Online learning is transforming education. There are many innovations taking place, such as coding bootcamps, MOOCs, and learning in virtual reality — to name but a few. Everyone is beginning to debate and reevaluate the meaning of degrees, certificates, academic credit, portfolios, and so on.

Below are all the ways you can receive academic credit for completing MOOCs.

INDEX

1. Recent News

2.  MOOC For Credits
2.1 Global Freshman Academy from Arizona State University & edX
2.2 Charter Oak State College & edX
2.3 Kadenze
2.4 American Public University
2.5 Alternative Credit Project
2.6 Take a MOOC, Pass an Exam, Get Credit
2.7 FutureLearn Programs
2.8 Saylor Academy

3. MOOC-based Degrees
3.1 Georgia Tech’s Online Computer Science Master’s Degree with Udacity
3.2 University of Illinois’ Online MBA Degree with Coursera
3.3 MIT’s MicroMaster’s
3.4 Data Science Master’s from the University of Illinois
3.5 Master of Information Systems from the University of Colorado, Denver
3.6 Tech Degrees from OpenClassroom

1. Recent News

MOOCS FOR REFUGEES via DW
Berlin-based online university for refugees, Kiron University, helps refugees complete 60 credits-worth of MOOCs for free and enroll in partner universities.

TECH MOOCS FOR INDIA via Business Standard
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) mandates that 10% of the curriculum in the country’s 10,800 technical institutes should come from MOOCs.

UPDATE ON GEORGIA TECH CS MASTERS via Inside Higher Ed
Georgia Tech’s big CS masters program (which is run with Udacity) now has over 3000 students and has received over 10,000 applications. Georgia Tech’s president says they are planning to launch another program.

2. MOOC For Credits

2.1 Global Freshman Academy from Arizona State University and edX

EdX has partnered with Arizona State University to create Global Freshman Academy, a first-of-its-kind collaboration that offers full university freshman-level courses for credit. Seven MOOCs offer transferable college credit, and there are more planned. You enroll in any of the seven courses on edX, and add the Verified Certificate option (which costs $49). If you pass, you pay Arizona State University a fee of $600 per course and they give you the credits (which you can transfer to any university). There is no application process. Learn More of GFA.

COURSES

MAT117: College Algebra and Problem Solving
Arizona State University via edX
Go To Class

EXW100: Introduction to Health and Wellness
Arizona State University via edX
Go To Class

CEE181x: Technological, Social, and Sustainable Systems
Arizona State University via edX
Go To Class

HST102: Western Civilization: Ancient and Medieval Europe
Arizona State University via edX
Go To Class

ASM246: Human Origins
Arizona State University via edX
Go To Class

AST111x: Introduction to Solar Systems Astronomy
Arizona State University via edX
Go To Class

ENG101x: English Composition
Arizona State University via edX
Go To Class

2.2 Charter Oak State College and edX

A few MOOCs from different universities offer transferable college credit and, as with the Arizona State options above, there are more options in the works from Charter Oak. You enroll in any of the courses on edX, and add the Verified Certificate option (which costs $49). If you pass, you pay a fee of $100 per credit hour to Charter Oak State College and they give you the credits (which you can transfer to any university). There is no application process. Learn More.

COURSES

6.00.1x: Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python
Massachusetts Institute of Technology via edX
Go To Class

CS169.1x: Agile Development Using Ruby on Rails – Basics
University of California, Berkeley via edX
Go To Class

CS169.2x: Engineering Software as a Service (Saas), Part 2
University of California, Berkeley via edX
Go To Class

https://www.edx.org/charter-oak

2.3 Kadenze

Kadenze is a MOOC platform that brings together leading universities, educators, artists, and engineers to provide education in the fields of art and creative technology. Kadenze offers credit eligible courses spanning a wide range of topics, from foundation courses in art history and cultural studies, to metier courses in graphic design, creative coding, and much more. Premium members who pay just $7/month for full access to the platform have the ability to enroll in credit eligible courses for $300 per credit hour. Upon completion, these rigorous courses yield college credits that are recognized and transferable by the participating university. Learn More.

COURSES

Introduction to Graphic Illustration
Cornish College of the Arts via Kadenze
Go To Class

Comics: Art in Relationship
California College of the Arts via Kadenze
Go To Class

The Modern Genius: Art and Culture in the 19th Century
Otis College of Art and Design via Kadenze
Go To Class

Culture and Art Making
Seoul Institute of the Arts via Kadenze
Go To Class

Introduction to Sound and Acoustic Sketching
University St. Joseph via Kadenze
Go To Class

Touring Modernism: From the French avant-garde to American Pop and Beyond
School of the Art Institute of Chicago via Kadenze
Go To Class

Introduction to Generative Arts and Computational Creativity
Simon Fraser University via Kadenze
Go To Class

60 Years of French Fashion
Paris College of Art via Kadenze
Go To Class

Making Meaning: An Introduction to Designing Objects
School of the Art Institute of Chicago via Kadenze
Go To Class

Introduction to Motion Design: Time and Transformation
Ringling College of Art + Design via Kadenze
Go To Class

Visual Storytelling: Envisioning a Narrative for Film and Video Games
Ringling College of Art + Design via Kadenze
Go To Class

Contemporary Museum Education
Pratt Institute via Kadenze
Go To Class

Gender, Feminism, Art and Technology
The University of Texas at Austin via Kadenze
Go To Class

Foundations of Arts and Entertainment Technologies
The University of Texas at Austin via Kadenze
Go To Class

2.4 American Public University Accepts Some MOOCs from Coursera and Udacity 

If you complete (freely or for a certificate) any of the ten approved Coursera/Udacity MOOCs, American Public University will accept them as part of their online degrees. American Public University’s online degrees have a traditional admissions process and completing the non-MOOC part of their online degrees isn’t cheap (it’s around $1,000 per course). Learn more.

COURSES

Introduction to Genetics and Evolution
Duke University via Coursera
Go To Class

Interactive 3D Graphics
Autodesk via Udacity
Go To Class

Intro to Artificial Intelligence
Stanford University via Udacity
Go To Class

Intro to Computer Science
University of Virginia via Udacity
Go To Class

Intro to Physics
via Udacity
Go To Class

Intro to Statistics
Stanford University via Udacity
Go To Class

Bioelectricity: A Quantitative Approach
Duke University via Coursera
Go To Class

Calculus: Single Variable
University of Pennsylvania via Coursera
Go To Class

Pre-Calculus
University of California, Irvine via Coursera
Go To Class

2.5 Alternative Credit Project

If you complete any of the MOOCs approved by the Alternative Credit Project, member universities will accept them as part of their degrees. Some universities allow you to complete up to 75% of your degree requirement with MOOCs. The universities have traditional admissions processes and completing the non-MOOC part of their degrees isn’t cheap (it’s around $1,000 per course). Learn More.

COURSES

Math226.2x: Linear Differential Equations
Boston University via edX
Go To Class

Math226.3x: Nonlinear Differential Equations: Order and Chaos
Boston University via edX
Go To Class

2.6 Take a MOOC, Pass an Exam, Get Credit

Take a MOOC on your own, and then visit an AP, CLEP, or DSST test center and pass an exam on a topic to earn the credit. Most educational institutions grant credit for passing AP exams and nearly 3,000 educational institutions grant credit for passing CLEP and DSST exams. To receive the credit, you must apply and be admitted into an educational institution. Learn More.

2.7 FutureLearn Programs

You complete a required sequence of MOOCs on the FutureLearn platform, pay the fees for Certificates of Achievement after passing the MOOCs, then buy and pass a final assessment course. Currently, you can get credits from the University of Leeds and from the Open University for around $100 per credit. These credits likely transfer to most universities (but check with your university before enrolling). Learn More.

2.8 Saylor Academy

Saylor Academy has 31 courses listed have alternate final exams that have been recommended for credit by at least one of two organizations, ACE® CREDIT® and NCCRS. Briefly, these courses are tuition-free, with low associated fees for exam proctoring and transcripts; fully online; completely self-paced, with exams available 24/7; guaranteed for credit at over a dozen Saylor Academy partner schools, with hundreds more that will consider the courses for credit. Learn more.

3. MOOC-based Degrees

3.1 Georgia Tech’s Online Computer Science Master’s Degree (OMSCS)

It’s a big (in terms of number of students), online, and relatively affordable graduate program ($7,000) from a very respected university. The university says the online program is equivalent to the on-campus program (which costs $45,000), and students receive identical diplomas. The only drawback is that the program has a traditional admissions process. Learn More about OMSCS.

3.2 iMBA – University of Illinois’ Online MBA Degree on Coursera 

You have to complete six of the seven University of Illinois Coursera Specializations. Each Specialization is comprised of five or six courses. You also have to complete additional coursework and projects on the University of Illinois’ Learning Management System. The total cost is around $20,000 (which is a lot less than the average MBA cost of $80,000). The program has a traditional admissions process, although you can start completing the Specializations before you apply. Learn More about iMBA.

3.3 MIT’s (half-MOOC, half-on campus) Supply Chain Management Master’s Degree 

It’s a graduate program that takes one year, half of which can be completed on edX by getting the MIT MicroMaster’s Credential in Supply Chain Management. The on-campus portion is not cheap (around $40,000) and the program has a traditional admissions process. Learn More about MIT’s MicroMasters.

3.4 Data Science Master’s from the University of Illinois

You complete the required data science MOOCs on Coursera. You also have to complete additional coursework and projects on the University of Illinois’ Learning Management System. The total cost is around $20,000 (which is a lot less than the typical data science master’s cost of $50,000). The program has a traditional admissions process, although you can start completing the MOOCs before you apply. Students admitted to the degree program will have five years to complete the degree (although it can be completed in a shorter time period). Learn More about the program here.

3.5 Master of Information Systems from the University of Colorado, Denver

You complete the Data Warehousing for Business Intelligence Specialization on Coursera for $355. Once you apply and are accepted to the 30-credit University of Colorado Master of Information Systems program, you receive 6 transfer credits for having completed the Specialization. The remaning 24 credits of the program are not cheap (around $500 per online credit) and the program has a traditional admissions process. Learn more about the program here.

3.6 Tech Degrees from OpenClassrooms

OpenClassrooms, a French organization whose offering are similar to Udacity, offers 3 online, tech-focused degrees recognized by the French government. Its degree-granting program costs 300 euros per month and each degree can be completed in 4 months to a year. It has courses in French, English, and Spanish. Learn more about the program here.