Free Online Advanced Economics Courses
Advanced economics is taught through various nuanced lenses, covering a wide array of topics. Read on for which schools offer free online courses, their prerequisites, and what content to expect.
Overview of Free Online Advanced Economics Courses
Advanced economics classes cover more complex aspects of micro- or macroeconomics; therefore, the courses will all require an understanding of the basic concepts of economics. They may focus on specific events in history or postulate complicated theories or formulae to explain current or predict future events. Below, explore a few of the free online courses in advanced economics available from various universities.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT offers many classes that cover different advanced aspects of economics, such as advanced macroeconomics and advanced contract theory. Overall, the courses focus on observing the dynamics of supply and demand or growth and development with special emphasis on specific factors that influence those patterns. These courses are all graduate level, and might include lecture notes, video lectures, assignments, exams or projects, depending on the course. Additionally, although the courses are free, some courses will require you to purchase some of the reading materials in order to follow the lectures. A few courses offered are:
- Microeconomic Theory
- Development Economics: Macroeconomics
- Behavioral Economics and Finance
- Labor Economics
Stanford Online
Stanford Online offers a free, four-week course in the advanced applications of game theory. Although the course is taught through the school of engineering, game theory is most commonly applied to the economics discipline to predict trends and behaviors in the market. This specific course will focus on the mathematical approach of strategic choices and covering multiple theories to best predict how other 'players' will act under varying circumstances. To access the course, free online registration is required. Before starting the course, calculus and the introduction to game theory are both suggested as prerequisite classes. The course is formatted through the usage of videos and slides and students may check their understanding of the materials through quizzes, which are not graded. Additionally, students will be required to complete problem sets and a final exam, which are graded. A course certificate is available to students for a fee. Some topics covered in this course include:
- Social choice
- Auctions
- Mechanism design
- Arrow's Theorem
- Revenue equivalence
The Open University
The Open University's OpenLearn program offers a course entitled 'Economics explains discrimination in the labor market'. By intersecting social issues with economics, this course focuses on the intricacies of microeconomic theory, viewing patterns through the lenses of race and gender. Upon completion of the course, you should have an understanding of concepts such as neoclassical microeconomic theory and be able to recognize and apply various theories to events and issues that become present in the economy. All students may access the course and reading assignments, but only those who create a free account through the site may access the quizzes and receive a statement of participation. Some topics covered in this course include:
- Labor market disadvantage
- Policy issues
- Segmented labor markets
- Dual labor market theory