Starting a business to make the world a better place is a worthy and even fashionable idea. But what does creating a social enterprise really entail, and what skills should you have under your belt before you jump in?

Aspiring social entrepreneurs can find comfort and knowledge in MOOCs, or massive open online courses. Platforms such as Coursera, Udacity and Udemy feature a number of low-cost classes taught by expert faculty in socent and related fields.

See also: 5 Chrome extensions that make charity effortless

From using social media for social good to HTML programming geared specifically toward entrepreneurs, here are seven MOOCs you should look into before launching a socially conscious company.

Platform: Udemy Price: $25

This MOOC is perfect for beginners looking to dip their toes into the social enterprise space. Taught by Jessica Lax, content developer for social impact at School for Change, Social Entrepreneurship: A Crash Course covers five essential topics: hybrid organizations, earned revenue, impact capital, impact measurement and human-centered design.

You can work at your own pace through more than an hour of video content and slides.

We're offering our Social Media for Social Change eCourse FREE on @Udemy. Go change the world! http://t.co/m5zAOINavF #SM4SC #RipplesEdge — Christine Beggs (@RipplesEdge) November 5, 2014

Platform: Udemy Price: $19

Whether or not your social enterprise idea deals directly with social media, maintaining an online presence is imperative for any business worth its salt. This course addresses key social media strategies for social change, and covers examples of successful campaigns.

The MOOC was designed specifically as a skills-building tool for social entrepreneurs "to address old issues with new tactics for increased results."

Platform: Udemy Price: Free

Basic coding is a skill everyone needs to have — even schools across the world are adopting it into their curricula. Whether you're looking to build a simple website for your social enterprise or you just want a better understanding of development as it pertains to business, this is the MOOC for you.

Programming for Entrepreneurs teaches rudimentary HTML and CSS programming languages and development concepts, so you can walk away with tangible, interactive prototypes of your business idea. There are 28 lectures, with more than two hours of content.

Poverty & Development,Climate Change, Disease & Health, Gender and Education..All topics in free class @coursera https://t.co/q12FljnKRL — Michael S Roth (@mroth78) November 13, 2014

Platform: Coursera Price: Free

This MOOC focuses on creative ideas from well-known entrepreneurs, writers, academics and political leaders to discuss how innovation and technology can address the world's most pressing issues. Despite the audacious title, the class hones in on specific units: Poverty and Philanthropy; Climate Change and Sustainability; Women, Education and Social Change; and Social Networks, Education and Activism.

As of this writing, the class is in the middle of its current course of study (until Dec. 29), but you can join the watchlist to see when the next session will take place.

Disclosure: How to Change the World was developed between Wesleyan University and the 92Y, in conjunction with Mashable's Social Good Summit in 2013.

Platform: Udacity Price: Free

Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steve Blank, who also teaches at Stanford, UC Berkeley and Columbia, instructs this course on the key steps needed to build a startup. The focus of the MOOC is the needs of the customer — the product, how to deliver it and how to engage your target audience.

While there may not be a specific "customer" for your social enterprise, How to Build a Startup will teach you how to identify key resources, partners, distribution channels and overall costs.

As of this writing, the class is in the middle of its current course of study (until Dec. 29), but you can join the watchlist to see when the next session will take place.

Platform: Coursera Price: Free (Open Track)

We're proud to offer Social Entrepreneurship #MOOC on @coursera this fall. Syllabus and registration here: http://t.co/3YKzcvKiNe — The Wharton School (@Wharton) August 28, 2014

This MOOC comes to you courtesy of the Social Impact initiative at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. Think of it as the next step after the socent crash course listed above. Wharton's course takes a deeper dive into solution design, concept testing, performance measurement, building for scale and more.

You can choose the free "Open Track," in which assignments are based on real-world examples of social enterprises, or the "Signature Track," in which assignments will relate to the specific social enterprise you'd like to pursue.

As of this writing, the class isn't in session, but you can join the watchlist to see when it starts up again.

Platform: Coursera Price: Free

Strategy is important for any entrepreneur, whether you're creating a nonprofit or for-profit company. The University of Virginia's Foundations of Business Strategy teaches strategic analysis, the impact of competitive markets and how to create value through cases discussions of specific businesses.

The final project has each student select one organization through online forums, using the skills the course has taught him and her to provide a competitive analysis.

The course just wrapped up its most recent session on Nov. 23, but you can join the watchlist to see when the next session takes place.