Learn Cell Biology: 6 Best Online Cell Biology Courses and Classes [Updated June 2023]

About the course 

Right at the top of our online cell biology courses list is an edX course. This is a human-centered approach, which will present to you the cell biology fundamentals with a primary focus on the mitochondria, which is the powerhouse of the cell. The course has been taken by more than 68000 students and is truly one of the most popular online cell biology courses. 

Every organism, be it the complex multicellular organisms, that is, us humans or the single-celled algae, are composed of cells. This cell biology class online enables us to explore the living beings' functional logic.

In this cell biology training course, you will understand the why(s) and how(s) of biology by understanding the functioning of the cells' molecular components. Further, you will study how these complex cellular components are organized in a complicated hierarchy. 

The cell biology training course has been drafted to help you understand cell biology fundamentals. Its overarching objective is to enable the learners to understand from a human-centered perspective that the cells are evolving macromolecules ensembles, which form complex communities in multicellular organisms, organs, and tissues. 

This cell biology training course's primary focus will be on the mitochondrion, which is the organelle, which powers the cell. So, in this course, you will understand the cell metabolism process. Lastly, you will also examine and learn the F1F0 ATP synthase, which is the molecular machine that helps in the synthesis of most ATPs, which are needed by your cells to perform. To underscore the vitality of cell biology in our lives, your educator will take up questions of disease & development and the impact of science in society. 

Towards the end of this four-week course, the learners will have an in-depth knowledge of the functional cell logic. Together, you will see how the things work within the cell, why they work in the manner they work, and the manner in which they are affected.

Upon completing this cell biology class online, you will be rewarded with an instructor-signed verified and official certificate. This certificate will have the institution's logo that will help you authenticate your achievement and result in better career prospective both academically & professionally. It is a shareable certificate. So, you can download and print the certificate and include it in your CV or directly export the certificate to your LinkedIn to better your prospects of landing a job. Be assured this certificate will be your proven motivator and will nudge you to work your way towards the course completion. 

It is a four-week self-paced course, which requires an effort of two to four hours every week. If you want to take up this course solely for learning and not earning certificates, then it is 100% free. However, if you want to add a Harvard University certificate to your course, you will have to bear a small fee. This introductory level course is available in English. So, the knowledge of the English language is required.

What will you learn?

This cell biology training has a lot for you to learn. Some of the things that this course will teach you are: 

• How the cell's internal organization and structure offer you an understanding of how and why the cell works. 
• The role essayed by mitochondria in the cell and why the cell needs to make ATP. 
• The manner in which the cells metabolize the food to offer the molecules what's vital for mitochondrial function. 
• Understanding how the F1F0 ATP synthase structure leads to ATP production. 
• The experimental techniques that aid in investigating the mitochondrial function and structure in the lab. 

About the course

Did you ever ponder, how do we know what we know about the cells? Accentuate your data analysis skills and boost your scientific thinking with this cell biology training module. It is more like an insightful adventure via cell biology. Let's read more about it below. 

This is Part 1 of the cellular biology course in the four-part series. The course builds upon the concepts from molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry with their 7.05x Biochemistry MOOCs and 7.00x Introductory Biology. All of these online cell biology courses are a transition to the comprehensive biology discussion at a practical level. 

In this course, your tutors, Professors Rebecca Lamason and Frank Solomon, will guide you and take you through an incredible learning experience. Through this course, you and your educator will together walk on a lively journey by a cellular transport mechanism, and learn to apply the key themes and concepts of this dynamic experimental science, wherein you will understand the cell's fundamental working. 

This 7.06x Cell Biology series has been drafted with the primary focus of this series on: 

1. Developing scientific thinking skills, which includes articulating hypotheses, interpreting data, performing thought experiments, and designing experiments. 
2. Employing the data based on real scientific experiments, which highlights and puts forth the scientific process and its assessment. 
3. Applying the science of learning in the course design. 
4. Understanding the fundamental, neat experiments, which define modern cell biology. 
5. Uniting the principles and themes, which inform the scientists of the manner in which they must conduct and interpret the research. 
6. Emphasizing that biology is an active field, which changes every day via examples of research with relevance to medicine and not just static textbook information. 

It is a free course. However, if you need the MIT certification , you will have to pay a small fee. So, if you make the choice to get an online certificate, upon the completion of this cell biology training you will receive a verified and official instructor-signed certificate. This certificate will have the institution's logo that can help prove your achievements and better your chances of landing a job. It is a shareable certificate, just print it and add it to your resume. Alternatively, you can even export the certificate and post it on your LinkedIn.

What will you learn?

1. The tips and steps to apply the genetic and biochemical approaches for addressing the basic questions in the transport of proteins and molecules in the cell. 
2. Evaluating the conclusions and models, which the scientists develop about cell biology following experimental results and approaches. 
3. Designing the experiments for answering cell biology experiments via proper controls. 
4. Learning the assessment of the biological sufficiency and necessity from experimental results.
5. Understanding the right way to compare and contrast the protein transport processes. 
6. Learning to identify the recurring themes in protein transport, such as the G-protein coupling, use of signal sequences, and channels' role.

Syllabus

Here is the syllabus of this cellular biology course in the order it is covered in the course structure: 

1. Membranes and Some Membrane-Bound Organelles
2. Experiments with Membranes and Membrane Proteins
3. Protein Trafficking to Membranes
4. Nuclear-Cytoplasmic Transport

What do you need?

This cellular biology course is an Instructor-led advanced level course. So, you can take this course according to your flexibility and schedule. However, since it is a five-week course and requires a weekly effort of four to six hours, you need to have enough time to focus on this course.

Further, since it is an English language course, you must be well versed in the language. Additionally, for taking this course, there are a few other prerequisites too. So, before taking this course, you must have knowledge of molecular biology, genetics, and undergraduate biochemistry. This information can be availed by taking the 7.00x Introductory Biology and 7.05x Biochemistry courses.

Who is it for?

In all honesty, the course is a great pick for the learners in biology, who need to advance their learning on the subject. However, unfortunately, the course will not be accessible for learners from certain regions or countries. This applies to the Crimea region of Ukraine, Iran, and Cuba. Even though edX has tried its best to seek licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control in the US for making the course available in these regions too, but the license so received is not broad enough. Hence, this edX course will not be available for the students in this region for the time being. 

About the course 

Next, in line for the online cell biology courses, is a Udemy course with a rating of 4.4. The course is indeed one of the best ways to get an understanding of cell biology. 

This cell biology training class comprises video sessions. In total it comprises of 2.5 hours of on-demand video and nine downloadable resources. All of the resources come with full lifetime access. So, you can watch it anytime as per your convenience and go back whenever you want to rewind or review. The course is available for easy access on both TV and mobile.

All the video classes have basic animation, which facilitates better understanding and visualization. Towards the end of every session, you can work with the workbooks and take quizzes. This will give you an account that can help you revise what's been taught. Be assured; if you are at pace with what's been taught in the class, you will have a concise understanding of all the tissues and cells' functions. After you understand this thoroughly, you can take your learning further and study the different organ systems.  

The course also comes with a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee. If you are not happy with what you received during the 30-day duration, you can get in touch with your educator and seek a refund.

Further, following the completion, you will be rewarded with a certificate of completion. This is a downloadable and printable certificate. So, you can download it and include it in your CV or export it on LinkedIn.

What will you learn?

Upon taking up this cellular biology course, you will learn a bunch of things. Some of the things that this course will teach you are: 

• The concept of cell and cell discovery. 
• Comprehensive definitions of multi and unicellular organisms. 
• Shape, size, and the number of cells in a given organism. 
• Understanding the difference between the animal and the plant cell. 
• Learning about the three vital cell components - cell organelles, cell membrane, and cytoplasm. 
• Understanding the functions and structure of membrane-bound cell organelles. 
• Studying the concept of tissues. 
• Learning about the different kinds of tissues based on the organism is the animal tissue and plant tissue. 
• Knowing about the different kinds of plant tissues, simple permanent, Meristematic, and complex permanent. 
• Understanding the plant epidermis functions. 
• Knowledge of the different types of plant tissues - epithelial, connective, muscular, and nervous tissue. 

What do you need?

To undertake this cellular biology course, you should have a basic knowledge and understanding of biology. Further, it would help if you also had a sense of bio to understand this course better, and get better grades in your assignments and exams.  

Who should take this course?

This course is suitable for:

• Students of high school, that is, students from 8th, 9th, and 10th grade. 
• A student who is being homeschooled in biology, and needs help to get a better understanding of the subject. 
• Anyone who aspires to learn about biology

About the course 

Next in line for online cell biology courses is a course offered by the University of Adelaide and presented to you by edX. This cell biology class online will introduce you to the human body’s most fundamental building block and their behavior in disease and health. Approximately 70,000 people have taken this cell biology class online and very well appreciated it too. 

Are you planning a career in health? Do you wish to study in the health sciences? Are you keen to learn about the different human body wonders? The human body is an incredible but equally complicated biological machine. In this cell biology class online, you will gather a phenomenal knowledge of human physiology and anatomy. 

Further, the course will also provide you with a broader understanding of the relationships between the normal function and structure in the human tissues and cells, both in disease and health. Progressing with the course, you will also learn the properties of four key kinds of tissues in the body, that is, nervous, muscular, connective, and epithelial, which are all clearly explained. 

In this course, your instructor will provide you with sessions and learning methods, which are interactive and engaging. These are delivered in the form of animations, short videos, fun and engaging activities, and several integrated quizzes that will guide you through the key concepts and make your learning relevant. 

What will you learn?

As one of the top online cell biology courses, this course has a lot for you to learn. Some of the things that this course will teach you are listed below: 

• Knowledge of the function and the structure of the human tissues and cells. 
• Understanding of the basic human physiology and anatomy. 
• Preparing for the study of health sciences and a career in health. 

Upon successful completion of this cell biology class online, you will be lauded with a shareable certificate.

What do you need?

For understanding this cell biology class online, you do not need any prerequisites. It is because this cell biology class online is an introductory course. So, if you have a basic knowledge of biology, that will suffice. It is a 5-week course and will require you to put in an effort of two to three hours of effort every week. The course is available in English. So, you can start and continue at your pace. 

About the course 

Next in line for our top online cell biology courses is a UC Berkeley Extension course. Through this course, you can get a thorough understanding of cell biology from a molecular perspective. Further, the course will help you learn how to study cells and employ the current knowledge of cytoskeletons, cell membranes, cell division and growth, organelles, cell communication, and the mechanism of underlying cellular events. 

You can enroll anytime, at your convenience. It has a continuous enrolment process, and the classes begins right after you enroll. You have about 90 - 180 days for completing this cellular biology course.

Further, for passing this cell biology class online, the student needs to achieve a score of seventy percent or higher in the final examination. 

What do you need?

For undertaking this cellular biology course, you need a one-year college-level general biology for majors.  

About the course 

The last course in our cell biology training course is a course by iBiology. This course is divided into nine video sections. In every section of this cell biology class online, part 1 is the general overview of the topic. In part two, the instructor goes about the topic in detail. Further, in part 3, you will work on the discussion questions with your tutor. It will help your instructor for this cell biology class online see and understand how well versed you are with the course. Finally, some workbooks will be shared with you, practice what you have learned, and solidify your grip. There will be times, when you have doubts, and you find out them only after working through the problems. Before the start of the next session, you can have your doubts cleared with the help of these workbooks.

In this cell biology training, your instructor will take you through the cell biology fundamentals using the iBiology videos. 

Who should take this cellular biology course?

It is one of the best online cell biology courses. These videos are aimed at helping an early graduate or an advanced undergraduate level student. You can learn and pick up from the different experts in the field about vital topics, such as the origin of cell structure, the function of macromolecules, the structure, and how the cells divide and move. The videos also have a set of questions, enabling you to think deeper and gain more. If there are any questions or queries, you can join the community and clear your doubts.