The Best Educational Websites for Online Courses

For most of us, social distancing has become the new normal. Why not use this time to learn a new skill or further educate ourselves?

Whether you're looking to take an education class to acquire a specific skill or for the pure love of learning, there are endless options for free or low-cost courses online. Develop new skills to add to your resume or explore interests you've never been able to delve into before. Here's a round-up of the most popular online learning websites right now.

1. edx 

Course Categories | Architecture, Art & Culture, Biology & Life Sciences, Business & Management, Chemistry, Communication, Computer Science, Data Analysis & Statistics, Design, Economics & Finance, Education & Teacher Training, Electronics, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Ethics, Food & Nutrition, Health & Safety, History, Humanities, Language, Law, Literature, Math, Medicine, Music, Philanthropy, Philosophy & Ethics, Physics, Science, and Social Sciences

Universities | Harvard, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, MIT, NYU, Princeton, Stanford, Oxford, and more

Cost | Free Course Access, Verified Certificate ($50+/course), Professional Certificates ($100+/course), MicroBachelors Programs ($166+/ course credit),  MicroMasters Programs ($1,200+), Master Degree ($10,000+)

The MsMinimalist Picks:

• Masterpieces of World Literature, Harvard University 
• Fantastic Places, Unhuman Humans: Exploring Humanity Through Literature, Brown University
• Becoming an Entrepreneur, MIT 
• Best Practices for Project Management Success, RIT

edX was founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012 and holds more than 20 million learners. As a global nonprofit, they are meeting their mission to "increase access to high-quality education for everyone, everywhere." Together, Harvard and MIT have created the only nonprofit and open source online course provider. Endless learning options from certificated to Micro Bachelors, to Master Degrees! LEARN MORE

2. Coursera 

Course Categories | Arts & Humanities, Business, Computer Science, Data Science. Information Technology, Health, Math & Logic, Personal Development, Physical Science & Engineering, Social Sciences, and Language Learning 

Universities | Princeton, Yale, Columbia,  UPenn, Stanford, MoMa, NYU and more

Cost | Free Course Access, Course or Professional Certificates ($39+/course), Mastertrack Certificates ($2,000+), Online Bachelor or Master Degree ($9,000+)

The MsMinimalist Top Picks:

• The Science of Well-Being, Yale University
• Modern Art and Ideas, MoMA
• The Age of Sustainable Development, Columbia University
• Music and Social Action, Yale University
• Mastering Data Analysis in Excel, Duke University
• From Freedom Rides to Ferguson: Narratives of Nonviolence in the American Civil Rights Movement, Emory University

Coursera can be seen as a sort of gold standard in online learning. Since their inception, 60 million people have taken courses on their platform from more than 200 of the world's top universities. Their mission is to "envision a world where anyone, anywhere can transform their life by accessing the world's best learning experience." LEARN MORE

3. Masterclass

Course Categories | Film & TV, Music & Entertainment, Culinary Arts, Business, Politics & Society, Writing, Sports & Games, Design, Photography, Fashion, Lifestyle, Science & Technology

Cost | Single Class ($90+), Unlimited Classes ($15/month or $180 a year)

The MsMinimalist Picks:

• Annie Leibovitz Teaches Photography
• Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing
• Dr. Jane Goodall Teaches Conservation
• Neil DeGrasse Tyson Teaches Scientific Thinking and Communication

Masterclass is a one stop shop to learn from famous icons from Natalie Portman to Jane Goodall. Cinematically produced, it's a beautiful learning environment and each class session is about 10 minutes each with a workbook available for each lesson along with optional class assignments. There are over 80 instructors available on Masterclass and you're bound to find someone you're excited to learn from.

LEARN MORE

4. Linkedin Learning

Course Categories | Business, Technology, Creative

Cost | One month free, Monthly ($30/month), Annually ($20/month), Certificates of Completion 

The MsMinimalist's Picks:

• Become an SEO Expert
• A Career Strategist's Guide to Getting a Job
• Writing a Resume
• Balancing Work and Life
• Managing Stress for Positive Change
• Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant on Option B: Building Resilience
• Productive Tips: Finding Your Productive Mindset

If you're looking to learn from industry experts, why look any further than the center of Business Networking, Linkedin? Here you'll find endless classes for business skills from Excel to Photoshop and everything in between.

5.  Udemy

Course Categories | Development, Business, Finance & Accounting, IT & Software, Office Productivity, Personal Development, Design, Marketing, Lifestyle, Photography, Health & Fitness, Music, and Teaching & Academics

Cost | Courses are individually priced and range anywhere from Free-$100+. Certificate of Completions offered.

The MsMinimalist's Picks:

• Adobe Photoshop CC: Complete Beginner to Advanced Class
• Ultimate Drawing Course - Beginner to Advanced
• Complete Web Developer: Zero to Mastery
• Digital Marketing Masterclass

Created in 2010, Udemy is an online learning platform with a focus on professional adults and students. Currently, they have more than 50 million students and over 295 million course enrollments to date.

6. Skillshare

Course Categories | Creative: Animation, Creative Writing, Film & Video, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Music, Photography, UI/UX Design, Web Development. Business: Business Analytics, Freelance & Entrepreneurship, Leadership & Management, Marketing, Lifestyle, Productivity, Languages and more.

Cost | Your first month is free for basic membership, or $1 for premium. After your trial it is $15 a month.

The MsMinimalist's Picks:

• Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays with Impact - Roxane Gay
• Gesture / An Introduction to the Art of Figure Drawing
• Make Creativity Your Career: Six Exercises to Create a Successful Side Project
• Modern Money Habits: 5 Steps to Build the Life You Want

Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes for curious people. Offering more than 20,000 classes, you can find nearly anything you are looking to learn. These classes tend to focus more on interaction, rather than lecturing, so can be very engaging, especially to those new to online learning.

7. Udacity

Course Categories | Programming & Development, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Data Science, Business

Cost | Free (no certificate) or Udacity Nanodegrees for $399 per month

The MsMinimalist's Picks:

• Become a Digital Marketer
• Become a Marketing Analyst
• Learn to Code: Introduction to Programming

Udacity was born from free computer science classes in 2011 by Stanford University. Since then, Udacity has offered their quality education with a focus on providing real, employable skills for those interested in the world of tech or programming. Classes are project-based, encouraging active learning by doing real-world projects. More than 100,000 people have graduated from Udacity.