In senior high school, I had to choose between biology and French because of a timetable clash. I ended up taking biology and it turned out to be my favorite subject. But just imagine if I could have done French at school and biology at home on a computer or phone…
Whatever your age, if you’re interested in biology, there’s a course for you. We’ve done the research, using Class Central, a search engine for online courses, and other sites to identify the top online biology courses. With over 7K biology courses and more than 136K people following the subject in our platform, we’ve collated ratings and reviews to find the best choices.
The courses in this Best Courses Guide (BCG) are created by MIT, the University of Copenhagen, and CrashCourse, among others. And if you’re interested in a specific aspect of biology, check out our related BCGs.
Click on the shortcuts for more details:
Here are our top picks
| Course Highlight | Workload |
| Best General Biology Course (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) | 28+ hours |
| Best Short Outline of Biology (CrashCourse) | 8 hours |
| Best Biological History Course (University of Copenhagen) | 23 hours |
| Best Biology Course with Possible Credit (Study.com) | 24 hours |
| Best Cartoon-Style Biology Course (Amoeba Sisters) | 12 hours |
| Best AP Biology Prep Course (Bozeman Science) | 10 hours |
Best General Biology Course (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Have you ever dreamed of taking a course from MIT? Here is your chance! Be prepared to put in the time, as if you are an undergraduate MIT student. This course is a recording of MIT lectures from 2018 and you can also access assignments, the final exam, and other study materials from the MIT OpenCourseWare site.
You will learn:
- Understand the functions of living systems
- Fundamental principles of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology
- Biological function at the molecular level
- Structure and regulation of genes
- Structure and synthesis of proteins
- How these molecules are integrated into cells
- How cells are integrated into multicellular systems and organisms.
| Provider | MIT OpenCourseWare |
| University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Instructors | Barbara Imperiali, Adam Martin and Diviya Ray |
| Time Commitment | 28 hours of videos plus assignments |
| Rating | 5.0 (2) |
| Cost | Free |
| Certificate | Not available |
Best Short Outline of Biology (CrashCourse)
The ever-reliable CrashCourse returns to our BCG list with Biology by CrashCourse. In eight hours of videos, you will learn about:
- Carbon, water, biological molecules, plant and animal cells
- ATP, respiration, photosynthesis, membranes & transport
- Mitosis, meiosis, DNA, heredity, evolution, and genetics
- Taxonomy and what makes us animals
- Systems: the nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive and excretory
- More systems: skeletal, muscular, immune system, endocrine and reproductive
- Archaea, bacteria & protists
- Ecology.
Other CrashCourse playlists are found in our Linguistics, Anatomy, Human Physiology, Ecology, and Astronomy BCGs. They’re concise, upbeat, and popular.
“Hank Green is my hero. I grew up loving physics and biology so I surrounded myself with them and even got into two of the worlds top rated colleges because of it, yet throughout all the classes and labs I’ve taken, none have been able to teach and be as visually stimulating to me quite like CrashCourse has.” – inserian, YouTube learner.
| Provider | YouTube |
| Institution | CrashCourse |
| Instructor | Hank Green |
| Time Commitment | 8 hours |
| Views | 28M |
| Rating | 4.8 (13) |
| Cost | Free |
| Certificate | No |
Best Biological History Course (University of Copenhagen)
First there was the universe with the laws of physics. Atoms combined into molecules, which we study using chemistry. Geologists and paleontologists study past life, and now life on Earth has countless forms. Origins – Formation of the Universe, Solar System, Earth and Life is a comprehensive, 12-module look at the origins and history of life. You can also read my in-depth review of the course. Learn about:
- The formation of elements and the Solar System
- Earth’s geological principles and early life
- Microbial life and the Cambrian Explosion
- Macrobial Life and Eukaryotic Evolution
- Climate changes, Snowball Earth, and cell evolution
- Evolution of marine animals, major faunas, and adaptations
- Changing oxygen levels and their consequences
- Terrestrial plant evolution and adaptations
- Insect biodiversity, adaptations, and specializations
- Vertebrate adaptation to land and mass extinctions
- Climate change and molecular clock technique
- Evolution of primates, early humans, and human colonization
- Modern biodiversity across various habitats
- Reflect on the course’s impact on understanding life’s evolution and diversification on Earth.
“…I thought it would be more astronomy-based, but this was just the first lecture. However, I’m glad I’ve stayed, because I’ve brushed up some of my knowledge from biology, chemistry, and geology, and I’ve learned a great amount of new interesting facts…” – Kristina Šekrst.
| Provider | Coursera |
| University | University of Copenhagen |
| Instructor | Henning Haack |
| Time Commitment | 23 hours |
| Enrollment | 36.2K |
| Rating | 4.7 (643) |
| Cost | Paid |
| Certificate | Paid |
Best Biology Course with Possible Credit (Study.com)
If you are a student at one of Study.com’s 2000+ partner institutions, you may be able to claim credit for taking Biology 101: Intro to Biology. My advice is to check with your institution to avoid disappointment. This course covers:
- Basic biological terms
- Molecular biology, organic molecules, and enzymes
- Cell structure: organelles and membranes
- Metabolism, respiration, growth and cell division
- DNA & RNA structure and replication, mutations, genetics, and genetic engineering
- Protein synthesis
- Microbiology, human biology, ecology, and botany
- Taxonomic classification, timeline, and geological evolution.
Study.com also offers a course for AP Biology: Exam Prep including practice questions.
| Provider | Study.com |
| Time Commitment | 24 hours |
| Cost | Paid |
| Certificate | Available |
Best Cartoon-Style Biology Course (Amoeba Sisters)
If you learn more easily with cartoon presentations, you’ll really enjoy the Amoeba Sisters Biology Learning Playlist. After the first few introductory videos, you’re taken into the world of biology, taught by an enthusiastic former high school biology teacher. Her sister is a cartoonist, and together they have set up an educational YouTube channel. You will learn about:
- The nature of science, lab safety, and microscope use
- Characteristics that may classify an organism as living
- Prokaryotes and eukaryotes including Archaea, bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals
- Why the properties of water are essential for life
- Cell structure, specialization, cell membrane, passive and active cell transport and signaling
- Nucleic acids and genetics
- Biotechnology and biological processes: cellular respiration, photosynthesis, DNA replication, mitosis, and meiosis
- Natural selection, gene regulation, mutation, genetic drift, evolution, biodiversity, and classification of living organisms, compare and contrast bacteria with viruses
- Ecological relationships, energy, and biogeochemical cycles
- Plant structure, vascular and nonvascular plants
- Systems in the human body.
“Honestly, thank you for all the hard work and effort you 2 both put into these videos. I can’t thank you enough. I”m a pre-nursing student and you guys help, motivate and save me whenever I don’t understand the base concepts” – PieceOfReis, YouTube learner.
| Provider | YouTube |
| Institution | Amoeba Sisters |
| Instructors | Pinky and Petunia |
| Time Commitment | 12 hours |
| Views | 7.1M |
| Cost | Free |
| Certificate | No |
Best AP Biology Prep Course (Bozeman Science)
Are you a high school student planning to study biology at college or university? The Advanced Placement (AP) program in the USA and Canada allows high school students to take AP exams and get a head start on their college studies. AP Biology Video Essentials covers essential topics for the exam, using plenty of images, tables, and graphics. You’ll learn:
- Essential knowledge for the AP Biology Exam
- Natural Selection, Genetic Drift, Evidence for Evolution, Speciation and Extinction
- Life’s essential Characteristics and Scientific Evidence of The Origin of Life
- Free Energy, Phylogenetics, Abiogenesis, Photosynthesis, and Respiration
- Environmental Matter Exchange, Cell Membranes and Transport Across them, Compartmentalization, Homeostasis
- Positive and Negative Feedback Loops and Response to External Environments, Biotic and Abiotic Factors
- Plant and Animal Defense, Organ Systems, Viral Replication, and Biological Molecules
- Development: Timing and Coordination
- Behavior and Natural Selection, DNA and RNA, Cell Cycle, Mitosis and Meiosis
- Mendelian Genetics and Advanced Genetics, Gene Regulation, Signal Transmission and Gene Expression, Mechanisms that Increase Genetic Variation, Genotypes and Phenotypes
- Cells: Communication, Organelles, Specialization,and Variation
- Signal Transduction Pathways and the effects of Changes, Information Exchange
- Ecosystems, Cooperative Interactions, Communities, and Biodiversity.
“…Honestly these videos are the best resource out there for the AP exam. Can’t say thank you enough.” – AgithaBugPrincess, YouTube learner.
| Provider | YouTube |
| Institution | Bozeman Science |
| Instructor | Paul Andersen |
| Time Commitment | 10 hours |
| Views | 2.7M |
| Cost | Free |
| Certificate | No |
Why You Should Trust Us
Class Central, a Tripadvisor for online education, has helped 100 million learners find their next course. We’ve been combing through online education for more than a decade to aggregate a catalog of 250,000 online courses and 250,000 reviews written by our users. And we’re online learners ourselves: combined, the Class Central team has completed over 400 online courses, including online degrees.
I’ve personally completed over 200 online courses in a variety of topics including biology.
How We Made Our Picks and Tested Them
Trying to find “the best” can be daunting, even for those of us who live and breathe online courses. Here’s how I approached this task.
First, I combed through Class Central’s Catalog and the internet to find a variety of free and paid open courses, some with certificates. You don’t need to enroll in a university to learn biology.
Second, when choosing courses, I considered the following factors:
- Renowned Institutions: I started with recognized institutions in Biology
- Instructor experience: I looked for instructors with extensive experience in Biology and engaging presentation styles
- Course content: I looked for courses that covered a range of topics and presentation styles, including the basics and more advanced topics
- Learner reviews: I read learner reviews (when available) to get a sense of the quality of each course.
To evaluate the courses, I watched some course videos and read the course syllabus.
I extracted information from course syllabi and reviews, and compiled their ratings, leveraging the Class Central database with its thousands of course ratings and reviews written by our users as well as available course provider ratings. Then, I defined the scope for these recommendations. A biology course can cover various topics, so I chose top courses from a range of sub-fields.
Ultimately, I used a combination of data and my own judgment to make these picks. I’m confident these recommendations will be a reliable way to learn biology.
P.S.: Check out our other Best Courses Guides for your next learning adventure. We’ve got 200+ more for you.
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