15 Free Online Courses From Harvard You Can Start Right Away

Free classes are available everywhere online these days. Even Ivy League schools like Harvard University are sharing their courses with the public.

Some of these classes can help you learn skills that will transfer to the workplace and help you stop living paycheck to paycheck . Others can deepen your knowledge in topics you’re passionate about.

Following are the 15 best free classes available from Harvard.

1. Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking

Even in a time when artificial intelligence can write a full-length report, it still pays to know how to write.

If you work in marketing, communications, or fundraising, this eight-week class can help elevate your writing. You’ll learn how to craft a more persuasive argument to get what you want.

2. Managing Happiness

Most people think happiness is something that just happens to you, but this six-week course teaches students how to actively create and sustain the feeling.

Although it might sound like a fluff class, the course utilizes principles from neuroscience and psychology to show that happiness isn’t just about feeling good — it’s also about building a life of which you can be proud.

3. CS50's Introduction to Game Development

Perfect for beginners with or without programming experience, this 11-week self-paced course teaches you how to think algorithmically and solve problems efficiently.

You'll learn essential concepts like abstraction, data structures, and web development, along with popular languages like C, Python, and JavaScript.

Enjoying our content? Click the Follow button above to see more from us.

4. The Science of Corresponding with Busy People webinar

In an era of digital communication, most employees spend a good deal of time communicating with people who are even busier than they are.

This webinar class shows students how to create messages that cut through the noise so their emails are always answered — no matter how busy the recipient is.

5. Resilient Leadership

As a boss, your job is to motivate and support your workers so they can reach their full potential. That can be difficult in a world that is changing so much.

This self-paced class teaches you leadership lessons from the life of legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton that you can take directly to the office.

6. Negotiating Salary

While this course is an introductory 15-minute video, its lessons might impact the rest of your life.

The class will teach you how to get a higher salary based on the story of Derek Sanderson, former center for the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins.

Research shows that most workers don’t negotiate well, meaning you could be missing out on the opportunity to boost your bank account by not taking advantage of the strategies shared in this course.

7. Improving Your Business Through a Culture of Health

If you work in human resources, you know that employee health is a crucial building block to a successful and profitable company.

This nine-week class will show you how to reduce employee health costs while providing tangible benefits for your workers.

8. CS50's Computer Science for Business Professionals

This six-week course is an introductory class that helps business professionals with no experience in computer science learn the basics.

Students will learn about web development, various programming languages, cloud computing, and more. If you’re interested in further pursuing computer science after the course ends, you can take other free Harvard computer science classes.

9. Fat Chance: Probability from the Ground Up

Individuals constantly misunderstand statistics and probability. If interpreting data and statistics is crucial to your job, consider taking this class.

This seven-week course explains concepts related to probability. It is designed for those with no previous experience.

10. Practical Improvement Science in Health Care: A Roadmap for Getting Results

If you work in health care, you know that improvements in the workplace can impact the level of care received by patients.

Improvement science is the study of how to make systems better over time. This course takes seven weeks to complete and is self-paced.

11. Introduction to Family Engagement in Education

As most education professionals know, student success is tied directly to how engaged and interested the parents are, not just how good the school is. This self-paced course can offer strategies to increase family engagement.

Teachers, principals, and anyone else who works in education can benefit from this course.

12. Innovating in Health Care

The class covers different health care business models and how innovation is changing long-standing systems.

Employees who work in health care can learn much from this self-paced course.

13. The Path to Happiness: What Chinese Philosophy Teaches Us About the Good Life

Chinese philosopher Confucius changed the world with his teachings. And if you’ve always been curious about studying his work, now is your chance.

This course is 13 weeks long and covers Confucius and other Chinese philosophers, detailing how insights from their work can help you become a happier, more fulfilled person.

14. New Ideas for Nonprofit Leaders webinar

When you’re working at a nonprofit, you need to find ways to connect to your constituents, donors, and the general public.

This webinar from Harvard professor Arthur Brooks shows nonprofit leaders how to use the principles of human connection in their current role.

15. Contract Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract

Even if you don’t have a law degree, you may still be in a position where you have to read and understand contracts. But without a legal background, you could wind up signing a document you don’t fully understand.

That’s where this class comes in. It will teach you how to read a contract so you can make an intelligent choice the next time you sign your John Hancock on a document.

Bottom line

Harvard offers many free courses to help you build your skills and get ahead financially .

The school also offers a wide variety of paid courses online. While some of these classes cost thousands of dollars, many of Harvard’s paid courses are less than $100.

Money tips that can work for everyone

No matter what your bank account balance is, there's always an opportunity to optimize and improve your finances. Here's a quick checklist of things you can look at today.

Focus on paying off your debt . Debt can hold you back from making progress with your overall financial well-being. Aside from cutting expenses, there are tools that can help you pay off debt faster like balance transfer credit cards and debt counseling.

Earning extra income can give you breathing room. If finances are tight, earning some extra money to supplement your income can make a huge difference. A new job is one option to consider, but if you're not ready to make a big change or already retired, a part-time side job could be a better choice.

Cut your expenses. It sounds painful and so not fun, but it doesn't have to be. Take a look at your biggest expenses because that's where you'll probably find the biggest savings. For example, auto insurance rates have been soaring so shopping around for a new insurance company can be the fastest way to cut your bill. Also, look for ways to cut your grocery bill (despite rising inflation).