Online Courses-how credible are they?

[harini08]

Hello,

I am final year Engg student. I am planning to shift to the field of physics. To gain more knowledge in physics I have enrolled in some online courses offered by EdX and Coursera ( The courses are offered by top universities like MIT ,Berkeley, Stanford etc.).I would like to know the credibility of these courses. They do offer a statement of accomplishment. But, is it really of any value? Do they improve my profile and how useful are they in the PGRE prep?

P.S. Kindly excuse if the post is repetitive!

[admissionprof]

Hello,

I am final year Engg student. I am planning to shift to the field of physics. To gain more knowledge in physics I have enrolled in some online courses offered by EdX and Coursera ( The courses are offered by top universities like MIT ,Berkeley, Stanford etc.).I would like to know the credibility of these courses. They do offer a statement of accomplishment. But, is it really of any value? Do they improve my profile and how useful are they in the PGRE prep?

P.S. Kindly excuse if the post is repetitive!

As an admissions director, I would treat a "statement of accomplishment" as having virtually no value. It means nothing. These courses probably do help with the PGRE, but a good PRGE score is necessary for admission, but not sufficient (the PGRE does not cover upper level physics, for the most part). I would never accept a student without undergraduate credit for upper level mechanics, EM, QM, regardless of their GRE scores.

[Natassha]

Online Courses Just good for gaining Knowledge, they are not credible in Admissions.

[microacg]

I could see you mentioning them as a motivational aspect at some point.

In my spare time I took an online course on topic X, and really enjoyed it.

[twistor]

I have participated in and completed several of these online courses, including ones from Coursera. My personal opinion is that they are worth mentioning on your academic resume but shouldn't necessarily be emphasized. For instance, let's say you're a physics major with an interest in biological physics but don't have a strong background in biology. A good way to fill in this gap would be through free online courses. If you're really concerned about getting college credit for them consider Coursera's Signature Track courses. They charge a nominal fee for this service but you should be able to transfer the credit (read more about this to be sure your institution accepts them first).

Bottom line: they may add value to your application if you meet all the other requirements.

[harini08]

oh well! Thank you for the insight:)

[jackmerrin]

I wouldn't pay money for a certificate for an online course. That is basically worthless unless you like to frame it on your wall. I would try to look for free courses on YouTube where they go through a semester of lectures is some core physics or math course. There is an organized list of physics and math courses you can watch for undergraduates or graduate students at [url]sciencemathmastery.com[/url]. Sometimes the YouTube courses are better than what are available at your school, or you don't go to a school and just want to learn on your own. There is no such thing as a credible course, either you feel you learn something or you don't. Unless they were teaching alternative facts I would say all courses are credible.