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Twenty years ago, online education made higher ed exponentially more affordable and accessible. Today, MOOCs are poised to do the same.



MOOCs – or Massive Open Online Courses – are picking up momentum in popularity – at least in terms of initial enrollment.

Unlike regular college/ university courses, MOOCs can attract many thousands of enrollees around the world. They can come in the form of active course sessions with participant interaction, or as archived content for self-paced study. MOOCs can be free, or there can be a charge – either on a subscription basis or a one-time charge. Free MOOCs sometimes have a paid “verified certificate” option.

There are now thousands of MOOCs available worldwide from several hundred colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning. For your convenience, we’ve compiled a list of 50 of the most popular MOOCs, based on enrollment figures for all sessions of a course. The ranking is based on filtering enrollment data for 185 free MOOCs on various elearning platforms.

NOTES:

All-time MOOC enrollment numbers are obviously a moving target. Consider any figures here as merely a snapshot at time of writing, not as exact enrollment data.

Primarily English-language MOOCs – or those with English subtitles – have been considered.

The majority of top courses come from two platforms: Coursera and edX. The latter, in this case, amounts to MIT and Harvard courses, whereas top Coursera courses in this list come from several schools.

Of the 185 courses considered (unique, not including versions of the same course), 66 were on Coursera and 55 on edX.

There may be other MOOCs with higher enrollment figures than those presented here. Courses that require payment for full access were not considered.

Due to differing schedules for course offerings, enrollment data for some courses may be changed over time as reported (causing some MOOCs to change position in rankings). If you have information on updated enrollment data, feel free to report through OnlineCourseReport’s contact page.

Some of the courses listed here have had no recent active sessions, and some do not have archived content. If you cannot find what you are looking for on a learning provider’s platform, check out our list of 5400 free online courses.

The MOOC Introduction to Mathematical Thinking, from Stanford University on Coursera, aims to teach students how to think mathematically, to think “out of the box” and develop cognitive abilities — which deviates from typical math education that simply teaches “how to do math.” Subtitles for the video content is available in Portuguese. Total enrollment since the course’s launch in Mar 2013 is about 86.2K. The course, which had an open session at time of writing, is taught by Dr. Keith Devlin. Devlin is a co-founder of both the H-STAR Institute (also Executive Director) and Media X research network — both part of Stanford. He has held several “Fellow” titles and won a number of prizes/ awards, including the Pythagoras Prize, Peano Prize, and Carl Sagan Award. He is on NPR (National Public Radio) as “the Math Guy.” His writing output includes over 30 books and over 80 researched articles.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Stanford University

: Stanford University Total enrollment : 86230

: 86230 Lecturers: Keith Devlin

The MOOC Introduction to Operations Management, from University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Wharton School of Business (Wharton) on Coursera, is part of Coursera’s Wharton Business Foundation Specialization track. It focuses on analyzing and improving business processes (process analytics) in service or manufacturing, productivity and responsiveness increases, bottlenecks, flow rates, inventory levels and more. The course, which has multiple sessions scheduled for 2015, is taught by Christian Terwiesch. Terwiesch is a professor of The Wharton School’s Operations and Information Management department, the Andrew M. Heller Professor at Wharton, and a Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics. He co-authored an Operations Management textbook and has won teaching awards for his efforts in the Wharton MBA program.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : University of Pennsylvania / Wharton

: University of Pennsylvania / Wharton Total enrollment : 87000

: 87000 Lecturers: Christian Terwiesch

The MOOC Introduction to Philosophy: God, Knowledge, and Consciousness is currently in its second run on the edX platform, with a total enrollment of almost 90,000 students. The course provides a basic overview of some facets of philosophy, and is meant to introduce students to a range of debates that exemplify the types of things that philosophers talk about. Specifically, the course emphasizes the ability to analyze and construct philosophical arguments, theories of consciousness, arguments for or against the existence of God, theories of knowledge, free will and determinism, and theories of personal identity. The course is instructed by Caspar Hare, a longtime MIT professor of philosophy, and Ryan Doody, a PhD student in Philosophy & Linguistics at MIT.

Additional Information:

Platform : edX

: edX Institution homepage MIT

MIT Total Enrollment : 89183

: 89183 Lecturers: Caspar Hare, Ryan Doody

The MOOC SPU27x Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science, from Harvard University on edX / HarvardX, covers the intersection of physics and engineering principles with the chemistry of everyday cooking. Topics include emulsions, elasticity, diffusion through spherification and more. Total enrollment since the course’s launch in Oct 2013 is about 92K. The course, which has a session scheduled for Jun 2015, is taught by Michael Brenner, David Weitz, Pia Sörensen (PhD, chemical biology), and Daniel Rosenberg, all of Harvard. Brenner is a professor of Applied Mathematics and Applied Physics and developed this course with Weitz, Brenner and Chef Ferran Adrià. Weitz is a professor of Applied Physics. Sörensen is Preceptor of Science and Cooking. Rosenberg contributed to the science demos in this course.

Additional info:

Platform : edX

: edX Institution homepage : Harvard University

: Harvard University Total enrollment : 92045

: 92045 Lecturers: Michael Brenner, David Weitz, Pia Sörensen, Daniel Rosenberg

The MOOC The Future of Storytelling is presented by German MOOC platform iversity and the University of Applied Sciences of Potsdam (Fachhochschule Potsdam), and upon last count had a total enrollment of 92957 students. The course focuses on analyzing, creating, and contextualizing current media forms, and is presented by a series of media researchers, creators, and students. Subject matter in the course is multidisciplinary, including content from game designers, writers, transmedia producers, TV makers, executives and theorists from many different fields of study. In particular, the first storytelling MOOC centers around current fictional forms and storytelling mechanics. The course is taught by Christina Maria Schollerer, Prof. Winfried Gerling, Prof. Constanze Langer, and Julian van Dieken.

Additional info:

Platform : iversity

: iversity Institution homepage: University of Applied Sciences Potsdam

Institution homepage : n/a

: n/a Total enrollment: 92957

45. Removed by Editor

The MOOC Data Analysis, from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH), covers data analysis and applied statistical techniques, finding patterns in data, and communicating conclusions. The course is typically intended for first year graduate biostatistics students and uses the R statistical programming language. Total enrollment since the course’s launch in Jan 2013 is about 102K. The course, which is currently archived, is taught by Jeff Leek, PhD (biostatistics), and has won a teaching excellence award (student-voted) each year it was taught by him. Leek is an associate professor of Biostatistics at JHU. Leek’s research topics include genomic data analysis for personalized medicine. He has published work in several top journals and created the Data Analysis course

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School

: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Total enrollment : 102000

: 102000 Lecturers: Jeff Leek

The MOOC Modern & Contemporary American poetry is provided by the University of Pennsylvania on Coursera. The course centers around teaching participants how to read poems that are often purported to be “difficult,” including the work of modern and contemporary U.S. poets working in “experimental mode.” Often, sessions aren’t lectures, but rather recordings of close collaborative readings of texts (seminar style) with professor Al Filreis. Professor Filreis is Kelly Professor, founder, and faculty director of the Kelly Writers House, a writing and academic center at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the director of the Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing.

Additional Info:

Platform: : Coursera

: Coursera Institution Homepage : University of Pennsylvania

: University of Pennsylvania Total Enrollment : 140,000

: 140,000 Lecturers: Al Filreis

The MOOC Introduction to Financial Accounting, from University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Wharton School of Business (Wharton) is part of Coursera’s Wharton Business Foundation Specialization track. It focuses on financial analysis, financial reporting process, and accounting standards — all of which will give participants the knowledge to read income statements, balance sheets and statements of cash flow. Total enrollment since the course’s launch is about 155.5K. The course, which has several sessions scheduled for 2015, is taught by Brian J. Bushee, PhD, of UPenn. Bushee is the Gilbert and Shelley Harrison Professor of Accounting at Wharton. He was previously affiliated with Harvard Business School and University of Chicago, and was a credit analyst. Bushee has taught various MBA-level courses and won two teaching awards.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : University of Pennsylvania / Wharton

: University of Pennsylvania / Wharton Total enrollment : 155516

: 155516 Lecturers: Brian J. Bushee

The MOOC 6.00x Introduction to Computer Science and Programming, from MIT and edX / MITx, covers the fundamental concepts of programming using Python, including the elements of a computer program, simple algorithms, functions, recursion, objects, debugging, efficiency, memory and search, classes, and object-oriented programming. Total enrollment since the course’s launch in Sep 2012 is about 157.4K. The course, which is currently only partially archived, is taught by Larry Rudolph, PhD (computer science) of MIT. Rudolph has spent time as a faculty member at several universities. Currently, he is a researcher at MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. His research includes contributing to the Ultracomputer architecture (1978), parallel processing, switching networks and more. His mobile virtualization project for VMWare is used on Verizon’s Android phones.

Additional info:

Platform : edX

: edX Institution homepage : MIT

: MIT Total enrollment : 157431

: 157431 Lecturers: Larry Rudolph

40. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence / Stanford University

The MOOC Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, from Stanford University on Udacity, is the course that is instrumental in the launch of Udacity itself. The course focuses on the basics of AI, including statistics/ uncertainty/ Bayes networks, machine learning, Markov chains (decision processes, reinforcement learning, hidden models and filters), image processing and computer vision, robotics and robot motion planning, NLP (Natural Language Processing) and information retrieval and more.

Total enrollment since the launch of the course in Oct 2011 is about 160K. The course, which is currently archived, is taught by Peter Norvig, PhD (computer science), and Sebastian Thrun, PhD (computer science), both of whom co-founded Udacity. Norvig is currently a Director of Research at Google, and previously an Assistant Professor at University of Southern California and Research Faculty member at UC Berkeley. He has written extensively (articles and books) about computer science topics including artificial intelligence and natural language processing. Thrun is a Research Professor of Computer Science at Stanford and a Google Fellow. His main areas of research are robotics and machine learning, including Google’s self-driving cars and before that Stanford’s Stanley autonomous car.

Additional info:

Platform : Udacity

: Udacity Institution homepage : Stanford University

: Stanford University Total enrollment : 160000

: 160000 Lecturers: Peter Norvig, Sebastian Thrun

The MOOC Financial Markets, from Yale University on Coursera, covers finance and risk management; efficient markets vs behavioral finance; debt vs equity; real estate, regulation and enterprise; forward futures and options markets; monetary policy; critical elements of the financial infrastructure and other topics. Content for the course is also available in Chinese. Total enrollment since the course’s launch is about 162K. The course, which is currently archived from a Fall 2014 session, is taught by Robert Shiller, PhD (economics) of Yale. Shiller is a professor of Finance at the Yale School of Management, and the Sterling Professor of Economics, Department of Economics and Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics at Yale. He won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, and has written extensively on economics, financial markets and related topics, including a number of books and a regular column for the NY Times.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Yale University

: Yale University Total enrollment : 161959

: 161959 Lecturers: Robert Shiller

38. Removed by Editor

The MOOC Startup Engineering, from Stanford University on Coursera, covers the engineering skills and toolset that a technology startup needs. Topics include development tools, frontend Web development (HTML, CSS, JS, wireframing), backend (databases, frameworks), APIs, devops (testing, deployment, continuous integration, monitoring, performance), dev scaling, business scaling and more. Total enrollment since the course’s launch is about 170.3K. The course, which is currently archived, is taught by Balaji S. Srinivasan, PhD (electrical engineering) and Vijay S. Pande. Srinivasan is a co-founder of Counsyl, a genomics startup, and previously taught statistics and computational biology in the Statistics department of Stanford. Pande is a professor in the departments of Chemistry, Computer Science and Structural Biology, as well as the founder and director of Folding@Home, which for many years was the world’s most powerful distributed supercomputer, using the computing power of volunteers’ computers during idle times.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Stanford University

: Stanford University Total enrollment : 170305

: 170305 Lecturers: Balaji S. Srinivasan, Vijay S. Pande

The MOOC Greek and Roman Mythology, from University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) on Coursera, covers, as the title suggests, the myths of ancient Rome and Greece, and the value of myth for us an individuals and societies. Total enrollment since the course’s launch in Sep 2012 is about 180K. The course, which has a future session at time of writing, is taught by Peter Struck, PhD, an Associate Professor of Classical Studies at UPenn. His research topics include myth, meaning, literary criticism and divination. He won a classical studies award for his first book, as well as two teaching awards. He has consulted for a number of media organizations, including NBC, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : University of Pennsylvania

: University of Pennsylvania Total enrollment : 180000

: 180000 Lecturers: Peter Struck

The MOOC Learn to Program: The Fundamentals, from University of Toronto (U of T) on Coursera, covers the basics of computer programming, using Python as the language of choice. and is intended for people with no programming experience. Recommended background includes grade school math. Total enrollment since the course’s launch in Sep 2012 is about 198.6K. The course, which is archived from a 2013 session, is taught by Jennifer Campbell and Paul Gries, both Senior Lecturers in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. Both Campbell and Gries also teach Learn to Program – Crafting Quality Code, which is listed at #30 on this list, and which elaborates on their career achievements.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : University of Toronto

: University of Toronto Total enrollment : 198566

: 198566 Lecturers: Jennifer Campbell, Paul Gries

The MOOC Web Development: How to Build a Blog (or CS 253) centers around the course-long project of creating a web page that anyone can add to and edit. Course lessons include (in chronological order) (1) how the web works, (2) forms and inputs, (3) databases, (4) user accounts and security, (5) APIs, (6) caching, (7) caching, and (8) a final project. The final project is the creation of a fully functional Wiki platform to which users can add new or edit existing pages. Total course enrollment is currently at over 217k. Instructors include Steve Huffman–co-founder of Reddit and Hipmunk– and Sean Bennett, a course architect and programmer at Udacity.

Additional info:

Platform: Udacity

Udacity Institution homepage: n/a

n/a Total enrollment: 217322

217322 Lecturers: Steve Huffman, Sean Bennett

33. A Beginner’s Guide to Irrational Behavior / Duke University

The MOOC A Beginner’s Guide to Irrational Behavior, from Duke University on Coursera, covers rational and irrational behavior from the aspect of behavioral economics and standard economic theory. Total enrollment since the course’s launch is about 217.3K. The course, which currently has no profile page on Coursera nor any archives, is taught by Dan Ariely, PhD, of Duke. Ariely is a professor of Economics and is the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics, and is also associated with the Fuqua School of Business and the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience. His research includes topics on psychology and behavioral economics, on which he has written three books. Ariely, who had much of his body burned as a teen, also teaches MBA-level courses.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Duke University

: Duke University Total enrollment : 217331

: 217331 Lecturers: Dan Ariely

The MOOC Creativity, Innovation and Change, from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) on Coursera, covers creativity techniques for building your business, including the creative diversity model, paradox of structure, creative process, intelligent fast failure, value creation strategies and more. Content is in English and has Chinese subtitles. Total enrollment since the course’s launch is about 220k. The course, which is currently available through Coursera’s on-demand format, and is taught by Kathryn W. Jablokow, PhD (electrical engineering), Darrell Velegol, PhD (chemical engineering), Jack V. Matson, PhD (environmental engineering) and Elizabeth Kisenwether – all of Penn State.

Jablokow is an associate professor in Mechanical Engineering and Design, and has won awards for her teaching. Velegol is a Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, has won awards for teaching, has written over 70 papers on colloid science and related topics, and several books, including CENTER, which is suggested reading for this course. Matson is Professor Emeritus in Environmental Engineering, has developed courses in innovative design, has founded/ cofounded three startup companies, and written several books. Kisenwether is an Assistant Professor in Engineering Design and has interest in encouraging entrepreneurship on campus, especially as co-director of the Lion Launch Pad, a business accelerator for students.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Penn State

: Penn State Total enrollment : 220000

: 220000 Lecturers: Kathryn W. Jablokow, Darrell Velegol, Jack V. Matson

The MOOC 6.002x Circuits and Electronics, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on MITx, covers introductory circuits, resistive elements, independent and dependent sources, switches, energy storage, amplifiers and more. Total enrollment since the course’s launch is about 229.8K. The course has one session scheduled in 2015, running from Jan 20 for 16 weeks. It is taught by Anant Agarwal, Gerald Sussman, et al, all of MIT. Agarwal is a professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, President of edX, founder of a number of startups, and a co-author of this course’s textbook. Sussman is a professor of Electrical Engineering and author of a top textbook of computer science.

Additional info:

Platform : edX

: edX Institution homepage : MIT

: MIT Total enrollment : 229813

: 229813 Lecturers: Anant Agarwal

The MOOC Gamification, from University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Wharton School of Business (Wharton) on Coursera, covers gamification, which is the application of game theory and digital game design techniques to non-gaming disciplines. Gamification has been applied to learning, productivity, team-building, customer engagement, crowdsourcing and other areas. Total enrollment since the course’s launch in Aug 2012 is about 148K. The course, which is currently unavailable, is taught by Kevin Werbach of UPenn. Werbach is an Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics and founder of technology consulting firm Supernova Group. He has advised/ consulted for agencies of the U.S. federal government. He developed this course on Gamification and co-wrote a book on game theory/ gamification for business.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : University of Pennsylvania / Wharton

: University of Pennsylvania / Wharton Total enrollment : 286000

: 286000 Lecturers: Kevin Werbach

The MOOC Data Analysis and Statistical Inference, from Duke University on Coursera, covers statistics from the aspect of a “science of understanding and analyzing data,” and using real world data to make inferences and conclusions. Total enrollment since the course’s launch is over 190k. The course, which had an open session at time of writing, is taught by Dr. Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel, PhD (statistics), Assistant Professor of the Practice at Duke’s Department of Statistical Science. Çetinkaya-Rundel’s research includes the development of student-centered learning tools for introductory statistics, and spatial modeling as related to survey, public health and environmental data. She co-authored the free online textbook OpenIntro Statistics (PDF), which is used in the course, as well two other statistics textbooks (one for high school students), all of which are available for free download, along with data sets used.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Duke University

: Duke University Total enrollment : 291703

: 291703 Lecturers: Dr. Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel

Think101x: the Science of Everyday Thinking is a MOOC that delves into the background and practice of thinking clearly. A proven area of MOOC interest for lifelong learners, psychology and game theory-lovers, and those who are curious, this University of Queensland MOOC lands as one of our most popular psychology MOOCs. With over 1000 reviews and an average rating of 5/5, this course presents material including “how to tell fact from fiction,” “how to change other people’s mins,” and “tools for improving your everyday thinking.” The larger goal of the course, which proceeds with insightful resources, lectures, and quizzes, is to inculcate habits that help students to think in a rationale, logical, data-driven way, rather than relying on instinctual, emotional, or stereotypical reasoning. Many examples of common ways in which we make decisions — both good and bad — are covered.

Additional Info:

Platform : Edx

: Edx Institution homepage : University of Queensland

: University of Queensland Total enrollment : 304,694

: 304,694 Lecturers: Jason Tangen, Matthew Thompson, Emma MacKenzie

The MOOC Exploring English: Language and Culture is offered on FutureLearn, the first UK MOOC platform, and has had over 300,000 students in its three runs. The course is for people who are learning English and would like to both learn more about British culture and improve their English skills. Particular topics covered include English as a global language, the environmental, entrepreneurship, and literature. The course is designed for students who speak English at an intermediate level (approximately B1 on the CEFR). Instruction is overseen by Simon Carrie.

Additional info:

Platform : FutureLearn

: FutureLearn Institution homepage: British Council

Total Enrollment : 326093

: 326093 Lecturers: Simon Carrie

The MOOC CS50x Introduction to Computer Science, from Harvard on edX / HarvardX, covers the basics of computer programming for both comp sci majors and non-majors. Topics include algorithms and problem solving, abstraction, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, Web development and more. Languages, markup and databases covered include C, PHP, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, and SQL. Total enrollment since the course’s launch in Oct 2012 is about 348.5K. The course, which is currently archived, is taught by David J. Malan, PhD (computer science) et al. Malan is a professor of Computer Science and is the Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard. Other members of the team are doctoral and undergrad students at Harvard.

Additional info:

Platform : edX

: edX Institution homepage : Harvard University

: Harvard University Total enrollment : 348476

: 348476 Lecturers/team: David J. Malan, Rob Bowden, Zamyla Chan, Allison Buchholtz-Au



The MOOC IELTsx is offered by the University of Queensland, and helps to prepare students for the most popular English-language test for those pursuing higher education in an English-speaking nation. The course centers around the core skills tested in the IELTS test, reading, listing, writing, and talking in English. Students enrolling in the course are offered over 80 hours of study materials immediately. The course of study is flexible, and allows students to work with multimedia support and learning tools in the areas in which they feel they need the most practice. Reviews for the course are filled with stories of those –who after working through practice materials in the course– were able to successfuly complete their test. If pursuing a higher education in an English-speaking nation is your goal, IELTSx is a tried and true preperatory method for acing the exam.

Additional Info:

Platform : Edx

: Edx Institution homepage : University of Queensland

: University of Queensland Total enrollment : 355,026

: 355,026 Lecturers: Iain Mathieson, Martin Dutton, Megan Yucel, Stephen Walker, Philippa Coleman



The MOOC Write101x: English Grammar and Style is an introductory level English course offered by the University of Queensland. Noted in reviews for being a patient overview of English grammer, the MOOC steps students through 8 weeks of rudimentary English reading, writing, and speaking topics. Whether taken as an upgrade to students with basic English usage, a refresher course for polyglots, or an introductory linguistics course focusing on English, the course provides for a massive potential audience of would-be better English-language users. The MOOC is currently taught by three University of Queensland community members and draws from a depth of experience in English tutoring, linguistics, and communications studies pedagogy.

Course programming is particularly multimedia, and includes video interviews, mini-lectures, readings, quizzes, writing activities, and writing assignments.

Additional Info:

Platform : Edx

: Edx Institution homepage : University of Queensland

: University of Queensland Total enrollment : 414,432

: 414,432 Lecturers: Roslyn Petelin, Amber Gwynne, Megan Porter

LMU’s Competitive Strategy course is designed to help students learn how businessness and organizations strategize in interdependent circumstances. A 6-week module, the topics break down as follows: Take Care of Your Competitors, Why Firms Work Together, Complementary Products and Strategic Partnerships, Entering a New Market, Why Worry About Research and Development, and Designing Products Wisely. Students complete a quiz following each lesson, and the class concludes with a final exam. All coursework is archived to allow students complete the class on a self-paced basis. The instructor is Tobias Kretschmer, Professor of Strategy, Technology and Organization at LMU, where his particular interests include economic and managerial aspects of high-technology industries.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)

: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) Total enrollment : 430,582

: 430,582 Lecturers: Tobias Kretschmer

22. [Removed by Editor]

The MOOC Game Theory, from Stanford University and the University of British Columbia on Coursera, covers game strategy, Nash equilibria, minimax strategies, correlated equilibria, Bayesian games, game trees, backward induction, behavioral strategies and much more. Total enrollment since the course’s launch is about 470K. The course is taught by Kevin Leyton-Brown, PhD, Yoav Shoham, PhD (computer science) and Matthew O. Jackson. Jackson is a professor of Economics and the William D. Eberle Professor of Economics at Stanford. His research includes game theory, microeconomic theory and social and economic networks, for which he has won a number of prizes/ awards. Shoham is a professor of Computer science at Stanford. His research includes game theory and electric commerce, and he has written five books and a number of articles. Leyton-Brown is an associate professor of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia but completed his PhD at Stanford. His research includes “the intersection of computer science and microeconomics.”

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Stanford University, University of British Columbia

: Stanford University, University of British Columbia Total enrollment : 474,148

: 474,148 Lecturers: Kevin Leyton-Brown, Matthew O. Jackson, Yoav Shoham

20. Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence / Case Western Reserve

The MOOC Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence, from Case Western Reserve University (Case) on Coursera, covers topics in leadership using mindfulness, compassion and emotional intelligence. Total enrollment since the course’s launch is about 494k. The course, which has multiple sessions from 2014-2015 archived, is taught by Richard Boyatzis, PhD (social psychology). Boyatzis is a Professor in several departments (Organizational Behavior, Psychology, and Cognitive Science) and a Distinguished University Professor at Case. Boyatzis has written over 100 articles on leadership, emotional intelligence and related topics, and written several books on leadership and management, published in several languages.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Case Western Reserve

: Case Western Reserve Total enrollment : 494,369

: 494,369 Lecturers: Distinguished Professor Richard Boyatzis

The MOOC Introduction to Computer Science (or CS 101) covers computer science foundations through several hands on projects and coursework that exposes students to the Python programming language. Central projects include building a search engine as well as a simple social network. Lessons center around (1) getting started, (2) repeating, (3) problem solving, (4) managing data, (5) responding to queries, (6) how programs run, (7) increasing the power of programs, and (8) the past, present, and future of computing. The course is taught by professor David Evans, a professor of computer science focusing on computer security at the University of Virginia.

Additional info:

Platform: Udacity

Udacity Institution homepage: n/a

n/a Total enrollment: 515,476

515,476 Lecturers: David Evans

Stanford’s Algorithms: Design and Analysis, Part 1 focuses on the following fundamental principles: divide-and-conquer methods, graph algorithms, practical data structures (heaps, hash tables, search trees), and randomized algorithms, among others. Students are suggested to have proficiency in at least one programming language (C, Java, or Python) and a familiarity with proofs by induction and by contradiction. The course delivers in a 6-week format and includes 10-15 minute lecture videos, integrated quiz questions, standalone homework assignments, and a final exam. The instructor is Tim Roughgarden, an award-winning Associate Professor of Computer Science and Management Science & Engineering. He has taught this particular course for 8 years.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Stanford University

: Stanford University Total enrollment : 548,631

: 548,631 Lecturers: Tim Roughgarden

The MOOC Introduction to Philosophy, from University of Edinburgh on Coursera, covers key topics in contemporary philosophy, what its aims and methods are, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, moral philosophy, metaphysics and more. Total enrollment since the course’s launch in Jan 2013 is more than 500K. The course has archived text and video content, with seven sections — each taught by a different lecturer: Dr. Dave Ward, Professor Duncan Pritchard, Dr. Michela Massimi, Dr. Suilin Lavelle, Dr. Matthew Chrisman, Dr. Allan Hazlett and Dr. Alasdair Richmond — all University of Edinburgh faculty.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : University of Edinburgh

: University of Edinburgh Total enrollment : 550,000+

: 550,000+ Lecturers: Duncan Pritchard, Michela Massimi, et

A two-part primer course, Rice University’s Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python is designed for students with little to no programming background. The instructors – Joe Warren, Scott Rixner, John Greiner, Stephen Wong – all teach in the Department of Computer Science, and have created a browser-based programming environment to simplify developing interactive applications in Python. To get a firm grip on Python basics (and have fun while doing so), students will primarily learn to build simple interactive games like Pong, Blackjack and Asteroids with Python mini-projects. This course delivers in a 5-week format, and covers basic concepts such as functions, conditionals, event-driven programming, and more.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Rice University

: Rice University Total enrollment : 581,043

: 581,043 Lecturers: Joe Warren, Scott Rixner, John Greiner, Stephen Wong

The University of Michigan’s Model Thinking course is designed to demonstrate how models can effectively organize large, complex sets of information into more digestable and actionable forms. Taught by Scott Page, a world-renowned expert in complex systems, this course covers several essential modeling concepts: segregation and peer effects, aggregration and decision models, categorical and linear models, tipping points, diversity and innovation, the prisoners’ dilemma, and more. Including a midterm and exam – assuming the student opts for the certificate track – the class typically lasts 12 weeks. That said, as it’s self-paced and archived, deadlines are merely suggested. The course is deliberately wide-scoped, and aims to show how models affect strategy and decision-making in economics, political science, business, sociology, and more.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : University of Michigan

: University of Michigan Total enrollment : 582,200

: 582,200 Lecturers: Scott Page

The University of Washington’s primer on public speaking serves as an excellent springboard for both underlying theory and actionable practice. In particular, the course concentrates on the differences in oral vs. written commmunication in order to help students speak in an effective, comprehensive manner. Further, the class also focuses on the fundamentals of developing a well-rounded thesis and argument that listener’s can grasp. To hone their skill-sets, students practice and critique their own speeches, in addition to analyzing the speeches of others. Delivered over 10 weeks, this class includes video, quizzes, and peer assessments. The course is taught by Dr. Matt McGarrity, a Principal Lecturer in the Communication Department at the University of Washington, who teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in public speaking, argumentation, classical rhetoric, rhetorical criticism, and communication pedagogy.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : University of Washington

: University of Washington Total enrollment : 616,208

: 616,208 Lecturers: Matt McGarrity

The MOOC Social Psychology, from Wesleyan University on Coursera, covers the why of human behavior. Topics include social psychology, decision making, persuasion, group behavior, personal attraction and more. Total enrollment since the course’s launch in Aug 2013 is over 640k. The course, which consists of 10-20 minute long lecture videos, is taught by Scott Plous, PhD (pyschology) of Wesleyan. Plous teaches courses in social psychology and has won several awards, including for teaching. In the past, to accomodate students’ schedules, the class has taken a one-week break to allow students to catch up with coursework and concepts.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Wesleyan University

: Wesleyan University Total enrollment : 645,568

: 645,568 Lecturers: Scott Plous

The University of Michigan’s Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python) is the first course of five in the program’s Python for Everybody Specialization. An introductory-level class, students need no prerequisites and only a basic understanding of fundamental mathematic concepts. The lecturer, Charles Severance, is a Clinical Associate Professor at the university’s School of Information, where he specializes in programming, database design, and Web development. In particular, Dr. Severance has excellent experience in the emerging ed tech sphere, helping to build programs such as Sakai, Moodle, Blackboard, ANGEL, and more. This course delivers over 7 weeks and includes 5 chapters that cover variables and expressions, conditional code, functions, and loops and iteration, among other topics.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Michigan University

: Michigan University Total enrollment : 657,068

: 657,068 Lecturers: Charles Severance

The MOOC Crypotgraphy I is offered on the Coursera platform, and has been run a total of 16 times, for around 600k total enrolled students. The course aims to provide students with a basic understanding of Cryptography, an indispensable tool in securing computer systems. In particular the course focuses on cryptographic primitives, cryptographic constructions, and real world applications of cryptography. The course begins by exploring a scenario in which two parties who share a secret key can communicate securely even when a powerful adversary is attempting to eavesdrop. The course includes written homework as well as programming labs. Professor Dan Boneh, head of the applied cryptography group at Stanford University teaches the MOOC.

Additional info:

Platform :Coursera

:Coursera Institution homepage : Stanford

: Stanford Total enrollment : 674,404

: 674,404 Lecturers: Dan Boneh

The MOOC Programming Mobile Applications for Android Handheld Systems – Part 1, from University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) on Coursera, covers the basics of developing mobile apps for the smartphones and tablets on the Android platform, from development environment setup to creating apps. This course and Part 2 are part of the Coursera Mobile Cloud Computing with Android specialization track. Total enrollment since the course’s launch is about 600000K. The course, which has both archives and several sessions scheduled for 2015, is taught by Dr. Adam Porter of UMD. Porter is a professor of Computer Science at UMD and the UMD Institute for Advanced Studies. He has won awards for teaching and research, and has served on the editorial boards of several scientific journals.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : University of Maryland

: University of Maryland Total enrollment : 678451

: 678451 Lecturers: Adam Porter



The MOOC Understanding IELTS: Techniques for English Language Tests if offered by FutureLearn, the UK’s first MOOC platform. The course focuses on preparing students for IELTS (International English Language Testing System) tests, the most popular English language test for higher education and global migration. IELTS tests are used by over 9,000 organizations and recorded over 2.2 million individual administrations last year. The course centers around familiarizing students with all portions of the test, understanding the assessment process, and getting feedback from other students on written and spoken English skills. The course has received almost 700000 students in its two runs, and is taught by Chris Cavey.

Additional info:

Platform : FutureLearn

: FutureLearn Institution homepage : British Council

: British Council Total enrollment : 690567

: 690567 Lecturers: Chris Cavey

The MOOC Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies: the First Step in Entrepreneurship is offered on the Coursera platform by the University of Maryland. The course is part of the entrepreneurship specialization that centers around the early stages of launching a new business. Content centers around tried and tested techniques for assessing and analyzing new venture opportunity. Central to the class is the process of establishing a business plan as well as the goal of demystifying the startup process, so that students can take data-driven steps to found their own business when opportunities present themselves in the real world. Since the creation of the course over 735,000 students have enrolled, with the course ranked as the #1 entrepreneurship courses, and #3 overall business course on the Coursera platform. Currently the course is taught by Dr. James V. Green, the director of Entrepreneurship Education at the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage :University of Maryland, College Park

:University of Maryland, College Park Total enrollment : 736347

: 736347 Lecturers: James V. Green

The MOOC Algorithms: Part 1 is presented on the Coursera platform by Princeton University. The course focuses on algorithms and data structures that programmers need to know. In particular coursework centers around iteratable data types, sorting, and searching algorithms as they relate to applications and scientific performance analysis in Java. Specific topics include union-find algorithms; basic iterable data types (stack, queues, and bags); sorting algorithms (quicksort, mergesort, heapsort) and applications; priority queues; binary search trees; red-black trees; hash tables; and symbol-table applications. Currently the course has had over 750k students. The course is taught by Kevin Wayne and Robert Sedgewick, computer science professors at Princeton.

Additional info:

Platform: Coursera

Coursera Institution homepage : Princeton University

: Princeton University Total enrollment : 751089

: 751089 Lecturers: Kevin Wayne, Robert Sedgewick

The MOOC Think Again: How to Reason and Argue, from Duke University on Coursera, covers reasoning, analyzing arguments, evaluating deductive and inductive arguments, argument fallacies and more. Total enrollment since the course’s launch in Nov 2012 is about 775k. The course, which has an archive from Fall 2014, has one session scheduled in 2015, which started Jan 5th and ends May 4th. It is taught by Dr. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Dr. Ram Neta. Sinnott-Armstrong is a professor of Philosophy at Duke, and is the Chauncey Stillman Professor of Practical Ethics in the Philosophy Department and the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke. He has written several books, including on moral theory, philosophy of religion and theory of knowledge. Neta is a professor of Philosophy at University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. He has written many articles on epistemology and related topics, and is an editor of works on epistemology.

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Duke University

: Duke University Total enrollment : 775717

: 775717 Lecturers: Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Ram Neta



The MOOC the Data Scientist’s Toolbox is presented on the Coursera platform by Johns Hopkins University. The course is part of Coursera’s popular data science specialization, and has had over 820k students since its creation. Topics covered include an introduction to common tools and ideas that data scientists use in their workflow. A conceptual knowledge of how data can be turned into actionable information is covered through the early stages of the class. This is followed by the course’s practical sections on markdown, git, GitHub, R, and RStudio. Goals for the end of the course include the ability to identify and classify data science problems, as well as the establishing of a Github account with basic Git knowledge. The course is taught by Roger D. Peng, Jeff Leek, and Brian Caffo.

Additional info:

Platform: Coursera

Coursera Institution homepage: Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University Total enrollment: 828837

828837 Lecturers: Roger D. Peng, Jeff Leek, Brian Caffo

4. Removed by Editor

The MOOC R Programming is presented by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and functions as part of Coursera’s data science specialization. The courses begins by teaching students how to install and configure R (the de facto programming language for data science and statistics work). The course continues by helping to step students through reading data into R, accessing R packages, writing R functions, debugging, profiling R code, and organizing and commenting R code. A certification is available for the course, which takes four weeks of study to complete with a cohort. Since its creation, the course has garnered over 950,000 students. The course is taught by Roger D. Peng, Jeff Leek, and Brian Caffo.

Additional info:

Platform: Coursera

Coursera Institution homepage: Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University Total enrollment: 952414

952414 Lecturers: Roger D. Peng, Jeff Leek, Brian Caffo

The MOOC Machine Learning, from Stanford University on Coursera, covers machine learning, data mining, and statistical pattern recognition at broad level. More specifically, topics include supervised learning, unsupervised learning, best practices in machine learning, case studies and application of learning algorithms for building smart robots, text understanding, computer vision, medical informatics and more. Total enrollment since the course’s launch in Oct 2011 is over one million students, making the MOOC the most well enrolled in the history of online education (at time of writing)! The course, which is archived, and which led to the founding of Coursera, is taught by Andrew Ng, Ng is an associate professor of Computer Science at Stanford and Chief Scientist of Baidu. He co-founded Coursera with Daphne Koller, another Stanford computer science professor. Ng is Chairman of Coursera, while Koller is President

Additional info:

Platform : Coursera

: Coursera Institution homepage : Stanford University

: Stanford University Total enrollment : 1122031

: 1122031 Lecturers: Andrew Ng

The MOOC Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects covers a number of learning techniques that are utilized in a wide array of fields. Subject matter includes learning about the two main (and very different) ways in which our brain learns, as well as how the brain tends to “chunk” information. The course is geared towards anyone who is actively seeking to learn new skills or information, and who is ready to assess and improve the way they learn. While educational theory is covered, the course also covers a wide number of practical learning tips. To date, the course has garnered more than one million enrolees, only the second MOOC to achieve this benchmark in history. The course is taught by Dr. Barbara Oakley, a professor of engineering at the University of Oakland, and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski, a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Additional info:

Platform: Coursera

Coursera Institution homepage: UC San Diego

UC San Diego Total enrollment: 1192697

1192697 Lecturers:Terrence Sejnowski, Barbara Oakley

Reason for updates:

When this ranking was originally written, no comprehensive data source for MOOC enrollment numbers was available. For this reason data was assembled piecemeal from available resources, many of which were published at different times and did not look at all MOOC platforms. As our ranking has received more attention we have obtained more exact enrollment data from MOOC platforms and professors, which we are incorporating into the ranking as we receive new numbers. Note that this may mean that individual MOOCs may change position in the rankings.

REFERENCES

Some information for this list is referenced from the following Web pages and sites.