Free Online History Courses
- 15 courses
- 9 free
- 6 free to audit
- Certificates available
Sources: Harvard, Oxford, Yale, Khan Academy and more · Verified
Free history courses are a strength of university open learning. A typical course takes a period, a region or a theme (the ancient world, a national history, a war, the history of science or of a religion) and moves chronologically through lectures with assigned readings from sources you can often find free online. Some courses are surveys spanning centuries; others spend a whole course on a decade. Free here mostly means lecture archives and audit tracks. Several universities publish complete recorded lecture courses under open licences, free in full, with reading lists and sometimes exams, and no certificate. University courses on edX are usually free to audit, with videos and readings open while graded work and the certificate are paid, and audit access may lapse.
Museums and public broadcasters publish free courses and series without credentials. Non-profit platforms have self-paced history courses free in full with an optional paid certificate. When reading a syllabus, look for the period and the geographic focus, for primary sources rather than textbook summaries alone, and for a lecturer whose specialism matches the course. History suits lifelong learners, teachers refreshing a topic, students preparing for further study, writers researching a setting, and older learners who want structured study without deadlines. The courses for seniors page on this site draws heavily on this subject, and the art and law pages cover neighbouring territory.
Our three picks
Filters
| # | Course | Provider | Cost | Certificate | Level | Duration | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Philosophy General Philosophy is Peter Millican's lecture course for first-year philosophy undergraduates at Oxford, released as… | Oxford | Free | NoneNo certificate | — | — | |
| 2 | Philosophy for Beginners Philosophy for Beginners is a series of five introductory lectures by Marianne Talbot of Oxford's Department for Cont… | Oxford | Free | NoneNo certificate | Beginner | — | |
| 3 | The American Revolution The American Revolution is Joanne Freeman's Spring 2010 course HIST 116, recorded for Open Yale Courses as 25 lecture… | Yale | Free | NoneNo certificate | — | — | |
| 4 | Kant's Critique of Pure Reason Kant's Critique of Pure Reason is an eight-lecture series from Oxford's Faculty of Philosophy, given by Dan Robinson… | Oxford | Free | NoneNo certificate | — | — | |
| 5 | Paradoxes of War Paradoxes of War is Miguel Centeno's Princeton course arguing that war is not only a normal part of human existence b… | Princeton | Free | NoneNo certificate | — | 2 weeks | |
| 6 | The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877 The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877 is David Blight's Spring 2008 course HIST 119, published on Open Yale… | Yale | Free | NoneNo certificate | — | — | |
| 7 | The Making of Modern Ukraine The Making of Modern Ukraine is Timothy Snyder's Yale lecture course, taught in autumn 2022 and released publicly wit… | Yale | Free | NoneNo certificate | Beginner | 24 hours | |
| 8 | Pyramids of Giza: Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology Pyramids of Giza: Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology explores the Giza Plateau, with its Pyramids, Great Sphinx and… | Harvard | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Beginner | 8 weeks | |
| 9 | China’s Political and Intellectual Foundations: From Sage Kings to Confucius China's Political and Intellectual Foundations: From Sage Kings to Confucius is the first course in HarvardX's series… | Harvard | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Beginner | 15 weeks | |
| 10 | Tangible Things Tangible Things uses objects from Harvard's museums, libraries and collections to teach how historians, curators, arc… | Harvard | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Beginner | 10 weeks | |
| 11 | US history Khan Academy's US history course covers the country's past in nine chronological units, followed by three supporting… | Khan Academy | Free | NoneNo certificate | — | — | |
| 12 | World history World history on Khan Academy is a nine-unit survey from the first humans to the present day. | Khan Academy | Free | NoneNo certificate | — | — | |
| 13 | Justice Justice, taught by Michael Sandel, is a critical examination of classical and contemporary theories of justice applie… | Harvard | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Intermediate | 12 weeks | |
| 14 | Masterpieces of World Literature Masterpieces of World Literature surveys how great writers have engaged with the wider world and how their works are… | Harvard | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Beginner | 12 weeks | |
| 15 | The Architectural Imagination The Architectural Imagination teaches how to understand architecture as both cultural expression and technical achiev… | Harvard | Free to audit | PaidPaid certificate | Beginner | 10 weeks |
History courses by provider
Questions about free history courses
Do free history courses give certificates?
Lecture archives and museum courses do not. University audit tracks charge for theirs. A few self-paced platforms include one, and the certificate column on this page shows which.
Are university lecture recordings a full course?
Usually they include the lectures, the reading list and sometimes the assignments and exams. What is missing is the seminar, the marking and the credit. For self-directed study they are complete enough.
How do I choose between a survey and a specialised course?
Take a survey if the period is new to you; it gives the framework that makes specialised courses make sense. If you already know the outline, a specialised course from a lecturer whose research matches the topic is more rewarding.