Free Business Finance Courses
Several schools provide free business finance courses geared toward graduate or advanced students. Most courses offer reading materials for download, and some are available in audio or video format. Topics addressed included financial markets, investments, financial planning and corporate finance.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Graduate students can enroll in free business finance courses using MIT's OpenCourseWare. Students in these classes gain an understanding of such things as business law fundamentals, application theory and how to make business decisions based on empirical evidence, portfolio theory and other factors. Other topics discussed cover private capital markets, financing tools and program models.
- Finance Theory II
- The Law of Corporate Finance and Financial Markets
- Investments
- Financing Economic Development
Yale University
Though Open Yale, individuals can learn concepts like behavioral finance, debt markets and options markets in a 26-session course taught by Professor Robert J. Schiller. This course includes three exams and incorporates video and audio lectures.
University of California (UC) - Irvine
A course on personal financial planning is available for download from UCI Open. This class is designed for anyone who needs financial advice, but is not able to afford working with a professional financial planner.
Open University
OpenLearn provides access to a number of advanced classes that are available for download. Courses touch on the concept of risk and risk factors, equity instruments, perfect markets and the Efficient Markets Hypothesis. A study of debt and borrowing in the UK gives students an understanding of debt costs and the borrowing process.
Free Online Business Finance Courses at a Glance
| Course & School | Program Level | Format | Assignments | Quizzes & Exams | Downloadable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance Theory II course from Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Graduate | Text | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| The Law of Corporate Finance and Financial Markets course from Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Graduate | Text | Yes | No | Yes |
| Investments course from Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Graduate | Text | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Financing Economic Development course from Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Graduate | Text | Yes | No | Yes |
| Financial Markets course from Yale University | Undergraduate | Text, Audio, Video | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning course from University of California - Irvine | Unknown | Text | No | No | Yes |
| Investment Risk course from Open University | Advanced | Text | No | No | Yes |
| Equity Finance course from Open University | Advanced | Text | No | No | Yes |
| The Financial Markets Context course from Open University | Advanced | Text | No | No | Yes |
