With the rise in popularity of open courses in recent years, many students want to know more about open courses for online business degrees. Those students look forward to taking classes from Harvard, Yale, MIT and other colleges, and they like learning more about the business world. Those courses let you enroll in classes, watch lectures and learn from some of the leading experts in the field.
What are Open Courses?
Open courses for online business degrees fall into two categories. The first category refers to the open courses available from MIT and hundreds of other colleges across the country. According to Yale University, students interested in its open courses can enroll anytime they want without registering for an account, becoming an enrolled student or applying for admission. You can download videos of lectures right to your computer or download audio files to your MP3 player and listen to those lectures while on the go. The second type of program is available from a few schools and lets you enroll, take courses and complete assignments in the same ways that traditional students do.
Types of Business Courses
Many students want to know what types of open courses are suitable for business majors. Many schools offer a variety of open business courses online. You might take a course on building a business or helping a business grow through Oxford University, a class on financial management from Missouri State University or a course on probability and statistics on business from UC Berkeley. Students can also take courses on the managerial process, accounting and entrepreneurship from some of the leading schools around the world.
Can You Use Those Courses Towards a Degree?
As much as you might love the idea of taking open courses for online business degrees, most students find that the courses they take do not count towards a degree. To earn a business degree, you typically need to complete 120 credit hours or more at the undergraduate level and a minimum of 30 credit hours at the graduate level. The open courses that you take can prepare you for the courses you take as an enrolled student, but most schools won’t let you transfer credits because you primarily watch videos and listen to lectures without doing any real coursework.
Other Options
Before you decide that online courses aren’t right for you, take a look at some of the other options available to you. Many public and private colleges and universities offer online courses that take place throughout the year, and most schools will let you enroll in a single class or take a full course load. Taking your classes online lets you save on your tuition costs. If you want to be more involved in one of your open courses, contact the professor of that course. You can request a copy of the syllabus and ask if you can submit some assignments. Though you won’t gain course credit, you’ll gain a better understanding of the topic.
Open courses came about as a way for those interested in different topics to learn more. You can listen to and watch lectures, get more information and learn more about business in general. While you usually can’t use open courses for online business degrees, you can learn more before enrolling in a degree program.
