Saylor Academy

Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology (saylor.org)

Offered by Saylor.org,

This course is intended for the student interested in understanding and appreciating common biological topics in the study of the smallest units within biology: molecules and cells.

Molecular and cellular biology is a dynamic field. There are thousands of opportunities within the medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial fields (just to name a few) for a person with a concentrated knowledge of molecular and cellular processes. This course will give you a general introduction of these topics. In addition to preparing for a diversity of career paths, an understanding of molecular and cell biology will help you make sound decisions in your everyday life that can positively impact your diet and health.

Go to Class

MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Coursera

University of Geneva

Chemical Biology (Coursera)

Sci: Chemistry

Chemical biology is a burgeoning field that has rapidly risen to prominence. This surge of interest has been fuelled by chemical biology’s applicability to understanding critical processes in live cells or model organisms in real time. This success has arisen because chemical biology straddles a nexus between chemistry, biology, and physics. Thus, chemical biology can harness rapid chemistry to observe or perturb biological processes, that are in turn reported using physical assays, all in an otherwise unperturbed living entity. Although its boundaries are endless, the multidisciplinary nature of chemical biology can make the field seem daunting; we beg to differ! Here, we deconstruct chemical biology into its core components, and repackage the material.

Sep 28th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Biology Chemistry Physical Sciences

Coursera

University of California, Irvine

Basics of Extracellular Vesicles (Coursera)

Sci: Biology & Life Sciences

This course aims to provide the basic knowledge about extracellular vesicles (EV) a generic term including exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, prostasomes, and many others. It covers areas such as EV history, nomenclature, biogenesis, EV cargo as well as the release and uptake mechanisms, collection and processing prior to isolation, different isolation methods, characterization and quantification techniques.

Sep 28th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Biology Cell Biology Sample Information

Saylor Academy

Saylor.org

Bioinorganic Chemistry (saylor.org)

Sci: Chemistry

This course will teach you the important role that metal ions play in key biological processes. You will learn that many biological functions are performed at the cellular level by metal ions that are incorporated into the activation sites of proteins and enzymes.

Legacy Course

Self-Paced

Biochemistry Inorganic Chemistry Bioinorganic Chemistry

Saylor Academy

Saylor.org

Developmental Biology (saylor.org)

Sci: Biology & Life Sciences

Developmental biology asks questions about how organisms come into being, how life forms, and how complex structures develop and are differentiated. In this course, you will learn about the field of developmental biology from its origins to the present day.

Legacy Course

Self-Paced

Biology Life Forms Organisms

Coursera

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Network Analysis in Systems Biology (Coursera)

Sci: Biology & Life Sciences

An introduction to data integration and statistical methods used in contemporary Systems Biology, Bioinformatics and Systems Pharmacology research. The course covers methods to process raw data from genome-wide mRNA expression studies (microarrays and RNA-seq) including data normalization, differential expression, clustering, enrichment analysis and network construction. The course contains practical tutorials for using tools and setting up pipelines, but it also covers the mathematics behind the methods applied within the tools.

Sep 28th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Biology Network Analysis

Coursera

Carnegie Mellon University

Statistical Thermodynamics: Molecules to Machines (Coursera)

Engineering Sci: Physics

Modern engineering research focuses on designing new materials and processes at the molecular level. Statistical thermodynamics provides the formalism for understanding how molecular interactions lead to the observed collective behavior at the macroscale. This course will develop a molecular-level understanding of key thermodynamic quantities like heat, work, free energy and entropy. These concepts will be applied in understanding several important engineering and biological applications.

Oct 4th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Photosynthesis Molecules Thermodynamics

Coursera

Tel Aviv University

Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows (Coursera)

Sci: Biology & Life Sciences

For centuries we have collectively marveled at plant diversity and form—from Charles Darwin’s early fascination with stems and flowers to Seymour Krelborn’s distorted doting in Little Shop of Horrors. This course intends to present an intriguing and scientifically valid look at how plants themselves experience the world—from the colors they see to the sensations they feel. Highlighting the latest research in genetics and more, we will delve into the inner lives of plants and draw parallels with the human senses to reveal that we have much more in common with sunflowers and oak trees than we may realize.

Sep 28th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Biology Genetics Photosynthesis

Coursera

American Museum of Natural History

Genetics and Society: A Course for Educators (Coursera)

Sci: Biology & Life Sciences Education

How have advances in genetics affected society? What do we need to know to make ethical decisions about genetic technologies? This course includes the study of cloning, genetic enhancement, and ownership of genetic information. Course participants will acquire the tools to explore the ethics of modern genetics and learn how to integrate these issues into their classrooms.

Sep 21st 2026

4 Weeks

Biology Genetics DNA

Coursera

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Synapses, Neurons and Brains (Coursera)

Sci: Biology & Life Sciences Health & Society

These are very unique times for brain research. The aperitif for the course will thus highlight the present “brain-excitements” worldwide. You will then become intimately acquainted with the operational principles of neuronal “life-ware” (synapses, neurons and the networks that they form) and consequently, on how neurons behave as computational microchips and how they plastically and constantly change - a process that underlies learning and memory.

Sep 21st 2026

5-12 Weeks

Health Biology Brain

Coursera

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Charles Darwin: El origen del evolucionismo moderno (Coursera)

Sci: Biology & Life Sciences

Este curso está dirigido a cualquier persona que desee conocer de manera general qué es y cómo se ha explicado la evolución de las especies. Será de gran interés para alumnos, profesores y profesionales del área de ciencias biológicas y de la salud que deseen conocer los antecedentes históricos, así como los fundamentos centrales de la teoría de Charles Darwin, que configuraron el pensamiento evolutivo moderno.

Oct 5th 2026

4 Weeks

Biology Evolution Charles Darwin

Coursera

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Introduction to Systems Biology (Coursera)

Sci: Biology & Life Sciences Health & Society

This course will introduce the student to contemporary Systems Biology focused on mammalian cells, their constituents and their functions. Biology is moving from molecular to modular. As our knowledge of our genome and gene expression deepens and we develop lists of molecules (proteins, lipids, ions) involved in cellular processes, we need to understand how these molecules interact with each other to form modules that act as discrete functional systems.

Oct 5th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Health Science Biology

Coursera

University of Toronto

Bioinformatic Methods II (Coursera)

Sci: Biology & Life Sciences Health & Society

Large-scale biology projects such as the sequencing of the human genome and gene expression surveys using RNA-seq, microarrays and other technologies have created a wealth of data for biologists. However, the challenge facing scientists is analyzing and even accessing these data to extract useful information pertaining to the system being studied. This course focuses on employing existing bioinformatic resources – mainly web-based programs and databases – to access the wealth of data to answer questions relevant to the average biologist, and is highly hands-on.

Sep 28th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Biology Bioinformatics Molecular Biology