Harvard Online
Backyard Meteorology: The Science of Weather
HarvardX course on reading the sky and forecasting tomorrow's weather from your own observations.
Paid certificate
24 hrsBeginner
9 free courses
Free Science courses
University-level physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and climate science, from full MIT and Yale lecture series to shorter introductions you can finish in a weekend.
9 free courses
University of Chicago course explaining the physics of climate change and simple climate models.
Paid certificate40 hrsBeginnerHarvard Online
Super-Earths and Life
HarvardX astrobiology course on how life arose and how we search for habitable planets.
Paid certificate97 hrsBeginnerHarvard Online
Principles of Biochemistry
HarvardX course on the molecules of life, enzymes and metabolic pathways.
Paid certificateSelf-pacedIntermediateMIT OpenCourseWare
Classical Mechanics (8.01SC)
MIT's self-paced introductory mechanics course, from kinematics to rolling motion.
No certificateSelf-pacedBeginnerYale University (Open Yale Courses)
Frontiers and Controversies in Astrophysics (ASTR 160)
Yale lectures on exoplanets, black holes, dark matter and dark energy.
No certificateSelf-pacedBeginnerMIT OpenCourseWare
Fundamentals of Biology (7.01SC)
MIT introductory biology covering biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics and recombinant DNA.
No certificateSelf-pacedBeginnerMIT OpenCourseWare
Principles of Chemical Science (5.111SC)
Catherine Drennan's MIT introductory chemistry course, from atoms to kinetics.
No certificateSelf-pacedBeginnerYale University (Open Yale Courses)
Fundamentals of Physics I (PHYS 200)
Ramamurti Shankar's recorded Yale lectures on mechanics, relativity, thermodynamics and waves.
No certificateSelf-pacedIntermediate
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Questions about free science courses
Are these science courses really free?
Yes. Every course on this page can be studied for free on the provider's own site. 0 of the 9 also give a free certificate; the rest say on the card whether the certificate is paid or not offered.
Which free science course should I start with?
Start with a beginner course at the top of the list. Use the Level filter to see only beginner courses, and the Time needed filter to find one that fits your week.