In today’s world, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good education. As more schools strive to offer convenient, flexible education options for students, free online courses are becoming increasingly popular. Many top mba schools and adult education programs are opening their programs to all students with a desire to learn, without the hassles of enrollment or high costs of tuition.
Anyone looking to advance their education, learn new skills, or just take advantage of the opportunity for free learning resources can benefit from these programs. In the MBA department, especially, free courses are a helpful tool. Getting an MBA and taking business courses isn’t cheap, but with the free resources that you have to choose from today, it is easier than ever for you to get an affordable education regardless of what you need.
Here is a list of the best free MBA courses that you can find online today:
Free Management Library
Free Management Library, Micro-eMBA Programs: This resource provides two options for students. Designed for learning, these courses do not offer certification or degrees upon completion.
- The Micro-eMBA focuses on organizational and management issues for leaders, entrepreneurs, and managers in for-profit operations.
- The non-profit Micro-eMBA course that looks at the nonprofit side of business management and leadership.
MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Sloan School of Management: MIT Sloan is perhaps one of the best free resources for online MBA courses. The school provides materials for over 150 graduate-level business classes. This is more than enough to create a custom MBA program that won’t cost a dime. There are undergraduate courses available, as well. Official credits and degrees are not given to students who complete these free courses, but certificates are provided. Some of the courses offered include:
- Real Estate Economics: This advanced course focuses on the economics of real estate in today’s ever-changing global climate and economic market. It provides real-time examples to give real estate professionals new skills.
- Applied Economics for Managers: This course provides skills in the application of economics rather than theory, with a structure designed specifically for managers.
- Game Theory for Managers: A new program, this course offers training in game-related business concepts for management professionals. Its focus is on game development organizations and upper-level management of these companies.
- Data Mining: A course that offers information on data processing, discovery, and implementation throughout a business at the executive or managerial level. The focus on data as an effective marketing and communication tool, as well as a management element, for business.
- Communicating with Data: Instruction and training on how to implement and utilize data to communicate ideas, metrics, concepts, and other elements of business. The focus is on putting data to work in various ways for increased success.
- Advanced Stochastic Processes: A course in advanced processes that will give a business unique and specialized training to improve their understanding of various business methods and concepts that can be used for success.
- Queues: Theories and Applications: This course focuses on the various elements of theories and applications, their differences, and how queues are a successful and integral tool for business organizations on various levels.
- Systems Optimization: A course that provides training and education in the optimization of various information systems and operations throughout a company, including the ability to optimize various systems at different levels within the organization.
- Economy and Business in Modern China and India: An advanced course that focuses on general business and economic principles in two of the biggest world markets: China and India. Students can learn about these economies and why they are so successful in today’s business world.
- Organizational Leadership and Change: A course that creates effective leadership and change management skills, provides insight on managing an organization and implementing change for future success of the business, and more.
- Leading Organizations II: This course offers advanced business leadership principles and practices, as required for today’s business professionals.
- Strategic Organizational Design: A course that focuses on development of an organization and how strategy plays a role in design of that organization.
- Managing Innovation and Entrepreneurship: This course focuses on business owners and innovation, as well as how to create successful concepts in modern business.
- The Software Business: This course is specifically for software companies and executives who want to learn more about running and managing a software business in the 21st century economy.
- Corporate Entrepreneurship: Strategies for Technology-Based New Business Development: A course that provides fundamental training and support for creating tech companies in the 21st century and today’s economy.
- Global Entrepreneurship: Leadership principles and practices for global business and business management within the global economy. As the global economy becomes more relevant, this course is highly desirable for management executives and leaders.
- Early Stage Capital: A course on the development of capital, including cultivation of resources and where to look for financing support for new business. Includes real-world examples and ideas.
- Financial Management: Advanced practices in financial management, accounting, and other finance topics for managers and administrators. Every aspect of finance at the advanced or executive level is covered.
- Financial and Managerial Accounting: Accounting practices at the advanced level for managerial and executive level professionals, including advanced accounting principles and more.
- Taxes and Business Strategy: This course provides advanced studies in business taxes and strategy, including development of effective tax structures and choosing the best tax methods for a company.
- Investments: A course that covers investing and finance from an advanced perspective for business professionals. It touches on various topics related to investing, how to successfully invest with a business, and related information.
- Advanced Topics in Real Estate: Covers advanced principles and practices in the real estate industry, including managerial and administrative topics as well as global real estate considerations.
- Generating Business Value from Information Technology: A course that explores advanced practices for generating income and revenue with the assistance of technology, internet marketing, and other 21st century tools for business development and marketing.
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania: The Small Business Development Center at KU provides access to over 90 different free online programs in various areas of business, including advanced MBA studies and programs. Courses are available in areas like:
- Accounting: Courses offered will focus on graduate-level accounting studies as they are relevant to business leaders and managers. The focus is on advanced accounting practices and principles.
- Business Operations and Management: These courses provide a basic overview and detailed training in various areas of operations and management for the business owner or leader.
- Business Planning: Covers various areas of business planning and management at the graduate level for increased business success from the start. Advanced planning and strategic concepts, as well as relevant tools and resources, are included.
- Finance: Courses in finance cover many areas within a business or organization, including managerial finance and other upper-level finance topics and issues. This advanced training is ideal for those at the executive level.
- International Business: This course prepares managers and business professionals for the growing global economy and business on an international scale. A popular topic of study, this course ensures that business professionals understand global business as a real emerging demand for the business industry.
- Management Development: A program that focuses on developing managerial staff and creating effective leadership within a business or organization. Advanced practices focus on creating effective leadership, cultivating team players, and choosing successful leaders.
- Marketing: Simple marketing principles and practices for graduate-level business students and executives. All topics are covered, including 21st century marketing solutions, choosing marketing strategies, and more.
- Starting and Growing a Business: An advanced course in small business startup and growth, providing valuable resources and tools for business development and success.
Small Business Training Network
Small Business Training Network: Offered by the Small Business Association, this training network provides access to many business courses and online training free of charge. These self-study courses can generally be completed in 30 minutes or less, but do not offer certification upon completion.
- Business Technology Simplified: Basic technology tools that can be utilized in business to create efficiency in various organizations. The simplified course focuses on technology and its role in business today.
- Take Your Business Global- An Introduction to Exporting: This course guides small businesses through the process of exporting and determining whether this is a viable business strategy or need.
- Introduction to Crowdfunding for Entrepreneurs: A course that provides an overview of crowd funding and other financing solutions for business owners and startup companies.
- Introduction to Franchising: This course focuses on franchising a business, including a general overview and determining whether a franchise is a good move and which structure is best.
- Marketing 101: A Guide to Winning Customers: This is a course that offers basic insight on marketing to help business owners with their own marketing. Real-world examples and tips are used.
London School of Business and Finance
London School of Business and Finance: This business school offers the entire MBA program free of charge to students, with hundreds of credit hours of lessons and educational resources. Tuition can be paid retroactively for students who want to earn the MBA degree while free courses offer certification but no degree.
- Global MBA: The LSBF Global MBA includes advanced training in global business, international management principles, 21st century business models and training, and more. The program provides access to dozens of courses from a Facebook application, or the courses can be accessed from the website directly.
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine: The OpenCourseWare website at UC Irvine provides students with access to a variety of advanced MBA classes and programs, available in both English and Spanish. There are lessons to break courses down and reading lists that can give students more information on various subjects or classes. Certification of completion is available but courses do not count toward credit or degrees.
- Fundamentals of Business Analysis: This course focuses on advanced basics in business analysis for senior level business professionals. The training and coursework covers proper metrics and analysis of business organizations to monitor operational success and achievement of goals and objectives.
- Training and Human Resource Development: A course that provides advanced practices in human resources and employee training. This course focuses on human resource development in today’s business economy as well as training practices that encompass modern business principles and elements.