12 Free Online Courses In South Africa With Certificates

Discover the free online courses in South Africa for students at home and abroad. These courses are totally free to audit and in the end, successful participants have the option to obtain a verified certificate either for free or at a very nominal fee.

Different countries have online courses that are specially offered by their universities and other organizations via online learning websites to students within and outside the country who wish to enroll in that course. South Africa is one of those countries and in this guide, you will find a list of free online courses in South Africa with certificates.

These courses are offered by South African universities, colleges, and other organizations that impart valuable knowledge and skills to anyone who wishes to learn. The certification received by those who successfully complete the course will bear the name of the institution that offered the program and the location. Just as there are free online courses in South Africa, there are also free online courses in Canada, the UK, the US, Australia, and other countries but people who are outside these countries can also enroll in the courses.

The free online courses in South Africa cut across various disciplines including but not limited to social science, business, and health science so that you can have many options to choose from and learn from. If you like, you can enroll in one or two courses in each discipline, that is your choice.

To join the classes, all you need is a PC or tablet with a stable internet connection. Your commitment and passion to study for a new skill would also play a big role in when and how you complete the course.

Are South African Online Courses Relevant?

These South African free online courses are relevant, in that they offer you new skills and knowledge or brush up on existing ones giving you the chance to pursue your academic dreams in a less stressful yet absolutely convenient way. Therefore, South African online courses are relevant to grow your career and advance to the next level.

What can I study online in South Africa?

You can basically study anything online in South Africa whether you are within the country or outside its borders. The decision of what to study online solely depends on you and what you want to do at the moment.

If you generally don’t know which course to go for, stay tuned to this article as there are lots of free online courses in South Africa that you can join from here. The courses are listed below along with their details and application links to help facilitate your preference.

Free Online Courses In South Africa

Free Online Courses In South Africa With Certificates

From my research, I found 12 free online courses in South Africa, they are listed here with their specific details.

1.     Understanding Clinical Research: Behind the Statistics

This is one of the free online courses offered by the University of Cape Town via Coursera for clinical practitioners, medical students, and people dealing with general research studies looking to gain relevant research experience. By enrolling in this course, you will learn how to easily interpret common statistical concepts without involving complex mathematical formulae and be able to understand statistical analysis.

People whose disciplines fall under research should take this course, especially in the medical sector it will make your research skills top-notch. You get to understand statistical concepts better and faster. Also, after completing the course you can obtain a verified certificate for a little fee.

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2.     What is a Mind?

The mind is a great asset of the human body and an interesting thing to learn about, fortunately, this course explores the most pertinent scientific and philosophical concepts for understanding our own minds. If you want to pursue a career in psychology, psychiatry, or counseling you should consider taking this course to start building up your knowledge of how the mind works and explore the relevance of this knowledge to your career.

The course is also open to anyone with a curiosity to learn about the workings of the human mind.

The course covers interesting topics like consciousness, subjectivity, agency, changing the mind, understanding the mind, intentionality, and the unconscious. After completing the course, a certificate is available for as little as $49.

Update: If you happen to find out that the course is not currently running at the time you want to enroll, don’t worry, go ahead and register for the course, you will be sent an email once the course starts running again.

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3.     Extinctions: Past and Present

Do you know that life on Earth has gone through five mass extinction events and that there is a high chance that another one could occur? Would you love to learn about the extinction of dinosaurs and other animals that existed earlier? Here is the course you need to enroll in to satisfy your curiosity and gain an uncommon knowledge.

The course explores all of the extinctions that have happened in the past and how these extinctions have shaped the world as it is today.

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4.     Becoming a Change-maker: Introduction to Social Innovation

This online course explores the problems affecting social innovation and how to tackle those problems. In the process of exploring these challenges and their solution, you become a critical thinker and a problem-solver.

After completion you will get a certificate, which you will pay a little fee to acquire, to show as proof of your knowledge and skill, you can attach the certificate to your CV or Resume.

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5     Julia Scientific Programming

Julia is a high-level, high-performance dynamic programming language developed specifically for scientific computing. It is commonly used in science-related disciplines such as physics, chemistry, engineering, data science, etc. Aside from being very useful for scientific purposes, the programming language, Julia, is also effective for general purposes.

Enrolling in this course will equip you with skills in using Julia to solve complex and non-complex problems.

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6     Medicine and the Arts: Humanizing Healthcare

Have you heard of Medical Humanities? Would you like to know what it is all about? Then enroll in this course and explore an emerging field that cuts across art, humanities, and medicine disciplines.

The course is 100% online and self-paced. You can enroll in the course whether you are in South Africa, Europe, or any part of the world.

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7.     Introduction to Human Resources Leadership and HR Management Strategies

Would you like to take up an HR or leadership position in your organization? Prepare yourself ahead of the position with this course and improve your understanding of HR management strategies and develop HR leadership skills. If you are already a practicing HR, you could also enroll in the course to improve your knowledge and gain fresh, new skills.

This course is offered online by Stellenbosch University and it is 100% free for everyone whether you are in SA or not. Also, it is a self-paced course, you are welcome to start and complete it on your own time.

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8.     Freedom of Expression in the African Media and Digital Policy Landscape

Here is another free online course in SA offered by Stellenbosch University to address and explore the impact of AI on media and journalism, freedom of expression, access to information, and online freedoms in Africa. Participating in this course will give you a better understanding of media and the laws controlling it.

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9.     Innovative Finance: Hacking Finance to Change the World

You can enroll in this course to improve your knowledge of Finance or if you have a project related to the course, you can join the class to find relevant information that will make your project report stand out. Enrolling in this course will open you to innovative financing strategies and new types of revenue creation, business models, financing approaches, and partnerships.

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10.  How Entrepreneurs in Emerging Markets can Master the Blockchain Technology

TBlockchain Technology is a fairly new technology that has brought about many innovations like cryptocurrency, and Web3, and also tackling challenges in various sectors especially in finance. As an entrepreneur, it is important that you stay updated to latest technologies that pop up in the finance sector and that is what this course is here for.

This course introduces entrepreneurs to blockchain, AI, and Web3 to explore how these technologies can be used to tackle challenges.

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11.  Building Fintech Startups in Emerging Markets

This is a beginner-level course offered online on Coursera by the University of Cape Town. It is one of the best free online courses in South Africa as it is targeted at those who are looking to build fintech startups in a growing market. Enrolling in this course will help anyone looking to build a startup know the Dos and Don’ts of building a startup and navigate the waters as well.

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12.  Higher Education Learning in the Age of AI

AI is currently in trend and is embraced by everyone, especially students. This course explores how university and college teachers can reconsider their approach to students’ learning in the age of AI. This course is designed for any professional involved with teaching in the higher education context, who is interested in exploring the intersection between user-facing generative AI tools and education.

At the end of the course, you will learn how to Create a plan for incorporating generative AI into one of the suggested phases of students’ learning and acquire transferrable knowledge and skills to guide students in the responsible use of AI systems in their own learning as a tool and not a crutch.

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Conclusion

These are the free online courses in South Africa with certificates that will help to establish your career and feed you with new, valid knowledge. Like I said earlier, these courses are totally free to audit, that is to say, you can take part in these courses all for free but to obtain a certificate upon successful completion, you may be required to pay a nominal fee for certificate processing.

Whether it is in starting a new career, brushing up on old skills, or picking up new ones, these free online South African courses would be certainly of help to assist you to achieve whatever you want.

Do note that your determination and hard work are what will make you succeed while studying. Try to avoid distractions and choose a learning environment conducive enough for you. The online learning platforms through which these courses are being offered are among the most recognized platforms and it is good that the universities offering the online courses partner with them to offer you a quality online learning experience.

Also, as a certificate holder in any of this course, you get to be recognized for your skill by any HR in any organization. If you already have a degree, this will make your CV or resume look more attractive. This is a huge gain for you and an opportunity you shouldn’t let go of, get skilled today.

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