There are few things in this world that are as valuable as education. There is no age at which we stop learning, or at least that we stop having the capacity to learn.
Living in such a complex and ever-changing world, there is also no shortage of things that we can learn. With that being said, education can be incredibly difficult to access for many people.
Thankfully, there are platforms available that strive to make high-quality education available to anyone and everyone. One such platform is EdX. Below, we will look at how long does it take to complete an edX course.
What Is An EdX Course?
If you have never heard of EdX, you might be wondering what it is and why you should look into the courses they offer.
EdX is a massive open online course (MOOC) provider that is based in America. It was created by Harvard University and MIT universities.
The platform provides access to university-level courses online. There is a wide range of courses and disciplines that students can choose from.
Although EdX is hosted in America and created by American universities, it is available to students all around the world.
The best thing about EdX, other than the rich academic history behind it, is the fact that some of the courses that are offered are completely free to complete.
How Long Does It Take To Complete An EdX Course?
EdX courses are all university-level courses, therefore, they are quite in-depth and detailed. It is also important to note that all the courses available on EdX vary in length and difficulty level.
For example, an introductory course is designed to be easier than a master’s level course.
With that being said, many of the courses that are available on EdX are designed to take 6 – 8 weeks to complete with an average workload of 6 – 8 hours per week.
However, to break things down further, there are two types of courses you can do on EdX. If you are enrolled in a course that is self-paced, you may be able to complete the course in a couple of days if you dedicate all your time to it.
Of course, if you are completing a course that is not self-paced and instead has lectures or meetings with a professor or mentor, it will likely take the full duration to complete.
You will be able to find out if a course is self-paced or not before you enroll in it. This can help you to select the right course for your needs. You will also find a more accurate duration of the course depending on the content and structure.
How Long Does EdX Allow To Complete A Course?
Regardless of whether the course you enroll in is self-paced or not, it will have an ultimate end date. This is the course end date by which you must have completed the course and all associated exams or quizzes in order to receive your edX-verified certificate.
The amount of time that you are given to complete a course on EdX will depend on the level of course that you are taking. For example, a full degree course will take much longer than a certification course.
For a course that is not self-paced, there will be a specific date for you to complete the course by. This will be indicated before you enroll and will vary depending on when you enroll in the course.
For a self-paced course, you are likely to have a much more lenient and longer end-date to your course.
In many cases, the length of time you have to complete the course will depend on when EdX stops running the course. If the course is ending soon, this will be displayed before you enroll.
Once a course has been ended by EdX it will be archived. When this happens, you can still access the course materials to review and study, however, any graded assignments or exams will not be accessible and it will not be possible to obtain a certificate of completion.
Do EdX Courses Have An End Date?
The short answer to this question is, yes they do. Courses that are available on EdX will have an ultimate end date. This is the date from which the course will no longer be available through the MOOC.
If a course is going to end soon, you will be able to find the end date under the “Important Dates” tab on your course page. This date is visible before and after you enroll in the course.
If the date is very close, you should work out whether or not you can realistically complete the course in time before enrolling.
If you are unable to find an end date for a course that you are interested in or enrolled in, it is not likely to be archived soon. With that being said, it is important that you keep an eye on the important dates for the course, especially if it is self-paced.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Enroll On An EdX Course?
Enrolling in an EdX course is incredibly simple. On the EdX website, you will be able to browse all the courses that the site offers. To make this easier, you can filter the courses by topic and niche.
Once you find a course that you want to take, there will be an “enroll now!” button on the homepage of the course.
When you click this button, you will need to fill in the subscription form with your details. It is important to make sure that these details are accurate as they will be printed and earn a certificate.
If the course is free, you are good to go from here, if not, you will need to fill in payment details and confirm that you want to sign up for the course.
Once you have done that and your payment method has been approved, you will be good to go. For self-paced courses, you can begin right away.
If your course is not self-paced, you may have to wait a week or two before your first scheduled lecture or meeting.
This can be a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the platform and partake in some additional reading for your course.
Do All Courses In A Program Have To Be Taken At Once?
If you are completing a program through EdX such as a MicroMatsers, MicroBachelors, or Professional Certificate, you might be wondering if you have to take all the courses at once. The simple answer is no, you don’t.
When enrolling in an EdX program, you will be able to take the courses one at a time, as they are offered to you.
Some of the courses for a program run at the same time, however, they also repeat each year. This means that you don’t have to take two courses at once to complete the program, you will be able to take the simultaneous course the following year.