Accredited schools offering online college courses for senior citizens
1. Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University (MSU) has more than 40 different online programs. Among them are 25 master’s degrees, seven doctorates, five certificate programs, and six bachelor’s degrees. Both online and on-campus classes follow the same academic calendar schedule. Some of the coursework requires online students to participate in live sessions and engage with other students.
The university is offering free online college courses for senior citizens. Some of the online programs that are great for seniors include information systems, teaching, business, biology, and psychology. Local seniors who are above 60 years can take up to 18 credits per academic year for 100 percent free.
2. University of Washington
The University of Washington is offering 18 online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. It is also offering hundreds of individual online courses that you can complete in less than one year. You can find its free courses on both Coursera and EDX. Some of the best free courses on Coursera include:
- Business English Communication Skills Specialization
- Dynamic Public Speaking Specialization
- Social Media Data Analytics
- Data Science at Scale Specialization
- Machine Learning Specialization
Most of these courses are asynchronous or self-paced. That means you can complete your classes online at any time. Taking these programs also lets you learn from the same professors and instructors that lead real-time classes on campus. They will also give you opportunities to interact with other students via discussion forums.
3. University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities offers world-class online courses that allow you to learn at your own pace and space. It has 21 online certificate programs at both graduate and undergraduate levels. It also offers eight fully online master’s degrees and 17 fully online bachelor’s degree. The free online courses for seniors in this school are only available for Minnesota citizens.
The University of Minnesota also makes sure that its online programs are equal to those presented face-to-face on the campus. You will learn from the instructors and professors leading the on-campus classes. The certificate or transcript that you will receive after completing your course won’t indicate that you are an online student.
4. University of West Florida
The University of West Florida offers 17 fully online programs. Among these programs are six bachelor’s degrees that you can complete online via the web at your own space and pace. Both on-campus and online programs are of high quality, and your transcript and certificate won’t indicate that you are an online student. Online students also have a chance to interact with other online and on-campus students via discussion forums and email.
The University has a 100 percent tuition waiver for senior citizens above the age of 60 years. For you to get this waiver, you must be a Florida resident. Senior citizens above 60 years who are living outside Florida are eligible for Out-of-State Tuition Waiver. The Out-of-State Tuition Waiver covers up to 90 percent of the tuition fee.
