Free Online Ecology Courses from Top Universities

About this article
There are 4 online ecology courses offered for free by top universities, including Tufts University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Students who sign up for these classes can study topics ranging from ecological systems to complex biological environments.
View available schools

Free Ecology Courses

Persons wishing to learn about ecology have a few online options to choose from. Two prominent universities offer courses that address such areas as biological environments, ecological theory and evolution.

Tufts University

Tuft University's OpenCourseWare offers a class that provides instruction on conservational biology and tropical ecology. Students in this advanced class for undergraduates and graduates also learn how to write and present research proposals.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT also has an OpenCourseWare platform that offers a number of free ecology courses. Seminar courses investigate animal evolution from about 600-100 million years in the past, examine biogeochemical cycles and try to determine if global changes in the cycles were responsible for the Cambrian explosion. Students also study computational models and quantitative theory, analyze observational and experimental data, and review literature on ecological theory.

Free Online Ecology Courses at a Glance

Course & School Program Level Format Assignments Quizzes & Exams Downloadable
Tropical Ecology and Conservation course from Tufts University Undergraduate/Graduate Text Yes No No
Dynamics of Complex Systems: Ecological Theory course from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Graduate Text Yes No Yes
Dynamics of Complex Systems: Biological and Environmental Coevolution Preceding the Cambrian Explosion course from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Graduate Text Yes No Yes
Dynamics of Complex Systems: Complexity in Ecology course from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Graduate Text Yes No Yes

Popular Schools

Featured Schools

The schools and programs listed below are popular educational options, and tuition varies based on program and location

Purdue Global

  • Doctor of Health Sciences
  • Associate of Science in Health Science
  • Associate of Science in Health SciencePreprofessional

Which subject are you interested in?

Liberty University

What is your highest level of education?

University of Maryland Global Campus