An Educational Benefit for You

Coursera offerings available free for U of M students, faculty and staff

Coursera for Minnesota gives University of Minnesota students, staff, and faculty on all campuses free access to more than 2,000 Coursera courses and specializations (sets of courses in a specific area) from over 70 universities. Take any course you want, whenever you want. Learn new skills, explore a new subject, or advance your career goals. Earn a Coursera certificate to share on LinkedIn or your resume.

Learners can register at no charge. Note that Coursera courses do not provide U of M academic credit (faculty may use the content of the Coursera courses, however, as part of their regular classes). This high-quality, electronic curricular material consists of a series of modules with 8-12 minute video segments, readings, assessments, and assignments that can be used to supplement your content.

Access the Coursera for Minnesota catalog and enroll at no charge

  1. Select the Coursera landing page for the content you wish to access - you must use these links to receive free access:
  2. Click Join in the center of the page
  3. Select “Log in with University of Minnesota” (click on blue box) and you will be redirected to the University sign-in page. Enter your U of M internet ID and password.
  4. Search or browse for courses that you would like to enroll in yourself or (for instructors) use in conjunction with your teaching. All courses and specializations should now show up as Enroll for Free.

Assistance and Questions

For assistance or questions, please contact 1-HELP (612-301-4357).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I receive university credit or a transcript for University of Minnesota Coursera courses?

U of M's Coursera courses are not official courses at the University, but rather are courses created by faculty at the University of Minnesota and other universities in which you can earn a Coursera certificate. To learn more about Coursera certificates, please see Coursera’s page on Course Certificates. Coursera certificates do not represent university credit or continuing education units from the University of Minnesota and do not appear on a U of M transcript.

What’s the difference between taking a course through Coursera for Minnesota and taking a course through the main Coursera site (coursera.org)?

Coursera for Minnesota gives free access to Coursera courses that you would have to pay for if you accessed the course through the main Coursera website. The course experience is the same if you sign up for a course through Coursera for Minnesota or the main Coursera website.

I’m a University of Minnesota instructor and would like to integrate content from a U of M (or partner) Coursera course into my on-campus course. How can I set this up?

Instructors should do the following:

  1. Place a link from their U of M Canvas course site to the specific "Coursera for Minnesota" Coursera course they would like to include in their syllabus.
  2. Specify the content students should take from the Coursera offering (e.g., anything from "the entire course" to third module - Video #1).
  3. Include basic instructions for how students initially "opt in" to Coursera for Minnesota access.

Staff at the Office of Distributed Learning are available to help faculty and instructors determine how to best incorporate a U of M Coursera course into their on-campus courses and programs. Contact Fritz Vandover (vandover@umn.edu) to learn more.