4 Free Online Business Management Courses

Just like there's more than one way to crack an egg, there's more than one way to learn how to start and manage a business.

Whether you want to keep up to date with current business trends, need to supplement your degree program teachings, or are trying to learn how to run a business from home, you can benefit from some free online business management courses.

Below are some of the best free online business courses from some of the greatest universities in the world that you can take right now to build or enhance your business management skills.

Top Free Online Business Management Courses for Business Success

All of the courses below are being offered for free right now by accredited universities and colleges with experience in teaching business management - even without being a student of the school, you can still benefit from these online courses and aids.

1. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers free online business courses and materials through its OpenCourseWare (OCW) resource.

OCW includes material from thousands of MIT courses and covers the entire MIT curriculum as part of the university's effort to provide free, inclusive education to all. No registration or enrollment at MIT is required, but no credits or certifications for courses are given.

Free business management courses offered through the OCW include an undergraduate course in Project Management, a graduate course in Leadership Development, a graduate course in The Theory Of Operations Management, and other niche subjects that can help you develop as a business leader.

2. Harvard University

With these free online business management courses, you can finally say you've studied at Harvard University.

From webinars to podcasts to actual courses, you can learn about some important business management topics online from Harvard's own faculty and industry professionals.

Some important free resources from Harvard for aspiring entrepreneurs and business management professionals include:

• A course called Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies that teaches you how to evaluate and take on opportunities in new, fast-growing markets.
• A podcast series on the 4P Model for Strategic Leadership.
• CS50's Computer Science for Business Professionals - an introductory course that teaches business leaders everything from programming languages to cloud computing.
• A course in Contract Law that teaches how to form contracts, limits to contract enforcement, remedies for contractual breaches, and more.
• A course called Technology Entrepreneurship: Lab to Market that teaches you how to build a successful business by moving technology from the research lab all the way to the global market.

Most of these resources are offered as a free audit through Harvard's edX platform, but some courses allow you to get a verified certificate upon completion for a fee.

3. The My Own Business Institue at Santa Clara University

The My Own Business Institute (MOBI) offers free training and resources to entrepreneurs around the world to promote the start and growth of businesses for both new and experienced business leaders.

Courses are offered through video, audio, and text, and subjects taught include how to pick a business to run, how to finance it, how to build your clientele base, and how to create a successful business team.

Through a partnership with Santa Clara University, MOBI is offering four online courses that result in a Certificate of Completion or digital badge from the university.

The 'Start a Business,' 'Business Expansion,' 'Quick Start Entrepreneur,' and 'Sales and Marketing Badge Short Course' courses teach students everything they need to start and manage a business, from how to make a business plan and advanced business skills to how to use marketing to grow your business.

4. Brentwood Open Learning College

The Brentwood Open Learning College (BOLC) is a distance-learning college in the UK that offers free and affordable accredited courses to students in the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world.

The free online business management course offered by BOLC covers what a business environment is like, what human resources management is and how businesses use it, and introductions to performance management and marketing as a business leader.

While the course itself is free, anyone who takes it has the option of paying a small fee to get either an official Course Completion Certificate from BOLC, a CPD Accredited Certificate, or an Endorsed Certificate issued by the Quality Licence Scheme, a member of a charitable education and skill-focused organization.

Start Your Business Management Journey for Free Today

Now that you know about some of the best free online business management courses available to you from accredited colleges around the world, it's time for you to start learning how to manage a business today so you can become a leader in the global market tomorrow.