7 Best Online Pharmacology Courses & Classes with Certification [Updated June 2023]

If you wish to expand your knowledge of drug use and its effects and have been searching for a “pharmacology course near me”, Coursera has a list of more than 30 online courses to choose from.  Whether you are looking for beginner courses or advanced classes, at Coursera you can find an online course for all skill levels. What makes these courses the best online pharmacology courses is that they are accredited by some of the renowned universities of the world such as John Hopkins University, Stanford University, The University of Colorado, etc. Plus, the pharmacology certificates online awarded by these courses are recognized by several medical employers.

The topics covered in this course include principles of antibiotic use, drug development and product management, selecting drug therapies based on genetics, implications of precision medicine, and the drug discovery process. You can also enrol in these course to study the basic theories of Chinese medicine, how chemicals impact our health, and the principles and techniques that define the work of forensic scientists.

All the pharmacology courses listed on Coursera offer a sharable certificate of completion. Since all of these courses are 100% online with flexible deadlines, you can complete them at your convenience. While these online pharmacology classes are delivered in English, they do have subtitles in other languages such as French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, etc. Though you can enrol in these courses for free, you will have to purchase the course to earn a pharmacology certificate online. 

Pharmacology Courses Offered by Coursera

Some of the online pharmacology courses that you can enrol in on Coursera are:

1. Antibiotic Stewardship
2. Chemicals and Health
3. Introduction to Forensic Science
4. Evidence-based Toxicology
5. Case Studies in Personalized Medicine
6. Precision Medicine
7. Introduction to the Biology of Cancer
8. Sleep: Neurobiology, Medicine, and Society
9. Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life
10. Introduction to Systems Biology
11. Drug Development Product Management Specialization
12. Systems Biology and Biotechnology Specialization
13. Diabetes - a Global Challenge

About the Course

This is a self-paced pharmacology course on Canvas offered by The Ohio State University. This course is one of the best online pharmacology courses that will cover the fundamentals of pharmacology. It will give you an overview of the underlying principles of drug action, the factors contributing to varied drug responses, and the effects and therapeutic uses of major drug classes.  The online pharmacology classes of this course will also teach you how to map a drug's path in the body based on the route of administration. Plus, it will cover the investigation of current treatments for common diseases. Undertaking this course will equip you to apply pharmacological principles to discuss the novel therapeutic strategies and issues.

The instructor of this course is Molly Downing, a Clinical Instructor at the College of Pharmacy, Ohio State University. The course comprises six modules and a course evaluation. While this is a self-paced course, it ideally requires a commitment of 2 to 3 hours per week. You can enroll in this course for free by signing up on the Canvas website. While this course does not provide a pharmacology certificate online, you will earn a completion badge that you can display on your Canvas dashboard. 

What You Will Learn

• Basic principles of drug action
• Pharmacodynamics: Impact of drugs on the body
• Pharmacokinetics: How the body affects drugs
• Pharmacology of the Nervous System
• Pharmacology of the Cardiovascular System
• Pharmacology of the Endocrine System
• Pharmacology of Infectious Disease
• Pharmacology of Antineoplastics and the Immune System

Pre-Requisites

Since this is one of the beginner online pharmacology courses it does not have any pre-requisites.

Who is this Course For?

This course is meant for pharmacy students, medical professionals, or anyone interested in learning about healthcare, medicine, and pharmacy.

About the Course

If you have been searching for a pharmacology course to earn college credits, this is the course to go for. Completing all the online pharmacology classes under this course will help you earn 3 college credits from partner colleges. The duration of this course is 75 hours and it requires a commitment of 17-20 hours per week to complete the course with a one-month subscription. However, this is an online self-paced pharmacology course and can be completed as per your convenience. Besides the online classes, this course also includes practice exercises and a graded online exam which you need to qualify to earn your college credits.

If you are looking for beginner’s online pharmacology courses, this course serves as an introduction to the study of drugs and their impact on the body. You will be introduced to the basics of pharmacology and drug terminology. You will learn about the therapeutic as well as the adverse effects of drugs. You will also learn about the major body systems such as the nervous system, cardiovascular system, reproductive system, and gastrointestinal system. This course will particularly emphasize the endocrine and immune systems. It is a course that will teach you about muscle relaxants, anesthetics, pain medication, and psychoactive medicines.

This course is a good option for students who wish to learn about pediatric and geriatric pharmacology. While you can enroll in this course for a one-time fee, you can also go for a StraighterLine membership that will give you access to all the courses listed on this portal. This course also includes a free eTextbook - “Pharmacology: An Introduction” by Hitner/Nagle. The content of this course has been sourced from McGraw Hill.

What You Will Learn

This online self-paced pharmacology course consists of 17 main chapters that cover the following topics:

• Drug terminology, effects, and actions
• Pediatric and geriatric pharmacology
• Dosage Calculations: Systems of measurements, ratios and proportions, solutions and IV
• Autonomic Nervous System functioning
• Parasympathetic stimulation
• Effects of drugs on the Sympathetic Nervous System
• Effects of drugs on the autonomic ganglia
• Sedative hypnotic drugs
• Antipsychotic and antianxiety drugs
• Antidepressants
• General and local anesthetics
• Adverse effects and drug interactions
• Drugs used to treat congestive heart failure and hypertension
• Anticoagulants and coagulants
• Drugs used to treat allergies and respiratory diseases
• Gastrointestinal disorders and intestinal motility
• Endocrine System and steroids
• Viral, bacterial, and fungal pharmacology
• Parasitic infection and wound pharmacology
• Cancer and immune pharmacology
• Nutrition, fluids, and diuretics

Pre-Requisites

No pre-requisites have been mentioned to enroll in the online pharmacology classes of this course.

Who is this Course For?

This is the best pharmacology online course for medical students who want to improve their understanding of the impact of drugs on the body.

About the Course

Offered by Doane University, this is one of the introductory online pharmacology courses on edX that will explore the action of pharmaceutical drugs on a molecular level. In this course you will study the different drug classes and understand their impact on different systems of the human body. By undertaking this best online pharmacology course, you will gain knowledge about pharmacokinetics, therapeutics and drug discovery, and drug toxicity.

p> 

The instructor of this course is Steve St. Onge from Doane University. The duration of these online pharmacology classes is 8 weeks and it requires a study commitment of 10 to 12 hours per week. This course has been delivered in English along with English video transcripts. The online pharmacology courses on edX can be enrolled for free. However, we would advise you to go for the paid version to earn a verified pharmacology certificate online.  This certificate is signed by the instructor and also bears the logo of the institution that adds to the authenticity of this course. You can also share this certificate on your LinkedIn profiles or on your CVs to improve your job prospects.

What You Will Learn

• Fundamental principles of drug action
• Basic pharmacokinetics
• Basic pharmacodynamics
• Receptor binding
• The process of drug development and the involvement of regulatory agencies
• Major drug classes
• Therapeutic uses
• Mechanism of action
• Routes of drug administration
• Common side-effects associated with major therapeutic drug classes and how they may impact patient care
• Evaluating a recently approved FDA medication
• Basic and advanced dosage calculations
• Responsibilities of healthcare professionals in prescribing and administering medications
• Creating a treatment plan for a patient suffering from a commonly treated disease or disorder

Pre-Requisites

No pre-requisites have been mentioned to enroll in these online pharmacology classes.

Who is this Course For?

This course is apt for medical students searching for an “introductory pharmacology course near me” to study the effects of pharmaceutical drugs on the body.

If you want to build a successful career in the field of pharmacology, enrolling in Harvard’s online courses could help you improve your resume. If you are a medical aspirant particularly looking for a pharmacology online course for medical students, these Harvard online courses can help you earn CE/CME certificates. These courses offered by the Harvard Medical School are self-paced and are available for different skill levels.

You can enroll in some of the best online pharmacology courses to learn about the challenging cases in toxicology, new drugs to treat Type-2 diabetes, how the FDA regulates pharmaceuticals, and appropriate dosing and monitoring of NOACs in different patients. You can also enroll in an instructor-led masterclass in Psychopharmacology. There are also intermediate and advanced online pharmacology courses that will cover the advances in drug delivery systems and approaches, and how drugs and therapeutics are used in the treatment and prevention of different diseases.

To enroll in the online self-paced pharmacology courses offered by Harvard University you will have to purchase the individual course for a one-time fee. The duration and time commitment for these courses differs depending on the difficulty and course curriculum. The registration dates for these courses have been mentioned on the website. Each course will award you with a pharmacology certificate online for Continuing Medical Education/Continuing Education.

Pharmacology Courses Offered By Harvard University

• Challenging Cases in Toxicology
• Assessment and Treatment of Major Depressive Disorders
• New Treatments in Heart Failure
• Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV
• Procalcitonin in Diagnosing Bacterial Infection: Ready for Prime-Time?
• NOACs for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation
• New Drugs to Treat Type 2 Diabetes
• Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Care
• Prescription Drug Regulation, Cost, and Access: Current Controversies in Context
• The Opioid Crisis in America
• Essential Psychopharmacology, 2021: From Neuroscience To Advances In Treatment
• Psychopharmacology: A Master Class
• HMX Pharmacology
• HMX Pro Immunology: Immuno-oncology
• Drug Delivery

If you want to build a successful career in the field of pharmacology, enrolling in Harvard’s online courses could help you improve your resume. If you are a medical aspirant particularly looking for a pharmacology online course for medical students, these Harvard online courses can help you earn CE/CME certificates. These courses offered by the Harvard Medical School are self-paced and are available for different skill levels.

You can enroll in some of the best online pharmacology courses to learn about the challenging cases in toxicology, new drugs to treat Type-2 diabetes, how the FDA regulates pharmaceuticals, and appropriate dosing and monitoring of NOACs in different patients. You can also enroll in an instructor-led masterclass in Psychopharmacology. There are also intermediate and advanced online pharmacology courses that will cover the advances in drug delivery systems and approaches, and how drugs and therapeutics are used in the treatment and prevention of different diseases.

To enroll in the online self-paced pharmacology courses offered by Harvard University you will have to purchase the individual course for a one-time fee. The duration and time commitment for these courses differs depending on the difficulty and course curriculum. The registration dates for these courses have been mentioned on the website. Each course will award you with a pharmacology certificate online for Continuing Medical Education/Continuing Education.

Pharmacology Courses Offered By Harvard University

• Challenging Cases in Toxicology
• Assessment and Treatment of Major Depressive Disorders
• New Treatments in Heart Failure
• Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV
• Procalcitonin in Diagnosing Bacterial Infection: Ready for Prime-Time?
• NOACs for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation
• New Drugs to Treat Type 2 Diabetes
• Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Care
• Prescription Drug Regulation, Cost, and Access: Current Controversies in Context
• The Opioid Crisis in America
• Essential Psychopharmacology, 2021: From Neuroscience To Advances In Treatment
• Psychopharmacology: A Master Class
• HMX Pharmacology
• HMX Pro Immunology: Immuno-oncology
• Drug Delivery

About the Course

The next course in our best online pharmacology courses is for those medical students who find it difficult to remember the myriad of drug names and their functions. The online pharmacology classes of this course contain fool-proof tips that are especially apt for dental students or students studying pharmacy who wish to learn the mnemonics for basic pharmacology. This course is, in fact, the first part of a comprehensive course of basic pharmacology mnemonics.

The content of this online self-paced pharmacology course is based on the "Tufts Pharmacology Board Review" paper for NBDE which is one of the most sought-after resources by NBDE candidates.  By undertaking this course, you will learn the ‘memory and study skills’ techniques to remember the local anaesthetics mnemonics, antibiotics mnemonics, cardiovascular drug mnemonics, the mechanism of action of cardiovascular drugs, and much more.

The duration of this course is 4 hours and 6 minutes and it consists of 194 video lectures divided into 7 broad categories. This course has been created by Dr. Hiba Al-Shawa, who is a Dentist by profession and is following her passion for education. This course is one of the highest-rated online pharmacology courses on Udemy with a rating of 5 and 171 students on board. You can enroll in this course with a one-time fee which is also covered under Udemy’s 30-days money-back guarantee. In the unlikely event of you not happy with the course, you can seek a full refund. What more? Purchasing this course will give you full lifetime access to the course content and you can access your online pharmacology classes through your mobile or TV. You will also be awarded an online certificate on completing this course.

What You Will Learn

• Local anaesthetics: a foolproof formula for calculation of local anaesthetics
• Distinguishing amides from esters (name, metabolism, structure)
• Mechanism of action of local anaesthetics
• Absorption of local anaesthetics
• Local anaesthetics toxicity
• Duration of action of different local anaesthetics
• Comparing different types of penicillin in terms of allergenicity, administration, potency, the drug of choice in certain conditions
• Mechanism of action of various antibiotics
• Interactions between antibiotics and other drugs
• Cardiovascular drugs to treat different conditions such as hypertension, angina, arrhythmias, and congestive heart failure
• Mechanism of action of various agents

Pre-Requisites

Students need to have a basic medical background to follow these online pharmacology classes.

Who is this Course For?

• Any person having difficulty in memorizing pharmacology
• Dentistry, medicine, and health sciences students and professionals
• Pharmacy Students
• NBDE part 2, INBDE, NDEB (AFK) and other Dental Boards candidates

Are you searching for a “free pharmacology course near me?” You can find both Diploma and certificate pharmacology courses on Alison.  These online courses aim to bolster your career as a pharmacologist by teaching you the roles and responsibilities of a pharmacist technician. On of these online self-paced pharmacology courses will cover the principles of community and institutional pharmacy and the differences between the two. Medical students who are looking for a Diploma course also have a course that covers the principles of pharmacy practice and common disorders of the human body.  Besides that, there are short courses that introduce you to drug development, medication safety, and the different systems of the human body.

While you can review all the courses on Alison for free, you will have to achieve a score of 80% or above in each course assessment and pay an online fee to receive a pharmacology certificate online.  Alison offers three types of certificates – a digital diploma, an officially branded and security-marked physical diploma, and a framed diploma. All of these are available on the Alison Shop. Plus, all the courses are accredited by Continuing Professional Development (CPD UK).

Free Online Pharmacology Classes on Alison:

Diploma in Pharmacy Technician

Duration: 6 to 10 hours

Modules: 15

Students enrolled: 56,021

Topics covered:

• Introduction to pharmacology
• Drugs in the body
• Principles of pharmacy practice
• Community and Institutional Pharmacy
• Drugs for the nervous, muscular, and sensory systems
• Pharmacology for the genitourinary system
• Pharmacotherapy for the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, and the endocrine system

Pharmacotherapy: Cardio, Respiratory, Gastro and Endocrine Systems 

Duration: 1.5 to 3 hours

Modules: 2

Students enrolled: 12,795

Topics covered:

• Cardiovascular system and drug therapy
• Cough, cold, and allergy
• Respiratory system and drug therapy
• Blood and drug therapy
• COPD and other lung diseases
• Nausea, vomiting, and other GI system disorders
• Nutrition and drugs for metabolism
• The endocrine system and its disorders
• Gastrointestinal system and drug therapy 

Introduction to Pharmacy Practice 

Duration: 1.5 to 3 hours

Modules: 2

Students enrolled: 13,889

Topics covered:

• The profession of pharmacy
• Laws, regulations, and standards
• Drug development
• Routes of drug administration
• Dosage formulation
• Pharmaceutical measurements and calculations
• Medication safety
• Future in the pharmacy practice
• Human relations and communication