The Best Paid and Free Columbia Online Courses in 2022

Columbia University provides a wide range of online courses in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), programming, data science, law, and business. If you’re looking to advance in your career path or learn the basic principles of a new subject, read our article to learn about the best Columbia online courses, as well as course descriptions, prices, and durations.

In addition, we will include a list of the best free Columbia online courses. Select the educational programs, certification courses, or online courses that best meet your educational needs and professional goals. Whether you want to gain programming knowledge or learn to make practical business decisions, there is a class for you. 

About Columbia Online Courses

Columbia online courses are offered via the university’s online learning platform or via massive open online course (MOOC) platforms. The university offers certification programs, professional development training, and online classes that cover a wide range of subject fields. 

Depending on your career goals, you can enroll in Columbia’s social work, business management, applied science, computer science, data science, or workforce development programs. Coursera, edX, and Kadenze are Columbia University’s MOOCs partners where the school offers free and paid online certificate programs and micro masters online degrees. 

Does Columbia Offer Online Courses?

Yes, Columbia offers online courses through its Columbia Online and MOOC platforms. The university offers its online courses in association with several of its reputable departments, including Columbia Business School, Columbia School of Education, Columbia Engineering School, Columbia School of Social Work, and Columbia University Law School. 

What Can You Learn in a Columbia Online Course?

You can learn a wide variety of subject areas in a Columbia online course. Currently, Columbia Online programs include offerings in engineering, applied science, professional studies, social work, arts and sciences, business, sustainable future, healthcare, and law.

Depending on your career goals, you can select from a wide range of academic programs and courses at the university. Columbia’s School of Professional Studies offers part-time and full-time online courses in actuarial science, bioethics, enterprise risk management, human capital management, sustainable finance, and wealth management. 

Does Columbia Offer Online Bootcamps?

Columbia offers online bootcamps that cover topics such as basic technology, basic programming concepts, advanced software development, and digital marketing. You can attend the university’s FinTech, digital marketing, tech project management, cybersecurity, or UI/UX design bootcamps. 

Columbia Engineering’s coding bootcamp is one of the top university bootcamps that offers in-person full-time and part-time full stack development, cyber security, and data science and visualization bootcamps. 

Best Columbia Online Courses

Columbia University offers online degree programs, professional certifications, and online course program options on its official website and on MOOC platforms. The top nine paid Columbia online academic programs are listed below. Keep in mind that course prices are subject to change.

Ensure you choose the program options that aid your career growth and enhance your professional candidacy. 

Finance and Accounting for the Nonfinancial Executive 

This live online course by Columbia Business School is for established professionals looking to gain financial management and accounting skills. It is a five-day program that teaches students how to make effective management decisions by utilizing their financial management skills and advanced financial concepts.

It covers the fundamentals of financial accounting, as well as monetary assumptions, accounting entity assumptions, and periodicity assumptions. You will also learn finance constraints, accrual accounting, financial reporting, investment opportunities, financial analysis, and forecasting. Along with a completion certificate, you will receive five certificate points.

Health Data Science (Live Online)

If you want to become a data scientist or a health data analyst, this live online course is a great way to build your portfolio. This program is available through Columbia University’s executive education platform and includes three certificate credits. It introduces students to the fundamentals of health data science, artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and machine learning.

The online students will also gain a rigorous education in precision medicine, managerial statistics, business analytics, data visualization, and data science. Columbia offers this course to cater to executives in career fields across life sciences, pharmaceutical, and health research sectors. 

Leading the Agile Organization

This is another executive education program offered by Columbia Business School that is geared toward project management professionals. This live course is designed for team leaders, department directors, and project coordinators. It focuses on three abilities exhibited by Agile leaders.

They include Agile leadership management, Agile leadership skills, and Agile leadership targets. Agile project management skills are currently high in-demand across software development and operations management sectors. So, enrolling in this professional development course is great for your management career. 

Professional Certificate in Corporate Finance 

Columbia University offers professional certificate programs in addition to executive education. This ColumbiaX certificate program is designed for people who want to work in finance, investment banking, or business administration. It is divided into three-course modules, namely, introductory corporate finance, free cash flow analysis, and risk and return.

You will learn stock valuation, firm valuation, opportunity cost, bond valuation, financial ratios, financial modeling, competitive analysis, and data-based management to help you become a business professional. EdX.org also offers the three-course modules individually for free, but you won’t have access to graded assignments and a verified certification. 

Professional Certificate in Data Science for Executives 

ColumbiaX also offers a professional certification program on data science for executives who are looking to master statistical thinking and data analytics. The program also offers three-course modules that cover statistical concepts, essentials of machine learning, data science, and analytics enabling technologies.

You will learn probability, statistical inference, association, and causation, linear regression, data visualization, fitted models, data analysis, the internet of things, and natural language processing during your online experience. 

The Online AI Program from Columbia Engineering  

Columbia University’s engineering department also offers an extensive online program in artificial intelligence. This program is created for engineering graduate students and it offers six courses. It covers foundational artificial intelligence, machine learning, algorithms, neural networks, and deep learning. 

You will also learn natural language processing, computer vision, data security, robotics, Matplotlib, Pandas, Python, data structures, dynamic programming, supervised learning, TensorFlow, and dataset architecture from Columbia’s world-class instructors. 

XSeries Program in The Civil War and Reconstruction

This Columbia X Series program examines the history of the Civil War and reconstruction. If you want to work in the fields of race relations or American history, this is the course for you. It covers the years 1850 to 1890 in history. The course discusses interracial democracy, political identity, social changes in this era, the great recession, and national economies.

XSeries Program in Veteran Transition: Academic Excellence and Career Readiness

This X Series program is for active military personnel and veterans who want to transition into an academic program. It covers career transition principles, university studies, and higher education opportunities for veterans to help them climb the career ladder in the civilian workforce.

XSeries Program in Women Have Always Worked 

This X Series online program is for those interested in women and gender studies subject areas. It covers the challenges of professional and societal gender roles for women, and the women’s rights movement from the colonial period to the Civil War era. It also addresses women’s political participation as well as their contributions in other areas.

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10 Best Free Columbia Online Courses

Columbia University also provides dozens of free courses on several MOOC platforms, covering topics such as programming languages, computer science, data science, risk management, business analytics, and machine learning. The top ten free Columbia online courses and educational opportunities are listed below.

Analytics in Python

This course is designed for those who want to learn Python for data science and data analytics. This course covers Python programming foundations, JSON, XML, web crawling, relational databases, data visualization, data analysis, network analysis, and machine learning. You can get your assignments graded and get a verified certification for an additional $249. 

Artificial Intelligence 

If you want to pursue a career in data science, AI, or machine learning, then this Columbia course is worth looking into. It is a beginner-friendly course that covers the basics of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and algorithms. You will learn natural language processing, Python programming, robotics, building intelligent agents, and unsupervised learning.  

Data, Models, and Decisions in Business Analytics

Using big data and data analytics in the business sector is crucial for business success. This course is best suited for aspiring business analytics or data analytics professionals looking to gain in-demand industry skills. 

You will gain an in-depth knowledge of probability, exponential distributions, hypothesis testing, linear regression, discrete optimization, sampling, and non-linear optimization. You can add a verified certificate for an additional $249. 

Demand and Supply Analytics

If you’re looking to gain access to additional opportunities in supply chain management or logistics management, this demand and supply analytics course is for you. The course examines the relationship between financial, business, and economic factors and the business analytics sector.

You will learn static price optimization, price differentiation, revenue management, dynamic price optimization, and network revenue management. The course also covers customer choice models, markdown management, inventory management, and behavioral pricing issues. 

Economics of Money and Banking

This economics of money and banking is another business studies course offered by Columbia online. It is apt for aspiring economists, investment bankers, or business managers. The course covers the monetary system, decentralized market economy, balance sheet language, banking payment systems, and market liquidity.

You will also learn about payment flows, the Teynor model, international banking regulations, dealer markets, advance clearing, and global finances. You can opt for the paid version of the course to take a graded midterm and final exam and earn a verified certificate of completion. 

Enabling Technologies for Data Science and Analytics: The Internet of Things

This Columbia course may interest those interested in learning about big data and Internet of things technologies. It covers protocols, Internet of things software, automated decisions, cloud computing platforms, and natural language processing. 

You will also learn audiovisual content processing, content classification, mobile product search, face recognition, web-scale image, and high-dimensional indexing. The verified track of this course costs an additional $99. 

Free Cash Flow Analysis 

This introductory course is ideal for those new to finance and economics who want to learn about cash flow analysis. It is also an excellent option for non-business professionals in management positions who want to improve their business intelligence. The course covers enterprise discounted cash flow methods, residual value calculation, and corporate finance. 

Global Muckraking: Investigative Journalism and Global Media 

If you are interested in learning about the global journalism or media studies field, then this free Columbia course is a great place to start. It covers investigative journalism crusades across Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Europe.

You’ll have ample opportunity to learn about trends in media innovation and ways to use journalism and communication skills to bring about better change in the societal and governmental sectors. 

Marketing Analytics 

This marketing analytics course will prepare you for a career in market research analysis or business analysis. This is an advanced-level course that requires its students to have knowledge of calculus, statistics, probability, and R skills. You’ll gain academic skills in customer analysis, marketing analytics, business strategy, preference measurement, and market segmentation. 

Robotics

The field of robotics is integrated into augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and other tech-based fields. This course is an advanced computer science course that requires you to have knowledge of linear algebra, matrix, calculus, computer programming, Python, and C++.

It covers 2D and 3D spatial relations, kinematic chains, robot systems, homogeneous coordinates, and motion planning. It also covers Jacobian computation, space operation configuration, and inverse kinematics. 

How to Choose an Online Course from Columbia 

Prospective students have several factors to consider when choosing an online course from Columbia. The university offers courses through its extensive education platform and MOOC platforms. Read on to learn about the five most important factors to consider when selecting your academic experience.

• Course curriculum. The course curriculum is an important factor to consider when selecting your courses. You should investigate the course topics and level and then select the course that best fits your educational and professional background.
• Course cost. Another critical consideration factor is the price of an online course. Columbia online offers many expensive executive courses that may or may not meet your financial needs. So, make sure to select courses within your resources and provide a good return on investment. 
• Course delivery method. The course delivery method can influence your success rate in the course. So, you must choose the delivery method that helps you learn best in an online setting. If you need assistance with time management, a self-paced class might not be best for you. 
• Course length. Online courses are a great way for established professionals and busy individuals to expand their knowledge. So, it is important to consider a course length and required schedule before enrolling in it. 
• Certification. If you want to enhance your portfolio, then you should consider a paid online course option to earn a verified certification. Always think about your overall goals with the course before you make a decision. 

Are Online Courses at Columbia Worth It?

Yes, online courses at Columbia are worth it for those looking for a free online education in data science, computer science, marketing, or business analytics. Columbia University offers plenty of free online courses in association with several MOOC platforms that can help you gain in-demand skills. Pain programs at Columbia can also help you build a professional network. 

Columbia Online Courses FAQ