In simple words, mycology is a part of microbiology, the study of microorganisms. More specifically, mycology can be categorized as a branch of biology that deals with the study of fungi (for example, mushrooms and yeasts).
This article aims to provide interested students with a list of the highest-rated and best online mycology courses to help them choose a course that will be well-suited to their learning requirements.
Experts have handpicked these courses considering their reviews, content, relevance, and utility. Subject matter experts and mycology professionals have assessed the courses and their real-world applications. Student feedback and reviews have also been considered to ensure overall satisfaction with each course.
| Mycologists have projected employment growth of 5 percent between 2018 and 2028. |
Tabular Comparison of the Best Online Mycology Courses
Here’s a comparison table for the six mycology courses, including rating, instructor, duration, overview, and key learning points:
| Course Title | Author | Rating | Duration | Level | Scope | Cons | Get Access |
| General Mycology – Udemy | Mohammad Al Ashram | 4.1 based on 71 reviews | 1.5 hours | Beginner | Basics of mycology in simple language, including fungal growth, metabolism, genetics, and medicinal uses. | Lacks graphic details, and sound quality issues. | Sign Up Here |
| Basics of Medical Microbiology | Dr. Sunita Seemanapalli | 4.1 based on 182 reviews | 5 hours | Beginner | Covers microbiology with mycology as a subsection, focusing on microscopy, fungal lifecycle, and bacterial growth curves. | Hard-to-understand accent, and transcript errors. | Sign Up Here |
| Introduction to Microbiology | Nicole Fauster | 4.8 based on 571 reviews | 25.5 hours | Beginner | Foundational microbiology course covering immunology, pathogens, and fungi-related diseases, designed for college-level students. | Some technical issues with the course material. | Sign Up Here |
| Mycology Diploma Course | Centre of Excellence (team) | 4.8 based on 5856 Reviews | 150 hours (Self-paced) | Beginner to Advanced | Comprehensive diploma endorsed by the Quality Licence Scheme, covering fungal classification, medicinal applications, and mycology’s role in ecosystems. | Expensive, certificate costs extra. | Sign Up Here |
| Introduction to Mycology – University of Victoria | Bryce Kendrick, Shannon Berch | N/A | 20 hours | Beginner | Foundational live classes on fungal classification, lifecycle, and the role of fungi in ecosystems and pathology. | Pricey, limited to live classes for doubt-clearing. | Sign Up Here |
| Medicinal Mushroom Online Class – Fungially | Lindsay Chimileski, Willie Crosby | 4.8 based on 4 reviews | 6 weeks (90 mins/week) | Intermediate | Focuses on growing and using medicinal mushrooms for health, skincare, and psychoactive properties. | Limited to mushrooms, lacks coverage of other fungi. | Sign Up Here |
6 Best Mycology Classes Online
Now, that we have seen an insightful tabular comparison, let us take you through a detailed guide on all these courses. Mycology involves the study of the history, lifecycle, medicinal use, and harmful effects of these fungi. This field has gained a lot of traction in the research and medicinal fields since the discovery of useful medicinal properties of mushrooms and other types of fungi.
1. General Mycology – A brief review [by Udemy]
Cost: $12.99
Level: Beginner
| Rating | 4.1 based on 71 reviews |
| Enrolled | 10,605 students |
| Created by | Mohammad Al Ashram |
| Paid | Yes |
| Mycology certificate online | Yes |
| Return or refund policy | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Duration | 1.5 hours of on-demand videos |
| Pros | This course is easy to understand, concise and well-explained. |
| Cons | The course could be made better by adding some graphic details. The sound quality also needs considerable improvement. |
| Who is this course for? | It is an introductory course for beginners who are either interested in mycology or are studying a related subject like medicine, biology, or botany. |
About the Course
This online mycology course is a brief introduction to the science of mycology. It begins from the history of mycology to its medicinal benefits and harms in today’s world. The instructor, Mohammad Al Ashram, is a popular Udemy educator with a solid rating of 4.1. He has trained over 95,602 students and teaches in a very simple language without using complicated terminologies. This makes it easier for beginners to grasp it.
The course is also very well structured and slow-paced so that the learners don’t feel lost at any point. This doesn’t belong to the free mycology courses category but is definitely worth the investment.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites to opt for this course. Anybody who is pursuing or wishes to pursue mycology can take up this course without any hesitation.
What will you learn from the course?
From this online mycology course, you will learn about:
- The growth and metabolism processes of fungi
- Fungal Genetics and mycotoxicosis
- The importance/medicinal uses of various types of fungi
- The harmful diseases caused by fungi and their laboratory diagnosis.
Industry Applications
Understanding mycology is crucial in industries such as pharmaceuticals (for developing fungal-based medicines), agriculture (for managing fungal diseases in crops), and environmental science (for studying fungal roles in ecosystems and bioremediation).
Review Nancy M.
Best, amazing, very useful.
2. Basics of Medical Microbiology [by Udemy]
Level: Beginner
Cost: $12.99
| Rating | 4.1 based on 182 ratings |
| Enrolled | 686 students |
| Created by | Dr. Sunita Seemanapalli |
| Paid | Yes |
| Mycology certificate online | Yes |
| Return or refund policy | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Duration | 5 hours of on-demand videos |
| Pros | The course is very graphical which makes understanding certain concepts easier. |
| Cons | The narrator has an accent that is difficult to understand, and the course transcript also has some errors in it. |
| Who is this course for? | This course is for students who have an active interest in the ‘mycology’ subsection of microbiology. It is a beginner-level course that anyone can easily understand. Pre-med students will benefit from it. |
About the Course
This is an introductory level online mycology course which is a subpart of microbiology. This course contains study materials in the form of power-point presentations, links to videos, and lecture notes and you can access these resources whenever you want.
Your instructor for this class is Dr. Sunita Seemanapalli. She holds a decade-long experience in biomedical research, particularly in the field of Microbiology.
This course makes microbiology and as an extension mycology, seems like an interesting subject through pictorial depictions and engaging content. Though it is not one of the free mycology courses available online. If you wish to get a free course, you can skip this one.
Prerequisites
Students opting for this mycology certificate online course need to have an elementary knowledge of school-level chemistry and biology.
What will you learn from the mycology classes online?
From this mycology course, you will learn about:
- Using a light microscope to study microscopic fungi
- The bacterial growth curve and the log phase.
- Doing Gram-staining.
- Performing the streak-plate technique for pure bacterial cell isolation.
- The life-cycle and uses of fungi.
Industry Applications
Knowledge from this course is useful in pharmaceuticals (for developing fungal treatments), healthcare (for diagnosing fungal infections), and biotechnology (for using fungi in microbial research and development).
Review Hassan F.
It is an excellent course and valued, thank you very much for tutor.
3. Introduction to Microbiology [by Udemy]
Cost: $22.99
Level: Beginner
| Rating | 4.8 based on 571 ratings |
| Enrolled | 571 students |
| Created by | Nicole Fauster |
| Paid | Yes |
| Return or refund policy | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Duration | 25.5 hours of on-demand videos |
| Pros | This is one of the best-explained mycology courses that are extremely easy to understand for beginners. |
| Cons | There are a few technical errors in the course that need to be resolved. |
| Mycology certificate online | Yes |
| Who is this course for? | · This online mycology course has been made for college-level students who have studied biology in school and have enrolled in a health or biology major.
· Someone who wants to get a strong foundation in microbiology before stepping into mycology. |
About the Course
This course has been created keeping college students in mind who are studying mycology as a part of microbiology. This course is slow-paced and explains important concepts that college students pursuing microbiology need to know for their exams as well as for their future in this domain.
Crafted by Nicole Fauster, a college-level biology instructor with a Masters in Biology concentration in Microbiology. Nicole is an ace Udemy instructor with over 10 years of experience teaching introductory science classes at the college level.
This course also has a short (5-questions) quiz at the end of every module that will help you track your progress. This is one of the best online mycology courses for college-level students who have opted for biology-related streams.
Prerequisites
This mycology certificate online assumes basic knowledge of biology or life sciences.
What will you learn from the course?
From this course, you will learn about:
- The History of mycology and microbiology as a whole.
- Immunology and its effects on the Human Body.
- Specific diseases are caused by some pathogens and so on.
Industry Applications
This course benefits industries such as healthcare (for understanding immunology and fungal diseases), pharmaceuticals (for developing pathogen-related treatments), and diagnostics (for identifying and studying fungi and related pathogens).
Review Daniel W.
A great match! A bit advanced but in a good way, I find this course really excellent!
4. Mycology Diploma Course [by Centre of Excellence]
Cost: Subscription-based
Level: Beginner to Advanced
| Rating | 4.8 based on 5856 Reviews. Verified at TrustPilot |
| Enrolled | 810 students |
| Created by | The Centre of Excellence |
| Paid | Yes |
| Certification | Yes |
| Return or refund policy | None |
| Duration | Self-paced course (150 hours approximately) |
| Pros | This is a very extensive course and a one-stop destination if you want to learn everything about mycology (beginner to advanced level) from a single place without having to browse the internet. |
| Cons | These mycology classes online are quite expensive and the certificate costs an additional amount of money. |
| Who is this course for? | Students aiming to achieve a valuable mycology certificate online can opt for this course. This course is also for anyone who has an interest in mycology and wants to dive deep into the study of mycology to become a researcher. |
About the Course
This is a diploma course in Mycology which means that the course is very detailed and the certifications it provides are very valuable. This course covers everything there is to know about Mycology in a very detailed and graphical manner.
Even though it is not among the free mycology courses available online, it is worth a shot. It begins by explaining the fundamental concepts of mycology and goes on to explain the various categories of fungi and their importance in the field of medicine.
It is endorsed by the Quality Licence Scheme. So, once you complete this class, you will bag a certificate of achievement from the Quality Licence Scheme and a Learner Unit Summary. It will list all the units you complete in this course.
This course also tells us about the practical and useful applications of fungi so that students take an active interest in the course. This diploma course provides an invaluable mycology certificate online that can boost your resume while applying for jobs or research.
Prerequisites
There are no specific prerequisites to take up this diploma course on mycology. However, elementary knowledge of biology will help understand the concepts better.
What will you learn from the course?
From this online mycology course, you will learn about:
- Mycology in a broader sense of the term and the work of mycologists.
- The various roles and applications of fungi.
- The different classifications of fungi and their identification.
- Differences between microscopic and macroscopic fungi.
Industry Applications
This diploma course is applicable in pharmaceuticals (for drug development and fungal research), biotechnology (for fungal applications in biotech processes), agriculture (for fungal management in crops), and environmental science (for fungal roles in ecosystems and bioremediation).
5. Introduction to Mycology [by University of Victoria]
Cost: $81.90
Level: Beginner
| Level | Beginner |
| Expected Class Size | 90-100 students |
| Created by | Ms. Becky Rogers |
| Paid | Yes |
| Certification | Yes |
| Return or refund policy | A full course refund will only be provided if you withdraw from the course before the course start date. A refund, less a $15 administrative fee, will be issued if you withdraw within 6 calendar days after the official course start date. |
| Duration | 20 hours |
| Pros | This course will have live classes which are always better for doubt-clearing purposes as you can ask the instructor whatever questions you have directly. |
| Cons | This course is a bit pricey. |
| Who is this course for? | Anyone interested in learning extensively about mycology (for example, if you are an educator or aspiring researcher) can take up this course without hesitation. You can also earn a mycology certificate online by completing this course. |
About the Course
These online mycology courses will enable you to gain foundational, scientifically accurate knowledge of mycology and its related subjects.
It has been structured by Bryce Kendrick and Shannon Berch who have extensive knowledge of mycology and are wonderful teachers.
This course lets you learn at your own pace. There are 10 units in this course teaching you about the features of fungi, their role in pathology and more. One can also expect to receive a prestigious mycology certificate online on successfully passing the course.
Prerequisites
There are no specific prerequisites to enroll in this course.
What will you learn from the course?
From this online mycology course, you will learn about:
- Differentiating features of fungi.
- Classification and role of fungi in other life related fields
- Lifecycle of fungi
Industry Applications
This course is relevant in agriculture (for understanding fungal pathogens), healthcare (for studying fungal infections), pharmaceuticals (for fungal-based drug development), and environmental science (for exploring fungi in ecosystems and bioremediation).
6. Medicinal Mushroom Online Class [by Fungially]
Cost: $305.56
Level: Intermediate
| Rating | 4.8 based on 4 ratings |
| Instructors | Lindsay Chimileski, Willie Crosby |
| Paid | Yes |
| Certification | Yes |
| Return or refund policy | Not applicable |
| Duration | One day per week for 6 weeks. Each lecture is of 90 minutes. |
| Pros | Provides extensive details on mushroom and their types. If learning about mushrooms is your objective, then this is the course for you. |
| Cons | These online mycology courses are not very educational concerning other fungi apart from mushrooms. |
| Who is this course for? | This mycology course is ideal for people who want to start their own mushroom business or explore the medicinal properties of the mushroom while also earning a mycology certificate online. Anyone interested in mushrooms and pursuing mycology can also take this course. |
About the Course
These mycology classes online help you to level up your understanding of how fungi mushrooms can support the human body in various ways. This course not only tells you about the usefulness of fungi in the form of mushrooms but also teaches you how to grow them in your backyard easily and utilize them for medicinal properties by yourself.
This is one of the best online mycology courses created by a website that sells various kinds of mushrooms and mushroom plants so if you want to gain a practical experience in experimenting with mycology then you can go on to purchase some from their store.
Even though this is not one of the free mycology courses available online, you can consider investing in it if you are a mushroom lover. You will be taught by Dr. Lindsay Chimileski and Willie Crosby, two of the ace professionals in the domain.
Prerequisites
Anyone who wants to learn mycology specifically about mushrooms can opt for this course. There are no specific prerequisites for this course.
What will you learn from the course?
This is one of the best online mycology courses to learn about:
- Medicinal mushrooms and how to identify them.
- Know the difference between mycelial and fruiting body products of fungi.
- The key constituents those are active in mushrooms.
- The kind of mushrooms that are used for skin care, cancer prevention, strengthening the immune system, and treating Lyme.
- Growing medicinal mushrooms at home in your backyard.
- Using psychoactive fungi safely
- Understanding current research and future progress of psilocybe mushrooms
Industry Application
This course is beneficial in pharmaceuticals (for developing mushroom-based medicines), nutraceuticals (for creating health supplements), agriculture (for sustainable mushroom farming), and wellness industries (for using medicinal mushrooms in skincare and immune-boosting products).
Bonus Mycology Classes Online From Popular Websites
1. Best Online Mycology Courses [by Mycologos]
This is a very distinguished website dedicated to mycology courses. There are three courses available on this website ranging from beginner to intermediate level with more courses on the way.
This platform also has a community forum where students enrolled in the course can interact with each other and engage in meaningful discussions on topics related to mycology.
All the courses available on this website are paid courses with an average duration of 7 to 8 weeks. The information provided in the training is extensive and is also ideal for college students pursuing mycology, pre-med students, aspiring mycologists, and so on.
The easiest way to earn a mycology certificate online is by opting for one of these courses. The courses available on this website are:
- Mushroom Identification: Basics and Beyond [Beginner level]
- Everything’s connected: Fungal ecology from the sea to the sky [Intermediate level]
- The Many ways of Fungi: First Steps into the world of Mycology [Beginner level]
2. My Co-Creation Mycology course online [by Symbiiotica]
Cost: $150
Level: Intermediate to advanced
Symbiiotica is a reputed educational platform for students interested in mycology. It is well known for its well-structured learning paths. This online mycology course is divided into subparts.
The dates to enroll in this course will be announced soon and one live class every two weeks will be conducted. One subpart will be covered in one live class and the duration of each class will be 2 hours.
One can choose to sign up for the entire course to gain a holistic educational experience through the various realms of microbiology or one can even sign up for individual classes if they are interested in specific topics.
All the classes will be recorded and students who sign up for the classes will get lifetime access to these recorded classes. These live mycology classes online are paid and are taught by experts in the field namely Taylor Bright and Ryath Fujita Beauchene.
This course has everything there is to know about mycology and is the perfect course for students who want to gain a comprehensive knowledge of mycology. The course also provides a mycology certificate on the completion of individual classes or the entire course as a whole.
Some of the individual classes of this mycology certificate online are:
- Foundations of Mycology
- Foraging, Identification, and regenerative Ecological Participation
- Cultivation
- Medicinal mushrooms and Medicine making [2 part class]
- Mushrooms in the Kitchen
- Mycopsychology and Mycoremediation: healing for the inner and outer landscapes
Industry Application
This course will equip learners with practical skills in mushroom cultivation, ecological restoration, medicinal use, and culinary applications, benefiting careers in agriculture, environmental science, wellness, and the food industry.
Related: Best Cell Biology Courses | Molecular Biology Classes | Biochemistry Training | Organic Chemistry Courses
Conclusion
Listed in this article are some of the best mycology classes online. All important details that you might require to choose appropriate mycology courses have been provided in this article in a comprehensive manner.
Some of these are free online mycology courses while others are paid. If we had to suggest one keeping all things in mind, it would be General Mycology.
For a more detailed course, you can go for Mycology Diploma Course.
