Sociology is an important subject that is being taken by several students worldwide. If you are interested in taking up Sociology or are currently studying Sociology then this article is for you!
Listed here are some of the best online Sociology courses that will help you understand the subject better. These courses have been shortlisted after careful consideration, looking at their learning outcomes, duration, cost and instructor.
What is Sociology?
Sociology is a social science that emphasizes studying society and the social institutions like the kinds of human relationships, human behavior, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life, customs, traditions, gender dynamics, beliefs, and how these entities have evolved.
There are Sociology online classes that can guide you on different levels like micro level, macro level, and global level. Studying on a macro or global level takes into account the differences in demography and heritage too.
Which is Your Pick for Learning Sociology Online?
- Sociology: Understanding our Society and Culture [by Udemy]
- Concise Sociology [by Udemy]
- Classical Sociological Theory [by Coursera]
- Philosophy, Science, and Religion [by Coursera]
- Social Norms, Social Change II [by Coursera]
- Fundamentals of Sociology [by edX]
- Diploma in Sociology [by Alison]
- Online Introduction to Sociology College Course [by University of North Dakota]
- Foundations of Modern Social Theory [by Open Yale Courses]
- Sociology Courses Online [by Harvard University]
10 Best Online Sociology Courses with Highest Enrolments
1. Sociology: Understanding our Society and Culture [by Udemy]
| Rating | 4.5 out of 5 stars |
| Enrolled | 621 students |
| Created by | Proficient Courses |
| Paid | Yes |
| Certification | Yes |
| Return or refund policy | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Duration | 1.5 hours of on-demand videos |
| Pros | The teaching is very simple and easy to understand and is therefore perfect for beginners. It is one of the most renowned Sociology certificate programs online. |
| Cons | There are a few errors in the voiceover audio and some other minor technical glitches. |
| Who is this course for? | This course is primarily for beginners who are just stepping into the world of social science. |
About the Course:
This is an introductory level course on Sociology that teaches the students about the various aspects of society and also the importance of those aspects. This online sociology course comprises a wide range of topics and issues that are prevalent in today’s society and what impact these issues have on our day-to-day lives.
By the end of this course, the students will not only be better informed about human nature but also will be able to make better decisions.
Prerequisites:
There are no prerequisites to take this course.
What will you learn?
Through this course you will learn about:
- The social forces that shape our behavior.
- Primary social institutions like family and government.
- The difference between urban and rural communities.
- The impacts of social status and class and much more.
Reviewed by Lisa M.
Great introduction to sociology. The course is clear, easy to understand, and provides a broad sampling of basic sociology concepts.
2. Concise Sociology [by Udemy]
| Rating | 4.2 out of 5 stars |
| Enrolled | 63 students |
| Created by | Rasheed Olayemi Nojeem |
| Paid | Yes |
| Certification | Yes |
| Return or refund policy | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Duration | 2.5 hours of on-demand videos |
| Pros | The course content of these sociology online classes has been structured very well so that beginners can understand it easily. The range of topics is more than most other introductory sociology courses. |
| Cons | This course is quite expensive as compared to similar other Sociology courses that are available online. |
| Who is this course for? | Any individual, including sociology students, teachers, and guardians, who want to gain an unbiased perspective of the ways of human society can opt for this course. |
About the Course:
This is among the best sociology online classes for beginners that will teach you the basics of Sociology to encourage you to pursue the subject and make a career out of it.
Through this course, you will also be taught to analyze various social situations and will be made to look at different situations from various perspectives. The course is moderately paced and explanations of terminologies have been provided in detail.
Prerequisites:
The lessons of this course are prepared in a simple and self-explanatory manner. Therefore no special background knowledge of Sociology is required to pursue this course.
What will you learn?
Through these sociology online classes you will learn about:
- Sociology and its impact on the daily lives of people.
- Origin of sociological concepts.
- Analyzing social issues that have affected entire humankind.
- How day-to-day changes affect transforming the entire society.
Reviewed by Abdul R.
Recommended for beginners, who want to learn the subject from basics. Mr. Rasheed has vast knowledge in his field. Looking forward to more courses and more content in the current course.
3. Classical Sociological Theory [by Coursera]
| Rating | 4.9 out of 5 stars |
| Enrolled | 96,766 students |
| Offered by | University of Amsterdam |
| Instructor | Bart Van Heerikhuizen |
| Paid | Yes (financial aid available) |
| Certification | Yes |
| Return or refund policy | You can make a refund request within two weeks of paying for the certificate. Once you earn a certificate, you cannot make a refund request. |
| Duration | 13 hours approximately (self-paced) |
| Pros | This online Sociology course has very engaging, well-structured, and extremely visual content. |
| Cons | The course is less informative (as it has been designed for beginners) and only discusses a few classical social themes as opposed to contemporary and in-depth analysis of root issues. |
| Who is this course for? | Sociology Students and other interested learners can opt for this course. |
About the Course:
This is one of the best Sociology online classes that will offer the participants an introduction to the most important classical sociological readings of the past.
The theories and insights of some popular and highly influential social science scholars, such as Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim, have been discussed in detail over a period of 8 modules in this course. This course also comprises a lot of small quizzes and reading materials that learners will benefit from.
Prerequisites:
This course teaches everything from scratch and therefore, no previous background knowledge is essential to opt for this online Sociology course.
What will you learn?
Through this course you will learn about:
- Classical Sociological theories.
- Theories and insights of Bernard Mandeville and Adam Smith
- Theories of other famous sociologists like Karl Marx, Auguste Comte, Alexis de Tocqueville, Max Weber, and so on.
- The relevance of their theories in today’s contemporary world
Reviewed by LK
I found it very informative. The course is so captivating that it can hold the reader till the end. I hope to enroll more in such courses in the future. Waiting for the module from modern sociologists.
4. Philosophy, Science, and Religion [by Coursera]
| Rating | 4.5 out of 5 stars |
| Enrolled | 45,472 students |
| Offered by | The University of Edinburgh |
| Instructors | Dr. J Adam Carter, Dr. Orestis Palermos, Professor Mark Harris, and Professor Duncan Pritchard. |
| Paid | Yes ( Financial aid available) |
| Certification | Yes |
| Return or refund policy | You can make a refund request within two weeks of paying for the certificate. Once you earn a certificate, you cannot make a refund request. |
| Duration | 15 hours approximately (Self-paced) |
| Pros | This is one of the best-explained Sociology courses that are extremely easy to understand for beginners |
| Cons | The course could be made more engaging so that students would take an active interest in the subject. |
| Who is this course for? | Graduate level Sociology Students and other interested people can opt for this particular Sociology course. |
About the Course:
This online Sociology course, named ‘Science and Philosophy, is the first of three linked courses in Coursera’s Philosophy, Science, and Religion Online series. The course will address four themes each presented by guest lecturers.
The second and third courses in the Philosophy, Science and Religion series are ‘Philosophy and Religion’ and ‘Religion and Science’. This course teaches you how Religion, Science, and Philosophy are all interlinked to each other and can affect a person’s life choices simultaneously.
Prerequisites:
There are no prerequisites to take this course. Anyone willing to get a basic idea about sociology can opt for these Sociology online classes.
What will you learn?
Through this course you will learn about:
- Neuroscience and free will
- How Science and Religion go hand-in-hand.
- Evolution and Creationism philosophies and much more
Review RS.
The content of this course was of much interest to me, and it was presented in a manner that maintained my interest. I found the format of the course to be extrememly helpful.
5.Social Norms, Social Change II [by Coursera]
| Rating | 4.8 out of 5 stars |
| Enrolled | 15,055 students |
| Created by | The University of Pennsylvania and Unicef. |
| Instructor | Cristina Bicchieri |
| Paid | Yes |
| Certification | Yes |
| Return or refund policy | You can make a refund request within two weeks of paying for the certificate. Once you earn a certificate, you cannot make a refund request. |
| Duration | 9 hours approximately (Self-paced) |
| Pros | This online Sociology course dives deep into important topics of sociology like actionable identification and evaluation process. |
| Cons | There is a lot of theory and not enough examples for students to relate to. |
| Who is this course for? | Anyone who is interested in Sociology or practices sociology or is a graduate-level student who has enrolled in a Sociology class can benefit from enrolling in this particular Sociology online course. |
About the Course:
This is one of the best Sociology online classes that examine social change and the tools one uses to enact such change. This course covers topics on various social subject matters and how social expectations and social norms are intertwined with each other.
Through this online Sociology course, the students learn about what are the fundamentals of rejection and abandonment, including the link between personal philosophies and social expectations. They will also practice all that they will have learned in this course through small, real-life social experiments.
Prerequisites:
These teach everything from scratch and therefore, no background knowledge is essential. However, students are advised to complete PART I of this same course first to understand the context.
What will you learn?
Through these Sociology online classes you will learn about:
- Evaluating existing intervention strategies, including legal reforms, information campaigns, economic incentives, and group deliberations.
- A variety of tools policy makers may use to effect change. Here is more on public policy making.
- The various roles and responsibilities of trendsetters in social change, and
- Exploring the conditions under which people can be successful.
Reviewed by ZC
Extremely helpful for any person working in organizations that aim to change harmful social norms.
6. Fundamentals of Sociology [by edX]
| Created by | DoaneX |
| Paid | No (optional upgrade available) |
| Certification | Available in paid, upgraded version of the course. |
| Return or refund policy | No return or refunds once the upgraded course is purchased. |
| Duration | 8 weeks approximately (at 8 to 12 hours per week). The course is self-paced. |
| Pros | This online Sociology course is extremely detailed and engaging so the beginners taking this course will learn a lot. Also, the audit track is completely free! |
| Cons | The optional upgraded version of the course is quite expensive for an introductory level course on Sociology. A lot of other websites deliver similar content for much less. |
| Who is this course for? | Sociology Students and other interested learners can opt for this course. |
About the Course:
This course is an introductory level, one of the free online Sociology courses that focuses on the basic concepts and theories found in the discipline of sociology. The course will also compare and contrast different theories and sociological practices which the learners are bound to like.
It also teaches you a lot about human behavior at social events and society in general. This is an introductory level course with the best Sociology online classes for students who are just venturing into the details and different aspects of the subject.
Prerequisites:
This is an introductory level Sociology Course and therefore, no previous knowledge of any kind of Sociology is necessary.
What will you learn?
Through this course you will learn about:
- Comparing the basic assumptions found in functionalist theory, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism theory.
- The contrasts between primary groups and secondary groups.
- Examining the implications derived from social divisions based on race/ethnicity, social class, gender, and age.
- How historic social upheavals have resulted in significant social change in today’s world.
7. Diploma in Sociology [by Alison]
| Rating | 5 out of 5 stars |
| Enrolled | 12,312 students |
| Created by | OpenStax College |
| Paid | No, these are absolutely free Sociology online classes |
| Certification | The certificate is provided for a certain cost. |
| Return or refund policy | No Return or Refund Policy |
| Duration | 10 to 15 hours approximately |
| Pros | This is a one-stop course for all Sociology Students. It starts at a beginner level and then teaches all important and complex concepts too. |
| Cons | The course content could have been a bit more engaging. |
| Who is this course for? | This course is ideal for all students who want to understand Sociology beyond the basics. |
About the Course:
Looking for free online Sociology courses? This diploma course on Sociology by Alison aims at introducing students to sociology and provides them with an overview of culture and how it differs demographically at zero cost. It also illustrates the evolution of societies posts the industrial era. This course teaches with the help of real-life examples of interactions between different people in various societal settings which makes understanding easier and effortless.
Prerequisites:
No previous knowledge of Sociology is required to opt for these Sociology online classes.
What will you learn?
Through this course you will learn about:
- Describe concepts and theories of Sociology
- Defining ‘Gender-Identity’ and its related terms.
- Analyze the social impacts of changing family structures.
- The importance of Social control in various cultures and how it affects religious, ethnic, and gender minorities.
8. Online Introduction to Sociology College Course [by University of North Dakota]
| Created by | The University of North Dakota |
| Paid | Yes (Scholarships available) |
| Certification | Yes |
| Return or refund policy | 30-day full refund policy. |
| Duration | 3 to 9 months approximately (self-paced) |
| Pros | The credits earned through the course are easily transferable to your semester transcript. It is also one of the most prestigious Sociology certificate programs online. |
| Cons | This course is quite expensive as compared to other similar courses available on the internet on different websites. |
| Who is this course for? | This course has been specially curated for college students who wish to take up this extra credit sociology course online. |
About the Course:
Through this course, learners will be able to gain a new perspective on everyday Social interactions. This online Sociology course encourages students to analyze the theories of society, the structure of social institutions, social conflicts and stratification as well as social interactions between diverse groups of people.
This course comprises 17 Sociology online classes and 3 proctored exams to test your knowledge along the way. Lessons contain video lectures, reading materials, quizzes, and so on designed to focus your study of Sociology.
Prerequisites:
No previous knowledge of Sociology is necessary to enroll in this beginner-level Sociology certificate programs online.
What will you learn?
Through this course you will learn about:
- Social Movements and Social Changes
- Races and Ethnicities across the globe, their cultures, and traditions.
- Deviance, Crime, and Social Control
- Gender, Sex, and Sexualities, their roles in marriages and Families
- Religion, Education, Government and Politics, Work and Economy, and so on.
9. Foundations of Modern Social Theory [by Open Yale Courses]
| Rating | 4.4 out of 5 stars |
| Enrolled | 1945 students |
| Created by | Open Yale Courses |
| Instructor | Professor Iván Szelényi |
| Paid | No |
| Certification | No |
| Duration | 19 hours of on-demand videos |
| Pros | This is one of the best free online Sociology courses. The content and transcripts can even be downloaded for no cost! |
| Cons | The course does not provide any kind of certification or college credits. |
| Who is this course for? | People genuinely interested in learning important concepts of Sociology can opt for this course. |
About the Course:
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the premium works of social thought from the 1920s to the recent modern times. The main focus of the course is societal perspectives, conceptual structures and the processes followed, and role in present-day social analysis.
This online Sociology course teaches the students about the famous theories of renowned writers like Locke, Rousseau, Hobbes , Montesquieu, Adam Smith, Marx, Weber, and Durkheim.
Prerequisites:
No previous knowledge of Sociology is required to enroll in this course.
What will you learn?
Through this course you will learn about:
- The sociological concepts and theories are stated by famous socialists and philosophers like Locke, Weber, Marx, and many more.
- How the theories have impacted the societal constructs and evolved.
10. Sociology Courses Online [by Harvard University]
This website contains some of the most popular, free online Sociology courses which are informative and self-paced. Most of the courses are introductory level courses and require no previous knowledge of Social Sciences or related topics.
All the information about the courses is available on the website and you will have no difficulty figuring out the details.
Some of the distinguished courses designed by Harvard University on Sociology are:
- CitiesX: The Past, Present, and Future of Urban Life [Free course, self-paced]
- Advanced Research Methods in the Social Sciences [Paid course, instructor-led]
Related Read: Online History Classes
Conclusion
Listed in this article are some of the sociology courses with highest enrolments. All important details that you might require to choose the appropriate Sociology certificate program online have been provided in this article in a comprehensive manner.
Learners might want to take a note of the Classical Sociological Theory [by Coursera] online classes to learn about the Classical theories of Sociology and from where they originate. If you are looking for free sociology courses then check out the Sociology Courses Online [by Harvard University].
We know that looking for the best Sociology online classes can be difficult, so we hope this article will help you out.
