Free Science Courses
Science courses are offered in many different formats at various universities across the country. These free online courses will help students learn about biology, physics, and earth science.
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Open University
This course from Open University will cover mathematical concepts used in science and technology. Course topics include trigonometry, logarithms, and indices.
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University offers courses in biology and physics. Students will study cell biology, metabolism, electricity, and mechanics.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT's science courses cover biology and earth science. The text for the biology course is entitled Biological Science, by Scott Freeman. Video lectures will cover topics like biochemistry and molecular biology. The text for the earth science course is Environmental Geology: an Earth System Science Approach. Lecture notes will cover population growth and geologic time, among other things.
University of California, Berkeley
UC Berkeley offers a general chemistry course. Students can stream or download audio and video lectures from Youtube or iTunes.
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine's, OpenCourseWare offers an earth system science course. This course is delivered in ten weeks of video lectures from professor Julie Ferguson, PhD. Lecture topics include plate tectonics, water vapor and clouds, and the biosphere.
Tulane University
Tulane University offers a physical geology course, authored by professor Dr. Stephen A. Nelson. The textbook for the course is Earth, Portrait of a Planet 5th Edition, by Stephen Marshak. Lecture topics will cover things like minerals, volcanic eruptions, sedimentary rocks, and energy resources. Exams will be based upon the lectures.
Tufts University
The intro to modern physics course at Tufts University is authored by Gary R. Goldstein. Lectures will be centered around the readings, which include Modern Physics by Kenneth S. Krane. Relativity, quantum physics, and wave mechanics will also be discussed.
Free Online Science Courses At a Glance
| Course & School | Program Level | Format | Assignments | Quizzes & Exams | Downloadable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maths for Science and Technology course from Open University | Beginner | Text | Yes | No | Yes |
| Modern Biology course from Carnegie Mellon University | Unspecified | Text | Yes | No | Yes |
| Physics course from Carnegie Mellon University | Unspecified | Tutored exercises | Yes | No | Yes |
| Introductory Biology course from MIT | Undergraduate | Text/video lectures/recitations/study materials | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Environmental Earth Science course from MIT | Undergraduate | Texts/lecture notes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Chemistry course from UC Berkeley | Unspecified | Audio/video lectures | No | No | Yes |
| Introduction to Earth System Science course from University of California, Irvine | Unspecified | Video lectures | No | No | Yes |
| Physical Geology course from Tulane University | Unspecified | Texts/textbook/lecture notes/external reading resources | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Introduction to Modern Physics course from Tufts University | Undergraduate | Texts/lecture slides | Yes | Yes | Yes |
