Explore the fundamentals of chemistry, generative AI, music recording, and more with introductory courses from MIT Open Learning.

(Original article published on Medium by Katherine Ouellette on January 13, 2025)

The new year is the perfect time to start learning a new subject. Explore how memory works, whether AI can achieve consciousness, music recording techniques, and more with these 16 introductory courses from MIT Open Learning.

Science courses

  • Introduction to Biology: Discover the secret of life through the basics of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, recombinant DNA, genomics, and rational medicine.
  • General Chemistry I: Atoms, Molecules, and Bonding: Explore the world at the molecular level by examining chemical structure and bonding from a quantum mechanical perspective.
  • Introduction to Mechanics: Kinematics and Dynamics: Build foundational knowledge about the “how” and “why” of motion in this calculus-based physics course.
  • Science of Learning and Memory: Learn how the human brain stores, retrieves, and forgets information with topics like how we learn, classical conditioning, and amnesia.

Technology courses

Engineering courses

Arts and humanities courses

Math courses

These courses are available through MIT OpenCourseWare, MITx, and MIT xPRO, which are part of MIT Open Learning. OpenCourseWare offers free, online, open educational resources from more than 2,500 courses that span the MIT undergraduate and graduate curriculum. MITx offers high-quality massive open online courses adapted from the MIT classroom for learners worldwide. xPRO provides professional development opportunities to a global audience via online courses and blended programs.