Survival Guide

This course uses exercises and coding examples to teach students best practices for adding or changing interactive elements on a website. You'll see how the JavaScript console fits into the front-end web development process and how it can be used to debug problems. You'll need basic-to-intermediate experience with HTML and CSS; knowing the basics of JavaScript will also come in handy.

10. Computer Architecture

Study the complex interactions between hardware and software. Lessons cover a number of important features in computer architecture, including processor arithmetic, pipelining, memory management, and storage, among others. Expect to spend 109 hours to complete this course. You'll need to be a confident programmer with experience in a high-level language such as C or C++.

11. Introduction to the Internet of Things

Get an overview of the technologies that underpin today's increasingly interconnected devices. This free course focuses on sensors, circuits, networks, embedded systems, and applications.

Free Online Courses in Communication

12. Writing for Web and Mobile

Use data from tools like Google Analytics and Google Keyword Planner to help you write content that your customers want to read. This course will show you how to craft compelling content for email messages, blog posts, and more. A Google Analytics or Google Drive account is recommended, but it is not required.

13. Public Speaking

Examine the elements and factors that go into a persuasive speech. This course looks at audience analysis techniques, the importance of listening, and how you can train yourself to speak confidently. You will identify effective speaking techniques and learn how to construct informative and persuasive speeches. The 15 units should take about 92 hours in total to complete.

14. Public Relations

Do you understand the differences between public relations, advertising, and publicity? This course will teach you about the role of public opinion in business success and the importance of reputation management. You'll learn about various PR tools and get a broad overview of public relations in general. No experience is required, and you can start at any time.

15. Professional Writing

Find out how to craft clear and effective business documents like email messages and presentations. This four-hour course will show you how to tailor your writing to your audience and how to polish your text so that it has an impact.

Free Online Courses in Science

16. Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology

Get a detailed introduction to the structure and function of biological macromolecules and cellular components. This course will teach you about proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids; you will also learn about cellular metabolism, genetics, and mitosis and meiosis.

17. Climate Change and the Cryosphere

Analyze the impacts of climate change. This course looks at how the melting of ice and snow is affecting the planet's climate, ecosystems, and people.

18. Introduction to Electromagnetism

Study waves and oscillations in extended objects and learn about the laws that govern static electricity and magnetism. This course also covers optics and gives a brief overview of Einstein's theory of special relativity. The average student takes about 97 hours to complete all units in this course. A basic understanding of calculus and classic mechanics is required.

19. Introduction to Cosmology

Begin exploring the formation and development of the universe. This introductory course focuses on stars, planets, galaxies, and how the night sky changes over time.

20. General Chemistry

Delve into the structure, properties, and behavior of matter. Learn how atoms behave, get an introduction to chemical equations, and investigate different chemical reactions.

Free Online Courses in Education

21. Language and Literacy in Education

Boost your ability to support language development in K-12 students. You'll see how linguistic principles relate to classroom teaching. You'll also explore issues of dialect variation and second language learning.

22. Teaching Assistant

Get a broad overview of the role of a teaching assistant. You'll learn about the duties of the position as well as the skills that are required.

Free Online Courses in the Social Sciences

23. Introduction to Western Political Thought

From Plato to Rousseau, this course looks at the major texts and figures in the history of political thought. Topics include power, justice, rights, law, and other issues relating to political science. You can learn how different views of human nature inform government design and the relationship between the citizen and the state.

24. Democratic Development

Examine the cultural, political, social, institutional, economic, and international forces that affect the development of democracy. You'll explore issues related to legitimacy, inequality, ethnicity, corruption, and other areas.

25. Turning Points in Modern History

Look at 24 critical moments in history and see how they formed the world as we know it today. This course focuses on the period from the 15th century to the present. It examines events like the American Revolution, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the emergence of social media.

26. Principles of Microeconomics

Analyze the choices and decisions individuals make to manage scarce resources after evaluating resources, costs, and trade-offs. Learn about consumer and producer behavior, the nature of supply and demand, and the different kinds of markets and how they function. This course is made up of seven units that take approximately 83 hours to complete.

27. Introduction to Psychology

Build a base of knowledge in the discipline's key areas, including memory, language, thinking, learning, and cognitive development. This beginner course lays a foundation for further study in psychology.

28. Ethics and Public Policy

Explore the impact that ethical, religious, moral, and cultural principles have on public policy development. You'll consider issues like equality, justice, freedom, security, and human rights.

Free Online Courses in Art and Design

29. Art Appreciation

This art appreciation course is designed for the student with limited experience in the visual arts. The course looks at the elements, methods, and media used in creative thought and processes. You will explore different visual art forms and their cultural connections. By the end of the course, you will be able to connect formal attributes of art with their meaning and expression.

30. Fashion Design

Are you curious about the workings of the modern fashion industry? Through this free course, you can learn about the business aspects of fashion and the essential principles and elements of clothing design.

31. Interior Design

Get a sense of how function, style, and mood factor into a space's overall design. In this course, you'll explore principles like scale, balance, unity, and contrast. You'll also learn about building and maintaining relationships with clients.

How Free Certifications Can Help Your Career

Getting free certifications online can confer real advantages: In a survey published in the Harvard Business Review , 72 percent of people who had completed a MOOC reported receiving career benefits as a result. And 61 percent said they'd received educational benefits.

Completing courses and getting certifications shows an employer that you are motivated, disciplined, and curious. It demonstrates that you are committed to lifelong learning and professional development. These are all things that can set you apart from other job applicants. List online courses on your resume or LinkedIn profile; they are great indicators of your drive to learn new skills and add value to a company.

Ultimately, what employers are interested in is what you can do—learning new things is great, but it's what you do with your knowledge that matters. Some courses require you to complete some sort of practical hands-on project, which can be very useful for selling yourself to an employer. But as long as you can talk about what you've learned and how your newfound skills are relevant to the job, free online certifications can be a boon to your career development.

Reach Your Goals

Exploring free online courses with certificates of completion can be worth your while if you're looking to improve your resume or learn new skills. If you're looking for more in-depth career training and more marketable credentials, then a vocational school might make sense for you. Vocational schools offer job-focused training that can prepare you for a wide range of different occupations. Start exploring programs in your area by entering your zip code into the school finder at the top of the page!

Related Articles

Where do you want to study?

What do you want to study?

What's your {{waterMark}} code?

"I recommend using Trade-Schools.net because you can find the program that you are interested in nearby or online. " Trade-Schools.net User

Get Started

What is ocw.

OCW is a free and open publication of material from thousands of MIT courses across the entire MIT curriculum. That’s courses from every MIT department and degree program, and ranging from the introductory to the most advanced graduate level. 

Each OCW course includes a syllabus, some instructional material (such as lecture notes or a reading list), and some learning activities (such as assignments or exams). Many courses also have complete video lectures , free online textbooks , and faculty teaching insights . While some OCW content is custom-created for online use, most of it comes straight from the MIT classroom.

How do I use OCW?

You can freely browse the OCW collection and use it at your own pace. There’s no signup, no enrollment, and no start or end dates.

MIT doesn’t offer credit or certificates for using OCW. Instead, use OCW to guide your own life-long learning, or use OCW to teach others. Knowledge is your reward!

OCW is made for sharing. Download and save files and complete courses for later. Send them to friends and colleagues. Modify or remix OCW content for any non-commercial use – just remember to credit OCW as the source. It’s all allowed and encouraged, per the terms of our Creative Commons license .

More details are in the Using OCW Materials FAQs.

For Teachers

The free materials on OCW are used by educators around the world in teaching, adapted and integrated into curricula that inspires and empowers learners. And by sharing MIT faculty’s teaching approaches with the world, OCW is also a setting for reflective dialog about the craft of teaching and using Open Educational Resources (OER).

We encourage you to start by exploring OCW’s Educator page which highlights content created and curated just for educators.

For Learners

When you find a course of interest, begin by skimming the syllabus and calendar. This tells you the course goals, key topics, and the sequence of what is taught and studied.

It’s up to you to decide what and how you’d like to learn. Study the materials in a course from beginning to end, or select individual concepts found in different courses. You can let your curiosity be your guide, or refer to About the MIT Curriculum to learn about degree requirements and course sequences used by MIT students.

Some popular destinations include:

• Courses with Video or Audio Lectures
• Most Popular Courses
• OCW Scholar Courses

For more inspiration, read OCW Stories from students and self-learners.

Top Frequently Asked Questions

How do I register to use MIT OpenCourseWare?

There’s no registration and no enrollment to use OCW. It’s all open! You can skim through courses, read pages, watch videos, download any files—all without registration, anytime, anywhere.

Can I get credit or certification for learning with MIT OpenCourseWare?

OCW does not offer any degree, credit, or certification. For MIT online courses with certificates of completion, visit:

• MITx Online/MITx on edX
• MITx MicroMasters
• MIT Bootcamps
• MIT Management / Sloan Executive Education

For questions about these programs, please contact them directly.

Why doesn’t every MIT OpenCourseWare course offer video lectures?

We know that video lectures are important. In recent years, OCW has substantially increased its video content. However, the high cost of video production means we can only provide video for some of the courses we publish. Your financial support can help fund more video content.

Can you suggest a sequence of courses to study?

To see what courses MIT requires for its degree programs, refer to the MIT curriculum guide and individual department and program websites . Please note that OCW cannot offer degrees or course credit.

How do I get a copy of the course pack or readings for a particular course?

The course packs or reading materials used in many MIT courses contain proprietary and copyrighted work that MIT faculty and students are only permitted to use within their classrooms. OCW cannot provide these materials under our license. Your local library may be able to help you find free copies of these works.

I have more questions…

Please see our complete Help & FAQs section, or contact us and a member of the OCW team will get back to you.

Here to help you grow

Whether you're looking to build your business, develop your career, or pick up a new digital skill, we can help you get started.

What can we help you with?

And what would you like to do?

• Show me everything
• Prepare for a new job
• Develop communication skills
• Increase my productivity
• Learn about digital marketing
• Learn coding & development skills
• Get started with artificial intelligence
• Get started with cloud computing
• Stay safe online
• Learn design skills
• Improve my digital wellbeing
• Champion diversity
• Learn about sustainability
• Understand my audience
• Start selling online
• Expand internationally
• Keep my business safe online

Grow your career

Whether you're writing your first CV or deepening your technical knowledge, our library is full of ways to sharpen your digital skillset.

Google Career Certificates

Earn a Google Career Certificate to prepare for a job in a high-growth field like Data Analytics, UX Design, and more.

Introductory digital skills courses

Get started with a range of digital skills, with entry level courses in everything from online marketing to coding.

Cloud computing fundamentals

From intro to advanced-level learning, find out more about cloud computing principles and career paths.

Google product trainings

Learn how to get the most out of the Google products you use, like Google Ads or Analytics.

Grow your business

From bringing your business online for the first time to growing its reach internationally, our library of online learning and tools can help you take your business further.

Your Digital Essentials Guide

Get an introduction to the products, tools and tips that can help you build an online presence for your small business.

Flexible online training

Learn online, at your own pace, with a library of training made to help strengthen your business with digital skills.

Resources for startups

Google for Startups connects you to the right people, products and best practices to help your business thrive.

Helpful tools for small business owners

Google Business Profile

Manage how your business shows up on Google Search and Maps to help new customers find you more easily.

Market Finder

Identify new potential markets and start selling to customers at home and around the world.

Growth stories

Meet people all over Europe who are using technology to adapt and grow their business or career.

About Grow with Google

Grow with Google is a programme that helps people to grow their careers or businesses by learning new skills and making the most of digital tools. We partner with governments and local organisations to develop digital skills and tools where they are needed most.

How to find free online courses with certificates, from COVID-19 contact tracing to computer programming

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

• Online courses sometimes offer certificates of completion to add to your LinkedIn or resume.
• You usually have to pay for certificates, but there are ways you can get them for free.
• Platforms like Coursera , FutureLearn , and LinkedIn Learning offer some free certificate courses.

One of the biggest benefits of taking online courses is getting certificates of completion to add to your LinkedIn profile or resume. For those looking to get a promotion or transition into a new career field, these can be immensely helpful tools in showing employers your initiative and growth.

While online certificates cost less than traditional college degrees, they can still get pricey — most cost a one-time or monthly fee. However, there are still a few ways to get them for free.

Below, we outlined three major ways to find free online courses with certificates (as well as some free online courses you can take to get certification.)

How to find free online courses with certificates:

Find special promotions..

At the start of the pandemic in 2020, many online learning companies offered free career courses or limited free spots to help offset unexpected layoffs. Coursera , for example, still offers free certification courses from Johns Hopkins University on COVID-19-related training, from contact tracing to safely maintaining assisted living communities . 

Others, like FutureLearn , have select sponsored campaigns that offer free digital upgrades (meaning the certificate is free), such as a computer programming class from the University of Leeds and an intro nursing course from Kings College London . You can browse all of the free certification courses on FutureLearn here .

Sometimes, some companies offer limited-time free courses around an event or promotion — LinkedIn Learning , for instance, has made trending career courses free in the past . (You can bookmark this LinkedIn blog page for future free course announcements ).

Look into financial assistance and scholarships.

While not guaranteed to be completely free, certain e-learning platforms, like edX and Coursera , may offer financial aid if you apply. They can also offer announce scholarship opportunities (like Udacity's past AWS machine learning scholarship ).

Some companies also create scholarships to directly help different communities. For example, Coursera recently announced that it plans to work with Facebook to provide "refugee and formerly incarcerated learners with free access to job-relevant learning on Coursera and career support services."

Be strategic about free trials.

Some e-learning platforms offer certificates if you complete the course before their free trial ends. LinkedIn Learning , which offers a one-month free trial, might be the best bet for this route: Its courses are naturally on the short side, so you could take a few of them in a month and get multiple certifications added to your profile. (It's also a good way to see if you'd like to pay for a subscription, which you'd need for longer learning paths, like mastering Python for a data science career .)

The bottom line

Free online courses with certificates can be a bit tricky to find, especially for the classes you really want to take. That's why it can be good to consider if you truly need the certification for what you want to learn: There are so many free courses from top universities  that can teach you invaluable skills or help you flexibly explore a new career path, even without a certificate at the end. 

• Main content

Vasco Cavalheiro - Course Creator

Online Course Creator, teaching web technologies. I taught over 100k web developers over the years, and I'm now sharing everything that I know about online teaching here at the Creator Academy.

More posts by Vasco Cavalheiro - Course Creator.

How to Offer Certificates of Completion in Your Online Course?

Learn the main reasons why it's essential for you as an online course creator to offer completion certificates in your online course.

If you are a course creator and you are not offering online course completion certificates as part of your courses, you are for sure missing out on a great opportunity.

This post teaches you how to offer certificates of completion in your online course and explains why this is important to you as a course creator and to your students.

I will also show you how to create an online course completion certificate easily towards the end of the post.

But exactly why is offering a completion certificate so important these days?

It's essential to offer your students a completion certificate together with your courses because students want to be able to prove to their current or future employers that they actually took the course that they say they took on their curriculum, and their employers expect to have a way to validate that information.

Offering certificates of completion is a great way to solve this and gives students an extra reason to both purchase and complete your courses. Not offering one could turn many students away, and the possibility of a certificate is a major factor that students take into account while purchasing a course.

These are just the main points, but now let's dive into the details. Let's talk about the types of certificates that you can offer, exactly how to offer a certificate of completion, and the many other benefits that both you and your students can get thanks to certificates.

You also don't want to miss out on my final recommendations at the end of this post.

You can also check out all the free guides that we have available here at the Course Creator Academy by clicking on the Academy link on the top menu bar.

What Is An Online Course Certificate?

An online course certificate is a reward given to students upon completion of their work. This is usually in the form of a credential (a downloadable document, typically a PDF), but it may also include other elements such as a token, gift, or some other type of reward.

A certificate's main purpose is to show that a student has finished the course and all of its lessons and assignments, especially if it is a completion certificate

This type of evidence is important because it recognizes and validates the student's full participation in that course or program and reassures the potential employer that the student has made an effort to acquire the skills taught.

Notice that, as the name indicates, the certificate of completion only confirms that the student completed the course and nothing more.

A completion certificate does not mean that the student has actually acquired the skills taught in the course.

Even though an online course completion certificate does not confirm the acquisition of competencies by the student, from the point of view of a prospective employer thinking of employing the student, it is still very interesting.

The certificate of completion acts as a proof of interest on the part of the student and also of commitment and dedication on the part of the student, showing that they are willing to spend some of their free time continuously improving their skills.

But now, back to the main question: Should you offer a certificate for your online courses?

Completion Certificates From The Course Creator's Perspective

An online course certificate may provide several advantages to a course creator in terms of results, social proof, student performance, sales, and so on.

A completion certificate can, for example:

Help foster student engagement

Improving student engagement is always a huge goal for course creators. When students feel connected, focused, and supported, and when they have some concrete goal in mind, they will learn better. Offering a certificate of completion is one way to accomplish this, as it provides additional motivation and incentive for students to remain engaged with your course. Without something to look forward to, it's easy for anyone to give up.

But a certificate can change that.

This also indirectly aids in the marketing of your course. As more students complete the course, you will have a large number of graduates to demonstrate the success of your program when marketing it. For example, claiming that "over 2000 students have graduated from my institution" can be an excellent way to market your course.

Helps facilitate referral marketing

One of the most effective methods of attracting prospects to your course is through referral marketing. This is because the 'praise' comes from a familiar face and sometimes from a trusted individual, such as friends, family, and online followers.‌‌ Every student feels excited after achieving a major goal, such as finishing a course and receiving a certificate.

There's a good chance these students will want to proudly display their certificates on social media, helping you market your course indirectly by providing social proof.

Make Your courses stand out from the competition

In a competitive market where almost everyone is now launching an online course, it becomes essential to somehow stand out.

One way to do so is to issue certificates of completion, which a lot of course creators don't do yet.

This will help your prospects distinguish you from your competitors. If students need to choose between two different courses, one with a certificate and the other without it, most students will take the course with the certificate.

Completion Certificates From The Student's Perspective

An online course certificate can also positively impact your students in multiple ways, including:

Competitive Difference

In competitive jobs, having online courses with certificates can be the distinguishing factor that puts one candidate ahead of another. In other words, online course completion certification can help your students stay competitive in a rapidly changing job market.

Let me put it to you this way: If a company was deciding between two candidates that are equal in qualifications, the only exception being that one of the candidates had done some online course work on a subject that is relevant to that job and they have a certificate to show proof that they've done this, nine times out of ten that company will hire that person.

Improve Their Resume

When you award certificates, you are helping your students in their careers, now and in the future.

For example, a student of a copywriting course, when asked about the need for a completion certificate after completing an online course. He responded:

"To add to my resume, to feel a sense of pride," he continues, "It makes me feel like I’m doing something with my life.

A certificate demonstrates that your students not only studied but also that they took the time and had the will to take the course to the end.

Demonstrates Student Interest and Commitment

When you take online courses to better yourself or improve your skills, and you have verifiable proof via a certificate that you've gone through the content, and you've done the assignments and learned the materials, at minimum, you're signaling to prospective employers that you're the type of person that tries to keep their skills up to date over time.

Your students enroll in your course for a reason. It could be to assist them in getting a promotion, a new job, or even launching a new career. Giving them a certificate proves they took the course.

Motivates Students To Complete The Course

By allowing classes to be done at any time, online learning requires an even greater commitment and discipline on the part of the student.

But if there's something at stake, such as earning an online course completion certificate, people tend to be far more likely to complete a course, especially in cases where a course can be taken for free, thus reducing a learner's investment in the outcome of completion.

So, online courses with certificates end up being an extra incentive for the student to complete the classes. Certificates give students personal satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.

How to Create an Online Course Completion Certificate?

So far, we've seen how online course completion certificates can benefit both you and your students. Now, we take a look at how to offer a certificate of completion.

Ideally, you don't want to manage this manually, as it would be a huge drain on your time that you need to create new courses.

So what you need is an online course hosting platform with integrated certificates that the students can download after completing every lesson.

Because this is such an important feature of a platform, you will usually have to pay for a plan of over $100 per month just to get access to certificates.

But I'm going to show you a much more affordable alternative, using the OnlineCourseHost.com white-label online course platform. You can provide multiple digital assets to your students upon completion of courses.

When your student completes a course, they'll be able to unlock digital assets.

• They can either download their course completion certificate. And to add more weight to their certificates, you can also add a short quiz and give certificates to those who pass. Or you can put a necessary condition to get approved assignments before getting your certificate.
• Students get a digital certificate proof link to show their employees or seniors that they’ve acquired a skill. This is helpful for students to prove credibility during a job interview.
• You also get an option to give an attachable batch that your students can put on their websites or any online profile.
• And students can add their certificates to LinkedIn (or any other social media platform) in one click.

Let me show you how each works. After finishing the course, the digital assets section will be unlocked, they can click on "get digital assets"

Your students will be taken to this screen:

Here's how what the employers/recruiters will see after clicking on the proof link:

And here's how embeddable HTML looks:

Students can simply scroll down and click on "get embed code," and paste it on their websites.

Finally, when they click on the "Add to Profile" LinkedIn button, they'll be taken to their LinkedIn profile, and they can save their certificate.

So you see how easy and effective it is to give digital assets to your students using OnlineCourseHost.com. What's more, your students can leverage these assets to get great opportunities.

Final Recommendations

It's now easy to see why so many course creators would prefer to offer completion certificates for their courses.

As a creator myself, I offer certificates for my courses, and I recommend that you to do that as well.

There are just so many advantages for both you and your students that it's a no-brainer for both sides.

The only issue with certificates is that sometimes it can be quite expensive to just be able to offer them on most course platforms.

If you are looking for an affordable and super easy-to-use online course platform for publishing your courses and generating a certificate of completion, check out my platform OnlineCourseHost.com , which includes a ton of other features that you will need, including email marketing (newsletters).

More than just a platform, we want to provide you with all of the information you need to successfully grow your online course business, including how to offer certificates of completion in your online course using our platform.

That is why we created the Course Creator Academy , a free resource where you can find everything you need to become a successful online course creator.

If you'd like to be notified when new guides and useful content on online course creation become available at the Academy, you can sign up here:

‌‌If you are looking to ask any questions on online course creation, you can reach me here on my Facebook group:

Join the Course Creator Academy Facebook Group

Here are some of our other popular articles and guides:

• Is Skillshare Worth It For Teachers? (Instructor Opinion)
• How To Create An Online Course (In 15 Super-Practical Steps)
• How To Choose An Online Course Topic That Sells
• Affordable Online Course Equipment - Complete Practical Guide
• The Ultimate Online Course Launch Checklist
• How To Create The Perfect Online Course Sales Page
• Create A Powerful Brand For Your Online Courses (In 5 Steps)
• How To Sell Online Courses? The Ultimate Guide
• How To Promote Your Online Course - Complete Guide

I hope you found this post on how to offer a certificate of completion in your online course helpful, let me know in the comments below what other topics you would like me to cover or any questions that you have.

Thanks for reading… enjoy the course creation process! 😉

Vasco Cavalheiro

OnlineCourseHost.com Founder & Online Course Creator

LinkedIn Facebook Page Facebook Group Twitter

Free Course Creation Guides

• How To Create An Online Course?
• How to Sell Online Courses?
• How To Choose An Online Course Topic
• Affordable Online Course Equipment
• More Free Guides

All Categories

Subscribe to Course Creators Academy

Stay up to date! Get all the latest & greatest posts delivered straight to your inbox

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to content

How To Create Custom Certificates of Completion For Your Online Courses

Did you know that over 90% of free online courses are not completed? Even when people are paying and investing their money over 50% still don’t complete online courses they have enrolled in.

Part of the problem is online courses take a lot of self-discipline, particularly if they involve learning difficult technical or entrepreneurial skills.

But as an online teacher and educator, there is a lot you can do to create structure and accountability to ensure more of your students get full value from your online courses.

One of the ways you can do that is through regular assessments, accountability systems and action-oriented creative projects throughout the course.

It also really helps to have a valuable certificate of completion at the end of the course that your students can use on their resume, display on their LinkedIn or in their digital portfolio.

But how do you setup a system to issue online certifications of completion when students finish your course?

Creating An Online Course Certification of Completion:

Setting up an certification of completion for your online course is pretty easy. You can use drag-and-drop design tools or use more advanced tools to automate the credential process.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Canva : Design Certifications With An Easy Drag-And-Drop Builder

Canva is a free drag-and-drop tool that allows you to create visually attractive certificates for your online courses in just a few minutes.

2. Adobe Spark : Create Your Own Certificates From Beautifully Designed Templates

Similar to Canva, Adobe Spark also has beautifully designed templates that you can use to give your students certificates of completion when they finish your online courses.

3. Accredible : An Automated System For Issuing Badges and Certificates

As you are scaling your online teaching business, you won’t want to have to produce an individual certificate for every student that finishes your course. That’s when you’re going to want to use a more automated platform like Accredible.

Try out these different online course certification tools and see which one is best for your needs.

If you want to discover more great tools for making online courses and selling them to a wider audience, download my free Edupreneur’s Toolkit .

You may also like

The 10 Best Online Community Platforms For Group Coaching

Why Group Business Coaching is 10x Better Than Courses

The 5 Best Online Course And Group Coaching Platforms For Creators

Leave a comment cancel reply.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Adding {{itemName}} to cart

Added {{itemName}} to cart

You’re using an older browser version. Update to the latest version of Google Chrome , Safari , Mozilla Firefox , or  Microsoft Edge for the best site experience.

• eLearning Blog
• eLearning Basics
• Instructional Design
• Corporate Training
• Course Selling
• Manufacturing
• Products iSpring Suite iSpring Learn
• Use Cases Onboarding Compliance Training Induction Training Product Training Channel Partner Training Sales Training Microlearning Mobile Learning
• Company About Us Case Studies Customers Partnership Course Development Contact Us Academy Blog Webinars Guides
• Community Academy Blog Webinars Guides Experts on iSpring
• Language EN English Français Deutsch Español Italiano Nederlands Português Polski 中文 日本語 العربية Indonesia
• Shopping Cart

Free Online eLearning Conference | May 2nd–3rd

iSPRING DAYS 2024

Seize the human-centric future of learning

The 10 Free Pre-Designed Completion Certificate Templates and How to Create Them

Summary: In this article, you’ll get 10 free, pre-designed completion certificate templates that you can use right away, plus also learn how to create your own, customizable template in seconds.

Remember the pride and excitement you felt when you were rewarded for an outstanding achievement or hard work? A gold star in elementary school, your high school diploma, a college degree, or an athletic trophy… In those moments, everyone feels a surge of energy and a hundredfold motivation to do even more. This is a feeling that we never really outgrow!

If you offer professional development courses or learning programs, run online courses, teach students, and still don’t celebrate their achievements, read on to discover the easiest way to recognize their efforts — with a completion certificate.

What Is a Certificate of Completion? 

A certificate of completion is an official document awarded to learners who have successfully completed training (whether it’s a short course or an extensive L&D program). The requirements for certification can vary: often learners or students need to achieve a certain score, but sometimes simply completing the training is sufficient.

Such a document typically consists of the name of the company issuing the certificate of completion, the learner’s name, the course title, and the completion date. It might also include the overall score, expiration date, and some security elements, such as a completion certificate ID, watermark, embossed seal, or holographic image.

An example of a printable certificate of completion issued by iSpring

Why Certificates of Completion Matter

While not all course providers issue completion certificates, in fact they mean more than just a formal conclusion of a training program. Here are the key benefits that certificates bring to both learners and trainers:

By issuing certificates, you can gain a solid reputation as a provider of quality training. A printable certificate of completion adds value to any online course . It can demonstrate that you hold certain standards in your programs, which increases trust in your brand and can also provide a competitive advantage, making your training stand out from competitors who don’t offer such credentials. 

Rewarding a learner’s hard work and achievement will also drive their motivation, encourage them to take training more seriously, and, thus, help you achieve high completion rates.

An official certificate of completion demonstrates that learners invested time and effort in a training program and always serves as a tangible proof of acquired knowledge and skills, giving a real boost to someone’s resume and helping them land a good job in the future.

10 Free Certificate of Completion Templates

If you aren’t impressed with the default design options for certificates of completion that are available in MS Word and still don’t have time to search for an online certificate maker and create eye-catching completion certificate templates yourself, our designers have created 10 free certificate templates in different styles that you can save and use right away! Check them out:

1. Classic and traditional

Download the template for free →

This is a universal course completion certificate template with a solid, traditional feel that makes it perfect for both academic and corporate training courses.

All you need to do is download the completion template, fill in the required fields, and change the certificate design a bit if needed. Or, if you want to upload it to the LMS, leave the variables exactly as they are for automatic substitution.

2. Modern and creative

This eye-catching certificate completion template looks great for design-oriented disciplines, digital art courses, marketing training programs, or any subject that encourages creativity and modernity.

After downloading, you’ll be able to change the color scheme and fonts if needed.

3. Academic

This completion template features a classic design with a muted color scheme that gives it an academic vibe.

It’s a great choice for universities, colleges, and educational institutions that award a certificate for academic achievement.

4. Minimalistic

5. Business

This completion template is perfect for formal corporate training, such as for completing some professional development courses, finishing a difficult project, or certifications. It has a rather serious look that’s just right for a business environment.

Once you save the free certificate, you can easily insert your signature, add more text blocks, or remove unnecessary ones.

How to Create a Certificate of Completion in MS Word

If you want to create your own course completion certificate template, there are many tools that can help you with that, including Canva, Certifier, Visme, or any other online certificate maker that helps create customizable certificates. However, you can create one in a matter of minutes with no special software, by using the familiar MS Word. We’ll show you how:

Step 1. Open MS Word and choose a template

First, open MS Word, select File in the top ribbon, and click on New . In the opened window, you’ll see plenty of templates that MS Word offers, from cover letters and student reports to party invitations, banner calendars, and gift certificates.

In the search bar, enter “certificate” and select the most appropriate template:

Step 2. Customize the certificate of completion

Once you open a default template, you can customize it: change text, remove unnecessary parts, or add something new (your own photos, a signature, or a logo, for example).

To customize text, simply click on the field you want to change and start typing. If you need to add a new form field, go to Insert → Text → Text Box , and click Draw Text Box :

Note : If you use a learning management system (LMS) or other program to issue completion certificates automatically, it’s important to create a completion template in which the specific details about the learner and the training would substitute automatically, without you having to do so manually.

For this to happen, you need to enter variables in a particular format. For example, iSpring Learn LMS recognizes the following variables:

• %NAME% — the first and last name of the learner who completed specific course
• %COURSE NAME% — the title of the course or training
• %DURATION% — the amount of time the learner spent to complete your course
• %AWARDED_SCORE% — awarded score points

Learn about even more variables to personalize your certificate in iSpring Learn →

Add all the necessary information you want to include in your completion certificate by adding new text boxes. Here’s what we have:

If you’ve done everything right, this is what your printable certificate of completion might look like:

Step 3. Save your completion certificate template

If you’re satisfied with the result, save your completion template in .docx or .pdf format on your computer. Select File → Save As → This PC , choose an appropriate folder, and click Save .

Step 4. Upload your certificate of completion to an LMS

Once you’ve created your course completion certificate template, you can upload it to your LMS. In iSpring Learn , you can upload .pdf and .docx certificates, which will be delivered to your learners for the successful completion of courses and training programs. So, if you use this LMS, follow these steps:

1.  Go to the Settings section and open the Additional Options tab. 

2. Then click Certificates → Add Certificate .

3. Click on the Browse… button and select a file. Then, create a name for the completion certificate and click on Upload File . The certificate of completion will now be added to your iSpring Learn account.

Perfect! Now you have your own custom course completion certificate that you can issue to your learners automatically.

You can also create completion certificate templates using MS PowerPoint. The overall process is pretty much the same.

That’s it! We hope you find a certificate of completion design that is perfect for your needs, and that our clear-cut instructions will help you create beautiful certificates on your own. Download our free package of certificate templates at once and share your thoughts in the comment section!

for your mission-critical project

Content creator:

Christine Quinn

Inspired by EdTech, she enjoys discovering eLearning trends and providing insights to help our readers create impactful learning experiences.

You might also like this

Subscribe to our blog

Stay tuned to get our latest eLearning tips and tricks!

By clicking “Subscribe”, you agree to our Privacy Policy . All emails include an unsubscribe link, so that you can opt-out at any time.

We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website and also for analytics and marketing purposes. You can enable or disable optional cookies as desired. See our Cookie Policy for more details.

Manage your cookies

Essential cookies are always on. You can turn off other cookies if you wish.

Essential cookies

Analytics cookies

Social media cookies

For online courses, what counts as completion?

Why the definition of course completion depends on the learner.

By Meghan Perdue

Since the first massive open online courses (MOOCs) were published, a large share of the MOOC research has focused on understanding learner completion. Or more specifically, why a relatively small number of learners complete MOOCs, while most do not. In these papers, completion is typically defined in the same way: when learners earn a certificate of completion.

Researchers have theorized models of engagement, categorized learners based on their behavior, and they have used artificial intelligence to predict at what point a learner will drop out. Others have investigated the personal characteristics and qualities of learners, like grit, goal orientation, and academic efficacy. Interventions have been waged, to try to help learners follow through to completion. But do learners think about MOOC completion in the same way that researchers do? Is this the way they understand their own experience of taking MOOCs?

To answer this question, I interviewed fifteen learners who had enrolled in five MITx MOOCs about the courses they had taken. In these interviews, we had wide-ranging conversations about why they sign up for MOOCs, how they work through the courses, and what they hope to get out of them. I also asked:

• When they felt they had “completed” a course
• When and why they tried to earn a certificate for a course
• If they had ever “dropped out” of a course and why

When I asked learners what it meant to complete a course, they mostly said that they had participated in as much of the course as was of interest to them. This amount could vary a lot, depending on whether someone wanted to take the whole course, or perhaps just a specific part of a course. Regardless, the learners I spoke with reported similar reasons for dropping out of a course, or not finishing it to their initial idea of completion.

One common reason was that unexpected conflicts arose that took priority over the course. As one learner said, “I want to complete them most of the time, but I have my work assignments, I have a family to look after, and I have all those requirements and then also do courses.”

Another common reason for not completing a MOOC was because the course wasn’t what they were looking for. Perhaps it was too hard, too easy, or didn’t cover the material that they originally thought that it would. Sometimes learners admitted that they dropped out of a course because they lost interest or slacked off.

A variety of reasons for course completion

Before they commit to completing a MOOC, many learners will audit it first so they can review the course materials. This free audit helps them determine whether they want to pursue the course more seriously. One learner credited faculty members as a deciding factor in taking the course, saying that “[a faculty member] who is really engaged, and seems to know their subject matter and loves teaching” was a reason they decided to take the course.

Often, learners decided to continue to audit the courses saying they would “complete as much as I can access for free.” Most of the MITx courses have some degree of content gating, so learners can’t access all of the materials for free unless they pay to for a verified status which allows them to earn a certificate. Some learners will even pay for verified status — not to earn a certificate — but so that they can access all of the course on their own timeline. Or as one learner put it, “I think for me, the problem is not the certificate, I want to have full access to all the content, that is why I pay the fee.”

For learners who did choose to earn a certificate, they justified why they chose to earn it. One potential reason for earning a certificate is a personal sense of accomplishment.One learner said, “I think if one has a certificate, it also gives a sense of achievement, although maybe it won’t matter much at my level, I still felt like happy [because] okay, I’ve done this.’”

But not everyone felt this way. Some learners needed more of a professional motivation to earn a certificate. As one person explained, “For work purposes, certificates are still important, but for personal things, I don’t think it is important. I mean, it’s cool to show family and friends, but in the end, it doesn’t affect much.” Others decided to earn the certificate in case it became handy for future career aspirations, even if they didn’t currently have a use for it. Some even earned a certificate, but still didn’t feel that they had actually completed the course to their satisfaction. One person said, “I wasn’t able to submit the essay on time, because I was working on the policy paper [for work] and they had the same deadlines, but I had already received a passing grade. You know, maybe I will still write that essay though, and try to publish it somewhere else.”

Learner accountability

These conversations suggest that learners thinking about completion and certification are fairly nuanced. Most learners create their own terms for completion and hold themselves accountable to this regardless of whether they earn a certificate or not. MOOC learners are engaged in a fluid and ongoing experience of lifelong learning that extends beyond the timeline or expectations of a single course. This raises interesting questions about how to design MOOCs for these learners, perhaps by using the MOOC as a jumping off point for giving learners lots of ways to dive deeper into different areas of study in the future.

This research was presented at the 9th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’23). The proceedings can be accessed at the HEAd website .

Research was sponsored by the United States Air Force Research Laboratory and the Department of the Air Force Artificial Intelligence Accelerator and was accomplished under Cooperative Agreement Number FA8750–19–2–1000. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the Department of the Air Force or the U.S. Government.

For online courses, what counts as completion? was originally published in MIT Open Learning on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Open Learning newsletter

Business Administration

Jump-start your career by pursuing your degree or certificate in small business management, entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, and more through our free online courses in business administration and management. You can earn a free certificate of completion for any of these online Business Administration courses, or use many of them to earn credit in leading college programs.

In our Business Administration courses, you will learn to:

• manage and lead a project, including controlling costs and engaging stakeholders;
• learn the skills of a financial manager and how an organization's structure affects its financial decisions;
• create a technology strategy for an organization to launch or grow a business; and
• perform statistical analyses in a business environment.

BUS101: Introduction to Business

• Time: 62 hours
• College Credit Recommended ($25 Proctor Fee) -->
• Free Certificate

BUS103: Introduction to Financial Accounting

• Time: 72 hours

BUS105: Managerial Accounting

• Time: 53 hours

BUS200: Business Ethics

• Time: 22 hours

BUS202: Principles of Finance

• Time: 63 hours

BUS203: Principles of Marketing

• Time: 31 hours

BUS204: Business Statistics

BUS205: Business Law

• Time: 42 hours

BUS206: Management Information Systems

• Time: 57 hours

BUS208: Principles of Management

• Time: 77 hours

BUS209: Organizational Behavior

• Time: 48 hours

BUS210: Business Communication

• Time: 33 hours

BUS300: Operations Management

• Time: 54 hours

BUS301: Human Resource Management

• Time: 88 hours

BUS303: Strategic Information Technology

• Time: 35 hours

BUS305: Small Business Management

• Time: 98 hours

BUS401: Management Leadership

• Time: 96 hours

BUS402: Project Management

BUS403: Negotiations and Conflict Management

• Time: 24 hours

BUS501: Strategic Management

• Time: 45 hours

BUS502: Strategic Marketing

• Time: 47 hours

BUS601: Financial Management

• Time: 55 hours

BUS602: Marketing Management

BUS603: Managing People

• Time: 66 hours

BUS604: Innovation and Sustainability

BUS605: Strategic Project Management

• Time: 44 hours

BUS606: Operations and Supply Chain Management

BUS607: Data-Driven Decision-Making

• Time: 40 hours

BUS608: Ethical and Strategic Management

• Time: 69 hours

BUS610: Business Intelligence and Analytics

• Time: 83 hours

BUS611: Data Management

BUS612: Data-Driven Communications

• Time: 32 hours

BUS613: Advanced International Business

• Time: 20 hours

BUS614: International Finance

• Time: 27 hours

BUS615: International Marketing

BUS630: Consumer Behavior

BUS643: Leading Organizational Change

CUST105: Customer Service

• Time: 26 hours

18 Completion Certificate Templates

Explore 18 professional and customizable completion certificate templates, perfect for training, workshops, and courses. Learn how easy it is to create and issue professional certifications that motivate learners and boost course recognition.

Author Aksen Semak

Updated: April 22, 2024

Aksen Semak

Trusted by:

Table of contents

Are you about to organize a training program, workshop, or academic course? Certify your participants! You don’t have to spend hours manually creating each one. 

Use one of the editable completion certificate templates to congratulate the attendees. It really can take only a few steps. 

Creating completion certificates is super simple when using the right tool

Use Certifier – an online certificate maker that comes with an abundance of completion certificate templates. They’re fully customizable, and you can create your own with ease.

Designing is simple and doesn’t require any technical or graphic knowledge.

How to download and customize the completion certificate templates?

Choose a certificate template.

Sign up to Certifier.

Customize the design – add the company's logo, signatures, and all the details.

Upload the recipients' data.

Generate hundreds of certificates in one go.

Do you want to know what template options you have? Visit Certifier’s certificate template library to see the newest collection. In the meanwhile, check your options here.

18 completion certificate templates

If you like one, feel free to edit it as you need. Don’t forget to add your logo or course name for bigger recognition.

#1 Professional and classy webinar certificate template

The patterned background and ornate details give it a classy feel, appropriate for professional settings. It can acknowledge serious achievements with a certificate of completion design. But if you feel like using it for different purposes — the sky is the limit. Adjust it as you like.

#2 Formal and modern webinar certificate template

If you’re up to a clean and straightforward certificate of completion design, maybe you should give it a go. You can use it for formal educational or professional training. But it would work well for both gift certificates and as a certificate of achievement at work or school.

#3 Modern and creative certificate of training template

Looking for beautiful certificates with some fun accents? Try it out. The modern, eye-catching certificate from Certifier might be a good choice for celebrating big wins at work or school. Also, you can add some more elements to this certificate – Certifier makes it easy to customize.

#4 Formal and stylish certificate of training template

Is your training or course in the dark academia vibe? Maybe this template will appeal to your attendees. Use it for special company training, workshops, webinars, or whatever you want. It’s elegant and classic and blends formality with a touch of creativity. The use of abstract shapes and a soft color palette makes it approachable and subtle at the same time.

#5 Formal and classic training certificate template

This navy certificate looks very smart when printed. It suits formal recognition events at corporations and acknowledges employee training or development milestones. The sophisticated style and color scheme give it a solid, traditional feel.

#6 Formal and professional CPD certificate template

Designed for serious occasions like seminars or certifications. The template’s classic blue and white color scheme conveys trust and authority. Adding CPD points and a clear, official look makes it an ideal choice for professionals furthering their expertise and qualifications in their respective fields.

#7 Simple and clean training certificate template

It can be used for high-level recognitions such as funding winners, government events, and work achievements. It is free, fully customizable, and carries an authentic feel, perfect for formal recognition within professional environments​.

#8 Simple and minimalist certificate of training template

Since it is so classic and simple, it is ideal for expressing appreciation in various settings, such as charity events and workplace awards. Change the colors, and adjust the elements and orientation. Fonts are customizable as well.

#9 Professional and stylish CPD certificate template

This template is perfect for business awards and institutional recognitions. The professional and elegant presentation makes it a great choice for workplace or educational seminars. The template is free to customize and easy to send, so it’s a practical choice for acknowledging participation in training programs​.

#10 Classic and professional CPD certificate template

If you need a fresh take on the traditional professional completion certificate, it might be it. The template’s up-to-date look fits most school and job settings. Tweak it online and mix new styles with real use. It's one of Certifier’s printable certificate templates that you can turn into a proper certificate document, perfect for praising someone's hard work or congratulating them on their achievement. 

#11 Modern and bright training certificate template

It will add a fresh and vibrant touch to any training program. It’s an excellent option for modern, forward-thinking institutions. The template is also super practical since you can customize it as your heart desires. 

#12 Modern and captivating course certificate template

Create a sleek certificate of appreciation or successful completion for any course with this template. It's the perfect fit for seminars, workshops, online courses, and pretty much everywhere where recognizing effort and attendance is needed.

#13 Modern and attractive certificate of achievement template

Want to recognize someone’s success for a professional milestone or an academic achievement? Use this template. There's no doubt they'll get the recognition they deserve. ​You can tailor it to your needs in no time, ensuring each certificate of completion reflects the course's unique nature and the recipient's accomplishment​.

#14 Modern and atmospheric achievement certificate template

Available for quick customization, the template makes a certificate of achievement a formal acknowledgment and a beautiful keepsake. Feel free to use it as a certificate of appreciation and completion and add a memorable element to the celebration. 

#15 Professional certificate of training template

Ideally, the template should be used for formal professional training programs or workshops. But if you find it suitable somewhere else, go for it! The elegant design with space for two logos makes it a solution for established organizations or educational institutes. Getting a certification like this is a great reward for professional development.

#16 Formal and ornate course certificate template

With its ornate design and a prominent area for the school logo, it is perfect for academic achievements. It would be a go-to for a certificate of excellence in a specific course or a diploma for completing an extensive academic program.

#17 Formal and traditional certificate of participation template

Are you running a webinar or a short course? Do you prefer a simple design? This template might be something you’ve been looking for. The modern certificate layout suits creative and less formal educational settings or corporate training sessions.

#18 Modern and fancy webinar certificate template

Create your certificate with ease using this template. It is a good choice for fun, modern webinars or online classes. Its playful layout and light colors make it a printable certificate that adds a modern touch to any casual learning session. 

Why is it worth giving completion certificates to the participants?

Not sure if you want to engage in creating completion certificates? Here are some really good reasons:

They provide proof of participation

When someone receives a certificate, it's a clear sign that they were part of something big (like a training program, for example). In professional settings, it also shows dedication and a proactive attitude, and for students or learners, it's concrete proof of their involvement and useful for portfolios or academic records. 

So, when prospective attendees look for a workshop, they tend to look for certified ones. As you inform beforehand that yours ends with a certificate, people might choose you over your competitor.

People feel motivated to develop their skills more

Getting a certificate is a reward for their hard work. A good feeling like this can push them to keep learning and growing and complete more courses. 

It is a kind of cycle of learning and achievement – as people gain more skills, they earn more certificates, motivating them even more. Maybe if they like your course, they will choose one of your other courses as well?

Certificates add value to resumes and professional profiles

Who doesn’t want to share their achievements, like finishing a difficult project or course, on LinkedIn or other social media profiles? 

On top of that, certificates of completion show participants are eager to learn and complete tasks. And that’s a great catch for potential employers or others in someone’s field. It can open doors to new opportunities. 

Your courses gain more recognition 

It all depends on how you design your certificate. If you have an editable certificate template, you can add your logo, the name of the course, or some other details. And when attendees share their certificates on social media, others see it. 

Choose the template and award your participants

Academic certificates, formal documents, and even excellent employee certificates – Certifier has got your back with those. Choose one of the customizable certificates, and award the attendees for their hard work.

Digital marketing expert. At Certifier, Aksen applies his knowledge to promote the company's digital credentialing solutions, ensuring that the revolutionary aspects of Certifier's software are communicated clearly and effectively to the global market.

Share this article

• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Parents & Families
• Employers & Partners

Information for

• Request Info
• Academics & Research >
• Graduate Education >
• Graduate Programs >
• Online Programs

Flexible, High-Quality Programs to Advance Your Career

Find an Online Program Corporate Partners Graduate Admissions

Today’s work landscape is constantly evolving, making it challenging to stay a step ahead and successfully differentiate yourself as the “best candidate” for that promotion or new position.

Early and mid-career professionals need to keep their skills and industry knowledge up to date, acumen sharp, and build connections that will help them excel in their field and achieve their career goals. And they need the ability to do it on their own time–while working full time and enjoying home life–without settling for a lower quality education.

Clarkson’s online master’s, certificate and micro-credential programs offer the high-quality and reputable education we’re known for – taught by experienced faculty with decades of teaching and industry experience – in a flexible and easily accessible format.

Because in 2024, it isn’t just about “work-life” balance. It’s about work-life-study balance.

Office of Graduate Admissions   Email : [email protected]   Phone : 518-631-9831

Request Info Apply Now

Online Graduate Programs

Clarkson University’s fully online degree programs, courses and continuing education options allow you to advance your career through every stage — whether you’re new to the workforce and looking to set yourself up for future opportunities or a seasoned professional looking to land a promotion.

We created our online graduate programs with professionals in mind. As you have unique lives and personal objectives for advancing your education, our online programs offer maximum flexibility so you can earn a reputable degree that fits into your daily life. 

You can feel confident knowing you'll leave Clarkson with a valuable set of skills. In 2023, the Princeton Review included us in their "Best Career Services" and "Best Alumni Network" rankings. *And, for students prioritizing high earnings and economic mobility over other factors, Clarkson ranked tenth nationally for universities with less than 10,000 students and more than fifty percent STEM graduates in the New York Times 2023 rankings .

How Online Learning at Clarkson Works

We’re a community of collaborative innovators striving to make an impact through our work — whether in the lab, the boardroom or the field. That mindset remains steadfast no matter where we are: in our online courses, students continue growing their skills alongside other driven, creative individuals while learning from world-renowned faculty.

Fully Online

We currently offer 10+ master’s programs and 13 certificate programs that can be completed fully online. These programs allow you to further your education in a number of areas like engineering, computer science, data science and business.

Course Structure

Our online graduate degree programs combine synchronous and asynchronous learning. Typically, you’ll participate in one live virtual class each week; however, we record the lecture for those unable to attend this time slot. As a result, some students are able to complete their degrees entirely asynchronously.

Part- And Full-Time Study

Most working professionals are interested in part-time study. Our online graduate programs are flexible, so you can take just one course at a time, take on a full-time course schedule, or take time off if needed. Your academic advisor will help you plan out your course schedule and make changes to your degree plan, if needed.

Online Courses and Professional Development

We’re here whenever your skills need a refresh. And, as America’s Corporate Partner University, we collaborate with employers to create fully online professional development programs for their workforce.

Individual Courses

Clarkson offers fully online or paired online courses to currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students. Check availability for the fall, spring and summer semesters.

Advanced Certificates

Broaden your knowledge base or pivot to an emerging field. For candidates holding a bachelor’s degree, our advanced certificates introduce you to business fundamentals or applications in supply chain management, human resources, data analytics, healthcare management and other areas. And if you decide to move forward with a master’s degree upon completion of the certificate, you can apply those credits towards your degree!

Micro-Credentials

Specialize your engineering and technical knowledge, explore the foundations of leadership or get a glimpse of what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur. Taught by Clarkson faculty, our micro-credentials are open to alumni and working professionals, as well as current students. Contact the Office of Micro-credentials at [email protected] for more information.

Take the Next Step

Access a Clarkson education at any professional stage, in a format convenient to you.

50+ Free Online Courses with Certificate of Completion

Finding free online courses with free certificates is not an easy task. You might be utterly confused if you Google, you will get tons of search results with free online courses. But almost all courses have hidden costs. Sometimes courses are partially free and you need to pay for full access (e.g.: Coursera), and sometimes courses are free but certificates are paid (e.g.: Edx). So finding free certifications online can be a hectic task. The good news is, there still are tons of free online courses with certificates of completion, and in most cases, after completion of a course, a printable certificate of completion will be sent straight to your email. Having a valid certificate of completion can make your CV stand out and significantly increase your chances to get your dream job.

Have a look at the 50 most popular courses with certificates of completion listed below; learn in-demand skills taught by experts and get certified now!

Free Online Courses with Certificate of Completion

1. human resource management.

Learn how organizations strategically allocate their employees where they will be the most productive. You’ll learn how to identify right people, selection process, and proper recruitment. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 88 Hours

2. Management Information Systems

Learn the components of management information systems — technologies, people, and processes that manage the information and communication resources of an organization. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 57 Hours

3. Corporate Communication

Learn about different models of the communication process, as well as the most widely-recognized elements of those processes, and recognizing the role you play as communicator. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 42 Hours

4. Business Statistics

This course will introduce you to the application of statistics in the workplace. The course begins with data distributions, probability analysis, sampling, hypothesis testing, and more. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 53 Hours

5. Operations Management

You will learn the fundamentals of operations management. The course includes operation strategy, product design and process selection, supply chain management, and more. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 54 Hours

6. Project Management

In this course, you will learn the project life cycle, organizational design, project initiation and planning, project execution, project implementation & closure, and many more. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 62 Hours

7. Strategic Information Technology

Learn to determine when new information technology initiatives are necessary, how to deploy them, and how to allocate IT resources across your business. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 83 Hours

8. Principles of Management

Learn the characteristics of proper management, what successful managers do and how they do it. This course will show you the fundamentals of management as they are practiced today. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 89 Hours

9. Management Leadership

Learn effective management and leadership techniques, with topics including decision making, change management, leadership theory, and the distinction between leadership and management. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 96 Hours

10. Developing an Operating Budget

Learn the fundamental skills to prepare an operating budget for a nonprofit organization or social enterprise. The course includes types of budget, budgeting methods, budgeting processes, and more. Philanthropy University | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 1-2 hours per week

11. Negotiations and Conflict Management

This course includes the negotiation strategies and biases, processes and phases of negotiation, international and cross cultural negotiation, managing different types of business negotiations, and conflict resolution. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 82 Hours

12. From Data Collection to Data Use

In this Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) course, you will learn the building blocks of M&E, data collection, data storage and management, data analysis, data use, presenting data to stakeholders, and more. Philanthropy University | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 1-2 hours per week

13. Strategic Management

In this course, you will learn that strategy in business is similar to strategy in sports, war, or politics. Modules cover the strategic planning, creating competitive advantage, corporate strategy, 21st century strategy etc. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 62 Hours

14. Stakeholder Engagement Strategy

This course will help you create a cohesive stakeholder engagement strategy by providing the tools, frameworks, and best practices. You will learn how to best engage with each stakeholder in order to achieve your goals. Philanthropy University | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 1-2 hours per week

15. Principles Of Human Communication

This course will introduce you to common communication practices, communication principles, and a selection of theories to better understand the communication transactions. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 56 Hours

16. Public Relations

The course includes foundations of public relations, public relations components and planning, key target audiences, media relations, writing for public relations, social projects and public relations, crisis communications, ethical issues in public relations, careers in public relations, and professional development. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 43 Hours

17. Software Engineering

In this course, you will learn the application of engineering approach to computer software design and development. Topics include: software development life cycle models, software modeling, software requirements, software design, implementation, software testing, and more. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 45 Hours

18. Computer Communications and Networks

Learn the basic hardware, software, and architectural components for computer communications in local area networks. In this course, you will learn the basics of computer networks, switching, routing, protocols and security. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 60 Hours

19. Operating Systems

In this course, you will learn about modern operating systems focuses on UNIX-based operating systems as well as alternative operating systems, including Windows. Topics include: introduction to operating systems, processes and threads, synchronization, CPU scheduling, deadlock, memory management, file system, security, and networking. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 120 Hours

20. Introduction to Modern Database Systems

This course will introduce you to modern database systems. You will learn about database history, database architecture, entity relationship model, relational database model, relational algebra, Structured Query Language (SQL), and components of database management systems. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 42 Hours

21. Business Communications

In this course, you will learn how to plan, produce, and perform acts of communication that satisfy your customers. Topics include: understanding communication, knowing your customers, listening to your customers, providing information for customers, speaking to customers, and creating a visual impression. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 42 Hours

22. Time and Stress Management

This course will introduce you to time and stress management, identifying key stressors and distracters, and how to apply strategies to reduce the stress you regularly feel in your work and life. Topics include: introduction to time and stress management, identifying stressors and distracters, and overcoming stressors and distracters. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 12 Hours

23. Interpersonal Communication

Learn about interpersonal communication and how to apply its basic elements to your daily life. Topics includes: interpersonal communication, listening in human communication, practicing interpersonal communication skills, interpersonal communication applications in context, and interpersonal communication theories. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 14 Hours

24. Cartography

In this course, you will learn from experts how to make beautiful maps using ArcGIS Pro. Upon successful completion of this course you’ll become a smarter mapmaker. Course syllabus: an overview of map making, maths for map makers, the language of graphics, labels and composition, going 3d, and mapping movement and change. Esri Academy | Certificate of Completion | Self-Paced | 6 Weeks (2-3 hours per week)

25. Customer Service

In this course, students will learn about the professional world of customer service. They will learn about customer service workplace, customer service skillsets, and career advancement tactics. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 40 Hours

26. Word Processing Using Microsoft Word

This course is for beginners who have little or no word processing experience. You’ll learn word processing skills through Topics include: an introduction to word processing, learning to create a basic business letter and a business memo. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 4 Hours

27. Spreadsheets

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to spreadsheets through Microsoft Excel. The topics of this course include: and overview of spreadsheets, the composition of a spreadsheet, spreadsheet design and implementation. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 3 Hours

28. Decision-Making

This course is a comprehensive introduction to decision-making process focusing on basic decision types, tools, methods, and insights. Through these, students will learn how decision-making involves both logic and emotion. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 4 Hours

29. Crisis Communication

This course will introduce you to the practical applications of crisis communication principles which are used to defend an organization or business facing a challenge that threatens to harm its brand or reputation. On Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 18 Hours

30. Planning for Monitoring and Evaluation

In this course, you’ll learn the basics of monitoring and evaluation (M&E). Topics include: introduction to monitoring and evaluation, linking M&E to project design, identifying indicators & targets, data collection, and roles & responsibilities. Philanthropy University | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 1-2 hours per week

31. Fundamentals of Project Management

In this course, you’ll learn practical and field-tested skills for project management. You’ll acquire valuable project management tools through this free online project management course. This course will introduce you to the art of project management for mission-driven organizations. Philanthropy University | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 2 hours per week

32. Email Marketing

You’ll learn how to build an email marketing strategy that builds trust with your contacts, and that grows your business, and your career. Completing this course will help you to invest in yourself and your career. This course will introduce you to the most in-demand skills in digital marketing. Hubspot Academy | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 3:17 hours

33. Content Marketing

In this course, you’ll learn what content marketing is and how to become an effective content marketer. Completing this course will help you become a stronger, leaner, and more strategic content marketer. Hubspot Academy | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 6:06 hours

34. Inbound Marketing

In this course, you’ll learn about inbound marketing techniques. Completing this course will help you develop understanding of core tactics of inbound marketing, and advance your skills as an inbound marketer. Hubspot Academy | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 3:57 hours

35. Human Capital Strategy

This course begins with the basics of developing a human capital strategy. Through this human capital management course, you’ll learn how to develop organizational values and culture intentionally, recruit and hire the right people, developing your organizational structure, and building effective teams. Philanthropy University | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 3-4 hours per week

36. Global Social Entrepreneurship

In this course, you’ll learn how to apply the principles of entrepreneurship to create solutions, how your venture will achieve its goals, and create a mission-driven organization. Through this course, you will also get advice from successful social entrepreneurs in the world. Philanthropy University | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 2 hours per week

37. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

In this free course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of digital marketing. The course accredited by Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe and The Open University, and the modules are created by Google trainers. Complete all 26 modules, take the final exam, and get certified in the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing. Google | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 40 hours

38. Inbound Sales

This course will introduce you to the basics of an inbound approach to sales. You’ll learn how to identify the best contacts to reach out to, connect with them, explore their needs, and advise them on a path forward. Hubspot Academy | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 2:11 hours

39. Getting Started with Data Science

This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of data science, data preparation, deployment & maintenance, modeling, and evaluation. If you’re interested in learning about data science, this course is for you. OpenSAP | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 6 weeks

40. Advocacy

In this free course, you will learn successful advocacy tactics and strategies from the experts. Learners who complete this course are eligible to receive a Certificate of Achievement through the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Philanthropy University | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 2-3 hours per week

41. Organizational Behavior

In this course, students will learn how individuals and groups behave and interact in the workplace. They will also learn the key factors that affect organizational behavior. Topics include: managing individuals and groups, leveraging power, conflict management and negotiations, and how to initiate change. Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 83 Hours

42. Business Law

In this course, you’ll learn the laws that business managers must follow to protect their consumers, employees, and overall operations. Topics include: nature and sources of law, litigation vs. alternative dispute resolution, torts, contracts, property law, intellectual property, employment law, criminal law and business, business organizations, and business regulation. Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 49 Hours

43. Digital Supply Chain – From Design to Operate

In this course, you’ll learn how important the intelligent digital supply chain is to ensure a streamlined supply chain. Course include: SAP digital supply chain – connect digitally to perfect reality, design with SAP R&D/engineering solutions, plan with SAP supply chain planning solutions, manufacture with SAP manufacturing solutions, and more. OpenSAP | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 4 Weeks

44. Maps and 3D Made Easy with SAPUI5

This course will help the application developers and designers build maps and 3D with minimal effort using standard SAPUI5 controls. Course content: visualize geospatial data, connect your data to 3d content, beyond the basics, and final exam. OpenSAP | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 3 Weeks

45. Information Security Management in a Nutshell

In this course, you’ll learn how to set up an information security program for your organization. This course will show you why Information Security Management is important, what exactly needs to be protected, and the processes to implement an Information Security Management System. OpenSAP | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 4 Weeks

46. Creating a Theory of Change

The course Theory of Change is for leaders who want to improve their organization’s strategy by helping to facilitate a Theory of Change process. This course will help your team make better decisions, communication, and measure the impact that you are creating. Philanthropy University | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 1-2 hours per week

47. Social Media

Social media is the ultimate way to do inbound marketing. In this course, you’ll learn how to build an effective social media strategy for your business’ growth and your career. Completing this course will help you develop an engaging and effective social media strategy for your business. Hubspot Academy | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 4:39 hours

48. Professional Etiquette

In this course, you’ll learn about the professional manners and common courtesy in workplace. You’ll also learn how to communicate effectively and courteously via common workplace communication modes. Topics include: workplace courtesy, workplace communication, and diversity in the workplace. Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 4 Hours

49. Professional Writing

In this course you’ll learn the basic skills you need to write effective documents in the workplace. You’ll learn how to write effective business documents, such as emails, memos, proposals, and presentations. Topics include: know your audience and purpose, the art of persuasion, and polishing your writing. Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 4 Hours

50. Small Business Management

In this course, you’ll learn how to plan and operate a small business as a manager or entrepreneur. Topics include: elements of entrepreneurship, building the right team, the business plan, marketing strategy, and financing the new venture. Saylor | Free Certificate | Self-Paced | 98 Hours

51. People Analytics and Evidence-Based Management

In this course, you’ll learn how people analytics and evidence-based management can help drive better decision-making in your organization. Course content: introduction to people analytics, people analytics use cases, getting started with people analytics, and final exam. OpenSAP | Certificate of Achievement | Self-Paced | 3 Weeks

Once you have completed any of the above courses, you have the option to acquire a certificate of completion, which is a great way to make your CV stand out and share your achievement with the potential employers. If you’re interested in Self-Paced online courses that you can start anytime, visit our collection: Self-Paced Courses: Start Your Best Online Courses Anytime . If you’re interested in a full list of online courses, visit our collection: Collection of Online Courses from Top Universities . For a list of online courses by subject, visit Collection of Online Courses from Top Universities . For a list of online courses by providers, visit Online Courses by Providers .

You may find the frequently asked questions helpful below:

What is a Certificate of Completion?

Certificate of Completion is a document which certifies that a student has successfully completed an online course. A Certificate of Completion shows the name of the student, course name, course length, course completion date, and the Certificate ID number.

What are the benefits of a Certificate of Completion?

Certificate of Completion is a great way to prove your efforts. You can use it as a proof of your professional knowledge and skills. It’s a great addition to your CV. You can also share the certificate on you social media like Linkedin, or print it and take it to your job interviews.

How will I receive the Certificate of Completion?

After you finish a course, you will receive a certificate of completion, which will be sent directly to your given email address. You can download or print this certificate. You can also share it on professional social media profiles to share your achievement with potential employers.

Which formats of Certificates are available?

Once you have completed a course, you have the option to acquire a certificate of completion, which is a great way to share on your social media to boast about your achievements. In most cases, a downloadable certificate in PDF format will be sent straight to your email or immediately available in your dashboard when you complete a course.

Where can I share the Certificate of Completion?

You can share your certificate of completion wherever you like! Share it on platforms where potential employers will see it. You can share it on your social media profiles especially on a professional social media like Linkedin, since it’s the platform where many employers looking for potential employees.

Ecoursem.com, a website designed to help make the best use of online resources on free education, eBooks, learning languages, tutorials, educational blogs, and more. Ecoursem tries to take the traditional Self-Improvement to a broader approach.

Similar Posts

Free Google Courses and Certifications to Develop Your Skills

Learning French: Top Free Online Courses and Lessons

Free Education Online: 25 Places To Educate Yourself

Best Free Courses on Programming and Coding to Build Your Skills

How to Improve Your English Easily: 10 Simple and Effective Tips

Self-Paced Courses: Start Your Best Online Courses Anytime

More From Forbes

5 free online data analysis courses in 2024.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Data analysis is one of the most in-demand skills of 2024, and this trend is predicted to remain ... [+] until at least 2032

For the next four years, big data analytics is expected to be one of the core drivers of economic growth, according to projections by the World Economic Forum's Future Of Jobs report 2023. Analytical thinking leads the way in being the number one skill on the rise, increasing in demand this year, as per the findings of the same report, while data analysis appears sixth in LinkedIn top 10 Most In-Demand Skills of 2024 report .

Organizations have many priorities which make data analytics a worthwhile skill to learn, with AI (artificial intelligence), big data, and a strong focus on data-driven decision-making and business strategy being a few of them.

This is further evidenced by the fact that the job demand for data scientists is predicted to continue soaring until 2032 at least, to as much as 35%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics—that's much faster than the average job growth rate in North America.

Thanks to the demand, data analysis careers pay exceptionally well, leading to six figure incomes, with data scientists making as much as over $119,000 per year on average , as evidenced by current average salary figures on Salary.com

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, why work in data analysis.

As if all of the above are not enough, here are two more excellent reasons to pursue data analytics as a career:

First, data analysis is a highly transferable skill, and is a function that is needed in every industry globally, similar to careers such as project management, which also shares the same characteristic of global demand and transferability across industries. You could work in a wide range of sectors, from healthcare, to finance, to e-commerce, to marketing, and of course, technology.

Second, now is a great time to learn data analysis, because of the acceleration and advancement of AI (artificial intelligence), which provides a helpful boost in augmenting your work and ensuring accuracy. Your work within data can come at a critical time when an organization is seeking to prepare its data for use in its internal AI tools and processes.

Free Online Courses On Data Analytics

Whether you're seeking to reskill or upskill, you may not have much spare cash to invest in a course or to pursue a degree within this field. However, there may be some free courses that can help:

1. MIT's How To Process, Analyze And Visualize Data

OpenCourseWare is a an online platform that hosts courses from many of the world's leading universities, including Ivy League schools, for free, using a Creative Commons Licence. One such course, from the world-renowned MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has lectures and course materials on How To Process, Analyze, And Visualize Data.

Honing in on an in-demand skill leads to a lucrative salary and diverse career opportunities

2. Google Advanced Data Analytics Professional Certificate

This free online course, provided through Coursera, comes with an extra advantage—a professional certificate. Google career certificates are widely recognized by employers around the world, and undertaking one is an excellent way to fast-track your career development and be invited to job interviews. The advanced version teaches Python, machine learning, Jupyter Notebook, and Tableau software, amongst other skills, all of which you can add to your resume's skills section, thus improving your chances of being hired.

3. Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

This course is aimed at guiding you through data analysis at the beginner level, and is a great introduction and starting point for further studies, such as the advanced course mentioned above. As with all Google Career certificates offered via Coursera, you have the option to apply for financial aid to cover the cost of your course, subject to eligibility.

4. HarvardX's Data Science Professional Certificate

Harvard University has partnered with edX to provide free courses to learners on the edX platform. Although you need to pay for the entire training with the certificate, if you click into each module (course) within the certificate program on edX, it does provide you with the option to learn the course materials for free. To get the certificate, you would need to upgrade.

5. AWS Data Analytics

Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides a range of online certifications and ongoing professional development training, tailored to specific technical career paths. Once of these learning paths is their data analytics training . They provide this through free virtual training webinars, and individual courses that you can study on their own or as part of their data analytics learning plan, such as Data Analytics Fundamentals, or Best Practices for Data Warehousing.

You can learn from the best Ivy League schools—without ever attending Ivy League in person or paying ... [+] enormous student fees

Overall, choosing to pursue a career in data analysis is a decision you will not regret. If you commit to ongoing professional development and exploring new training opportunities, you too, can experience the lucrative salaries, remote work opportunities, flexibility, and diverse opportunities that others within this profession are already enjoying.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.

When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form .

The best free AI courses (and whether AI 'micro-degrees' and certificates are worth it)

Generative AI is an astonishing technology that is not only here to stay but will impact all sectors of work and business, and it has already made unprecedented inroads into our daily lives .

We all have a lot to learn about it. Spewing out a few prompts to ChatGPT may be easy, but before you can turn all these new capabilities into productive tools, you need to grow your skills. Fortunately, there are a wide range of classes that can help.

Also: Want to work in AI? How to pivot your career in 5 steps

Many companies and schools will try to sell you on their AI education programs. But as I'll show in the following compendium of great resources, you can learn a ton about AI and even get some certifications -- all for free.

Speaking personally, I have to say that this has been really cool. I don't normally get a lot of time to hang out and watch stuff. But because I've been going hands-on with AI for you all here on ZDNET, I've had the excuse opportunity to watch a bunch of these videos. Sitting there on the couch, cup of coffee in one hand, doggo on the lap, and able to legitimately claim, "I'm working."

Also:  The best AI image generators: Tested and reviewed

I have taken at least one class from each of the providers below, and they've all been pretty good. Obviously, some teachers are more compelling than others, but it's been a very helpful process. When working on AI projects for ZDNET, I've also sometimes gone back and taken other classes to shore up my knowledge and understanding.

So, I recommend you take a quick spin through my short reviews, possibly dig deeper into the linked-to articles, and bookmark all of these, because they're valuable resources. Let's get started.

LinkedIn Learning

Best for certificates with professional recognition.

• Course selection:  Huge, more than 90 AI courses
• Program pricing:  Free trial, then $19-39/mo

LinkedIn Learning is one of the oldest online learning platforms, established in 1995 as Lynda.com. The company offers an enormous library of courses on a broad range of topics. There is a monthly fee, but many companies and schools have accounts for all their employees and students. 

Also: Two powerful LinkedIn Premium features that make the subscription worth it

LinkedIn Learning (and Lynda.com, which is what it started) has probably been the one online education site I've used more than any other. I've used it regularly since at least the end of the 1990s. For years, I paid for a membership. Then I got a membership as an alum of my grad school, which is how I use it now. So many courses on so many topics, it's a great go-to learning resource.

I took two classes on LinkedIn Learning. Here's my testimonial on one of them. 

I also took the two-hour Machine Learning with Python: Foundations course, which had a great instructor -- Prof. Frederick Nwanganga -- who was previously unknown to me. I have to hand it to LinkedIn. They choose people who know how to teach. I learned a lot in this course, especially about how to collect and prepare data for machine learning. I also was able to stretch my Python programming knowledge, specifically about how a machine learning model can be built in Python. In just two hours, I felt like I got a friendly and comprehensive brain dump.

You can read more here:  How LinkedIn's free AI course made me a better Python developer .

Since there are so many AI courses, you're bound to find a helpful series. To get you started, I've picked three that might open some doors:

• ChatGPT Tips for the Help Desk : Learn to apply strategic planning, prompt engineering, and agent scripting, as well as other AI techniques, to AI operations.
• Machine Learning with Python: Foundations : Get step-by-step guidance on how to get started with machine learning via Python.
• Building Career Agility and Resilience in the Age of AI : Learn how to reimagine your career to adapt and find success in the age of AI. 

It's worth checking with your employer, agency, or school to see if you qualify for a free membership. Otherwise, you can pay by month or year (the by-year option is about half price).

Amazon AWS Skill Builder

Best for aws infrastructure users.

• Course selection:  Quite a lot
• Program pricing: Many free, some on a paid subscription

Amazon puts the demand in infrastructure on demand. Rather than building out their own infrastructure, many companies now rely on Amazon to provide scalable cloud infrastructure on demand. Nearly every aspect of IT technology is available for rent from Amazon's wide range of web services. This also includes a fairly large spectrum of individual AI services from computer vision to human-sounding speech to Bedrock, which "makes LLMs from Amazon and leading AI startups available through an API."

• Also: I spent a weekend with Amazon's free AI courses, and highly recommend you do too

Amazon also offers a wide range of training courses for all these services. Some of them are available for free, while others are available via a paid subscription. Here are three of the free courses you can try out:

• Amazon CodeWhisperer – Getting Started :  Learn about Amazon CodeWhisperer, an AI coding companion designed to help developers get more done, faster. 
• Amazon Bedrock -- Getting Started :  Learn about Amazon's service for building generative AI applications. 
• Twitch Series: AWS Power Hour Introduction to Machine Learning for Developers :  This is a recording of a Twitch-based learning chat series. It helps you learn the foundations of machine learning and get a practical perspective on what developers really need to know to get started with machine learning. 

In addition to classes located on Amazon's sites, they also have quite a few classes on YouTube. I spent a fun and interesting weekend gobbling up the  Generative AI Foundations series , which is an entire playlist of cool stuff to learn about AI.

If you're using or even just considering AWS-based services, these courses are well worth your time.

IBM SkillsBuild Learning

Best for beginners and managers who want to know what all the fuss is about.

• Course selection: Fairly broad IT and career building
• Program pricing: Free

IBM, of course, is IBM. It led the AI pack for years with its Watson offerings. Its generative AI solution is called Watsonx. It focuses on enabling businesses to deploy and manage both traditional machine learning and generative AI, tailored to their unique needs.

Also:  Have 10 hours? IBM will train you in AI fundamentals - for free

The company's SkillsBuild Learning classes offer a lot, providing basic training for a few key IT job descriptions -- including cybersecurity specialist, data analyst, user experience designer, and more. 

Right now, there's only one free AI credential, but it's one that excited a lot of our readers. That's the AI Fundamentals learning credential, which offers six courses. You need to be logged in to follow the link. But registration is easy and free. When you're done, you get an official credential, which you can list on LinkedIn. After I took the course, I did just that -- and, of course, I documented it for you:

See: How to add a new credential to your LinkedIn profile, and why you should

My favorite was the AI Ethics class, which is an hour and 45 minutes. Through real-world examples you'll learn about AI ethics, how they are implemented, and why AI ethics are so important in building trustworthy AI systems.

DeepLearning (with OpenAI)

Best for advanced and developer classes.

• Course selection:  More than 30 AI-focused courses
• Program pricing:  Free

DeepLearning is an education-focused company specializing in AI training. The company is constantly adding new courses that provide training, mostly for developers, in many different facets of AI technology. It partnered with OpenAI (the makers of ChatGPT) to create a number of pretty great courses.

I took the ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers course below, which was my first detailed introduction to the ChatGPT API. If you're at all interested in how coders can use LLMs like ChatGPT, this course is worth your time. Just the interspersing of traditional code with detailed prompts that look more like comments than commands can help you get your head around integrating these two very different styles of coding.

Read more: I took this free AI course for developers in one weekend and highly recommend it

Three courses I recommend you check out are:

• ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers :  Go beyond the chat box. Use API access to leverage LLMs into your own applications, and learn to build a custom chatbot.
• Evaluating and Debugging Generative AI Models Using Weights and Biases :  Learn MLOps tools for managing, versioning, debugging, and experimenting in your ML workflow.
• Large Language Models with Semantic Search :  Learn to use LLMs to enhance search and summarize results.

With AI such a hot growth area, I never cease to be amazed at the vast quantity of high-value courseware available for free. Definitely bookmark DeepLearning and keep checking back as it adds more courses.

Best for those wanting a deep and wide selection of AI topics

• Course selection:  Thousands of courses on AI alone
• Program pricing:  Free trial, then $20/mo. Courses also sold individually.

Udemy is a courseware aggregator that publishes courses produced by individual trainers. That makes course style and quality a little inconsistent, but the rating system does help the more outstanding trainers rise to the top. Udemy has a free trial, which is why it's on this list. 

Read more:  I'm a ChatGPT pro but this quick course taught me new tricks, and you can take it for free

I spent some time in Steve Ballinger's  Complete ChatGPT Course For Work 2023 (Ethically)!  and found it quite helpful. Clocking in at a little over two hours, it helps you understand how to balance ChatGPT with your work processes, while keeping in mind the ethics and issues that arise from using AI at work.

It also sells a $20/mo all-you-can-eat plan , as well as its courses individually. I honestly can't see why anyone would buy the courses individually, since most of them cost more for one course than the entire library does on a subscription.

Also:  I'm taking AI image courses for free on Udemy with this little trick - and you can too

Here are three courses you might want to check out:

• ChatGPT Masterclass: ChatGPT Guide for Beginners to Experts! :  Gain a professional understanding of ChatGPT, and learn to produce high-quality content seamlessly and grow earning potential.
• Discover, Validate & Launch New Business Ideas with ChatGPT :  Learn how to generate startup ideas, evaluate their potential, and test them with customers in real life.
• Midjourney Mastery: Create Visually Stunning AI Art : Learn how to use Midjourney to create art.

One of the more interesting aspects of Udemy is that you may find courses on very niche applications of AI, which might not suit vendors offering a more limited selection of mainstream courses. If you have a unique application need, don't hesitate to spend some extra time searching for just the right course.

Google Generative AI for Educators

Best starting point for teachers.

• Course selection:  One AI course

Google's Grow With Google program offers a fairly wide range of certificate programs, which are normally run through Coursera . Earning one of those certificates often requires paying a subscription fee. But we're specifically interested in one Grow With Google program, which is aimed at teachers, and does not involve any fees.

The Generative AI for Educators class, developed in concert with MIT's Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education, is a 2-hour program designed to help teachers learn about generative AI, and how to use it in the classroom. 

Also:  Google and MIT launch a free generative AI course for teachers

Generative AI is a big challenge in education because it can provide amazing support for students and teachers and, unfortunately, provide an easy way out for students to cheat on their assignments. So a course that can help teachers come up to speed on all the issues can be very powerful.

The course provides a professional development certificate on completion, and this one is free.

Why should you trust me?

I've been working with AI for a very long time. I conducted one of the first-ever academic studies of AI ethics as a thesis project way back in the day. I created and launched an expert system development environment before the first link was connected on the World Wide Web. I did some of the first research of AI on RISC-based computing architectures (the chips in your phone) when RISC processors were the size of refrigerators. 

Also:  Six skills you need to become an AI prompt engineer

When it comes to the courses and programs I'm spotlighting here, there's no way I could take all of them. But I have taken at least one course from each vendor, in order to test them out and report back to you. And, given my long background in the world of AI, this is a topic that has fascinated and enthralled me for most of my academic and professional career.

With all that, I will say that the absolute high point was when I could get an AI to talk like a pirate .

Some companies are promoting micro-degrees. They seem expensive, but fast, but are they any good?

Let's be clear: A micro-degree is not a degree. It's a set of courses with a marketing name attached. Degrees are granted by accredited academic institutions, accredited by regional accrediting bodies . I'm not saying you won't learn anything in those programs. But they're not degrees and they may cost more than just-as-good courses that don't have a fancy marketing name attached.

So, do certificates have any value?

Yes, but how much value they have depends on your prospective employer's perspective. A certificate says you completed some course of study successfully. That might be something of value to you, as well. You can set a goal to learn a topic, and if you get a credential, you can be fairly confident you achieved some learning. Accredited degrees, by contrast, are an assurance that you not only learned the material, but did so according to some level of standard and rigor common to other accredited institutions.

Also:  How to write better ChatGPT prompts in 5 steps

My advice: If you can get a certificate, and the price for getting it doesn't overly stretch your budget, go ahead and get it. It still is a resume point. But don't fork over bucks on the scale of a college tuition for some promise that you'll get qualified for a job faster and easier than, you know, going to college.

Other learning resources you'll probably love

Artificial intelligence, google and mit launch a free generative ai course for teachers, openai and google reportedly used youtube transcripts to train their ai models, adobe's pdf-reading ai assistant starts at $4.99/month - here's how to try it for free.

• Request Info
• 800.226.7625

Audio Arts Bachelor of Science Completion Program with a Concentration in Music Production

Students enrolling in this completion program will also complete the Music Production Associate of Applied Science degree program. Apply today to get started.

HUM3505 Popular Culture in Media 4.0

MPR3111 Professional Development Seminar I: Music Production 1.0

MPR3223 Engineering Skills for the Music Producer 4.0

MPR3925 Topics in Music Theory 3.0

STA3001 Statistics 4.0

MPR3311 Musical Arrangement 4.0

ENC326 Professional Writing 4.0

PHY3020 Physical Science 4.0

AAR349 Project and Portfolio IV: Audio Arts 3.0

MPR3222 Professional Development Seminar II: Music Production 1.0

MPR4416 Audio Engineering Techniques 4.0

MPR3701 Music Production for Media 4.0

AAR359 Project and Portfolio V: Audio Arts 3.0

AAR4601 Entrepreneurship in the Audio Industry 3.0

MAN3152 Leadership and Organizational Behavior 4.0

MPR3452 Game Music Composition 3.0

AAR469 Project and Portfolio VI: Audio Arts 3.0

CRR4000 Career Readiness 4.0

Please Note

• The approved program is a degree completion program. Entering students must have a related associate degree or higher level degree and must complete at least 60 semester hours   for a total of 120 credit hours.