The Top Free Online Econometrics Courses

Although the shift toward online learning pre-dated the coronavirus, the pandemic caused a great proliferation in the availability and acceptance of online learning. More and more courses can now be found online, allowing students to continue with their studies or even get credit for some courses from the comfort of their own home.

The courses listed here don't require enrollment in an institution, and are all free of charge for at least a limited time. Many of the Coursera courses allow free enrollment, but may require a fee after a certain amount of time has passed. So, no matter where you are (in your home) - at your kitchen table, armchair, or even in bed - you can have econometrics taught to you by some of the top professors, hailing from some of the world's leading universities.

The courses here are all econometrics related, though some cover introductory statistics, which is a necessary prerequisite to understand econometrics. All the courses are available in English and are targeted at various different levels of study. So, no matter where you are in your studies, whether you are doing a Bachelor's or a PhD, you should find something of interest. While some are open tutorials available at any time of the year, others have opening and closing dates for participation.

1. Econometrics: Methods and Applications

• Course Provider:  Erasmus University Rotterdam/Coursera
• Duration: 8 weeks
• Background needed: The course is suitable for (advanced undergraduate) students in economics, finance, business, engineering, and data analysis, as well as for those who work in these fields.

2. The Classical Linear Regression Model

• Course Provider: Queen Mary University of London / Coursera
• Duration: Approx. 22 hours
• Background needed: Introductory course, no experience required. This is the first in a series of 4 courses: Econometrics of Economists and Finance Practitioners

3. Basic Statistics

• Course Provider: University of Amsterdam / Coursera
• Duration: 8 weeks
• Background needed: None; this is a beginner course that will help students get familiar with statistics. This and its following course are necessary background for econometrics coursework.

4. Inferential Statistics

• Course Provider: University of Amsterdam / Coursera
• Duration: 7 weeks
• Background needed: Basic Statistics, the course listed just above, is the prerequisite for this course.

5. Econometrics

• Course Provider:  MIT
• Duration: Self Paced
• Background needed: Completed introductory course to statistics in economics. Students should be familiar with basic concepts in probability theory and statistical inference (courses #3 and #4 on this list can help you get started with that, if you need it!).

6. Econometrics MOOC

• Course Provider: Econometrics Academy
• Duration: Self-paced
• Background needed: Bachelor's-level knowledge of linear regression models and economic statistics will help you get started, as courses begin at a Master’s level.

7. Bayesian Statistics: From Concept to Data Analysis

• Course Provider: University of California at Santa Cruz / Coursera
• Duration: 4 weeks
• Background needed: Basic background in frequentist (i.e., “regular”) statistics, which courses #3 and #4 on this list can help with.

8. Discrete Choice Methods with Simulation

• Course Provider: Berkeley
• Duration: 12 weeks
• Background needed: Knowledge of statistical methods and software such as MATLAB.