6 Free Online Medical Terminology Courses & Certificates

Updated on 9/17/2025

Medical terminology refers to the language and terms used in medical and healthcare settings. Most healthcare programs require a medical terminology course as a prerequisite or part of the program.

Those who want to jumpstart their learning or need to learn medical terminology before beginning a new job can find medical terminology courses online. Some are free and offer certificates for a fee. Keep reading to discover medical terminology courses online for free.

What Is Medical Terminology?

Medical terminology is essentially the language of medicine. It is a specialized language used in healthcare to describe the human body's anatomy, conditions, processes, and treatments. In a medical terminology course, you'll learn medical vocabulary as well as root words, prefixes, and suffixes.

Understanding this structure helps healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, medical transcriptionists, and medical administrators, communicate accurately and efficiently. It also helps medical billers and coders do their jobs properly.

Are There Free Medical Terminology Courses With Certificates?

Several online learning platforms offer free medical terminology courses or allow you to audit medical terminology courses for free. However, you won't find a medical terminology certificate online for free.

Most websites that offer free courses provide a certificate for an extra fee. Sites that allow you to audit for free include the certificate with the full, paid course experience.

What Will I Learn in a Free Medical Terminology Course Online?

Medical terminology courses walk you through basic medical terminology and medical terms. You'll cover topics like:

• medical terminology and common medical words
• root words, prefixes, and suffixes
• terms for different body systems, like the musculoskeletal system or endocrine system
• terms for diseases and conditions
• terms for various procedures and tests
• terms for different health fields, like physical therapy or public health

Your program may also cover how to use and read these terms within a patient's medical record, as well as the skills necessary for those in medical billing or medical coding.

Free Online Medical Terminology Courses With Certificates

Medical terminology courses provide a great foundation before starting a healthcare education program or an entry-level healthcare job. Below, we've highlighted some free online medical terminology courses with certificate options.

1. Des Moines University

Des Moines University is a private health sciences university in West Des Moines, IA. It offers an online medical terminology course with two options: a free option, which includes access to all modules, or a $99 option, which includes a certificate of completion.

The program covers topics like foundations of medical terminology, body systems, and diseases and conditions. It also gives students practice exercises, flash cards, and a reference guide.

• Cost: Free with a paid certificate option
• Course length: Self-paced

2. Medical Terminology Specialization

On the online learning platform Coursera, students can complete the Medical Terminology Specialization offered by Rice University. This is a three-course program that covers specific systems, like the musculoskeletal system and respiratory system, as well as the basics of medical documentation.

The courses are self-paced, with each taking 14 to 16 hours to complete on average. They are free to audit, but if you want the full experience with a certificate, you'll need to pay a fee. This specialization is included in Coursera Plus, and financial aid may be available.

• Cost: Free to audit
• Course length: Self-paced

3. Essential Medical Terminology

Alison, an online learning platform, offers the Essential Medical Terminology course for free. This course builds essential vocabulary, covering word structure, body systems, diagnoses, and specialty terms.

The course typically takes students five to six hours to complete. While the course itself is free, students must pay $24.92 for a digital certificate and $35.60 for a printed one.

• Cost: Free with a paid certificate option
• Course length: Self-paced

4. Medical Terminology and the Human Body Fundamentals

The Medical Terminology and the Human Body Fundamentals from Coursera is available through a partnership with MedCerts. It offers an introduction to medical terminology and breaks down word parts and abbreviations in the medical field.

Most students finish the beginner-level, self-paced program in about a week. The course is free to audit, and the full version is available on its own or through Coursera Plus.

• Cost: Free to audit
• Course length: Self-paced

5. Medical Terminology

The online learning platform edX, similar to Coursera, offers a Medical Terminology course from Doane University. Students receive a thorough grounding in basic medical terminology through a study of root words, prefixes, and suffixes.

This is an introductory course, with no prior learning required. It is self-paced and takes roughly eight weeks to finish. The course is free to audit or $119 for the full version.

• Cost: Free to audit
• Course length: Self-paced

6. Clinical Terminology for International and U.S. Students

Students learning on Coursera can take the Clinical Terminology for International and U.S. Students offered by the University of Pittsburgh. The program starts with an introduction to clinical terms and abbreviations, then covers everything from diseases to laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures.

The six-module course is self-paced, allowing most students to finish in three weeks or so. Learners can audit the course for free or pay for the full experience, and financial aid is available.

• Cost: Free to audit
• Course length: Self-paced

How We Rank Courses

To choose the online free medical terminology courses with certificate options listed above, we focused on:

• Course cost: All programs offer a free option to students.
• Course value: Every program covers the basics of medical language.
• Course provider reputation: Each course provider is a reputable organization known for offering high-quality learning programs.

FAQs About Free Online Medical Terminology Courses With Certificates

A free online medical terminology course can be a great way to prepare for a health science program or entry-level career. We've answered some frequently asked questions about these courses below.

How Can I Learn Medical Terminology for Free?

As we listed above, there are several course providers that offer ways to learn medical terminology for free. Outside of this, there are other learning options that don't cost money, like checking out a book on medical terminology from the library or watching medical terminology videos on YouTube.

Do Free Medical Terminology Courses Count for College Credit?

Typically, free courses do not count for college credit. However, if you pay for the full version of these courses, some schools may give you credit.

Can I Get a Certificate From a Free Online Medical Terminology Course?

While many free online medical terminology courses offer certificates, these certificates usually cost a fee. This can range from $20 or $30 to over $100.

What Careers Require Knowledge of Medical Terminology?

Several careers require knowledge of medical terminology, including:

• physicians and surgeons
• all levels of nurses
• healthcare administrators
• physician assistants
• medical assistants
• medical technologists and technicians
• medical billers
• medical coders

Discover Online Medical Programs

Find the right medical terminology course for you by exploring the free online options featured on Learn.org. Check out the various learning platforms to learn more about course registration and costs.