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What are the different types of courses on FutureLearn

FutureLearn Support
  • Updated

In this article we will explore the course catalogue at FutureLearn and talk about what kinds of courses are available to purchase in bulk.

Table of contents:

How can I search for courses on FutureLearn?

All of our short courses are on our courses page. You can use the sidebar menus to search by subject, course type, and start date.

 

[Alt text: A screenshot of the short courses page, with the subject filter of ‘Business & Management selected and applied. Three courses are listed from this category: ‘Professional Resilience: Building Skills to Thrive at Work’, ‘How to Fundraise: A Guide to Fundraising for Non-Fundraisers’, and ‘How to Succeed at: Interviews’]

You can also click on the search bar at the top of any listings page to search for courses by keyword.

[Alt text: Screenshot showing the search button highlighted at the top of the FutureLearn home page]

Topic pages

If you search for a popular topic in the course search on FutureLearn you may be directed to one of our topic pages, which collect all the courses related to that topic. These courses will include courses of all types- including those that are part of an ExpertTrack, microcredentials under that topic, and degrees related to that topic. 

Here are some example of topic pages to get you started:

Which courses can I purchase for someone else?

Short courses, as long as they are not part of an ExpertTrack, can be purchased for other learners. If you are purchasing for multiple learners (10 or more) please fill out your details on our contact form, and one of our partnership managers will be in touch to discuss next steps with you.

We can then help you by organising a bulk purchase that suits your organisation's needs. You can read more about our bulk purchase options on the pages listed here- bulk purchase articles.

How do I purchase a course/courses for less than 10 learners?

For smaller numbers of enrolments we would recommend either allowing each learner to make the purchase on their own FutureLearn account using their own card details and reimbursing them, or alternatively giving them card details to pay with in order to charge your organisation for the purchase. 

For such purchases we can only accept payment via debit/credit card (Visa, Mastercard, and Amex are accepted). We cannot process a payment via purchase order or invoice, unless you are paying in bulk (10 or more enrolments). 

Please note that each learner who is enrolling on a course needs to have their own account on FutureLearn, you can’t register for an account under your own details and purchase courses for other learners on that account. 

To request an invoice for a purchase made via card, please email us at orders@futurelearn.com. Please note that we treat sales (unless made via our orders team) through our platform as business to consumer (B2C) transactions, and so the place of supply for VAT purposes is therefore where the consumer is resident, and the supply is not subject to the reverse charge. 

What are ExpertTracks?

All of our ExpertTrack courses can be found here.

An ExpertTrack is a series of linked courses which are designed to train a learner in a particular skill or subject.

They can be accessed only via a monthly subscription, and cannot be purchased in bulk. 

The only way they can be purchased is individually.

There are 2 ways of doing it:

  • tell each member of staff to create an account and either provide them with a corporate card to pay

or

  • they can create accounts and pay for ExpertTrack subscription themselves and you reimburse them for that expense

What are microcredentials?

You can browse our microcredential courses here.

Microcredentials are courses which have been developed according to the Common Microcredential Framework (CMF) and meet the following specifications:

  • Have a total workload (or study time) of 100-150 hours, including revision for, and completion of, the summative assessment.
  • Be levelled at Levels 6-7 in the European Qualification Framework or the equivalent levels in the university’s national qualification framework, or be levelled at Levels 4-5 and fulfil the criteria of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System.
  • Provides a summative assessment that awards academic credit, either directly following successful completion of the microcredential or via recognition of prior learning upon enrolment as a student on a university’s course of study.
  • Uses a reliable method of ID verification at the point of assessment that complies with the recognised university’s policies and/or is widely adopted across the platforms authorised to use the CMF.
  • Provides a transcript that sets out the learning outcomes for a microcredential, total study hours required, EQF level, and number of credit points earned.

Microcredentials are usually longer in duration that one of our short courses, and carry a heavier workload. If you would like to get more information about purchasing microcredential enrolments in bulk for your learners, please contact us via email at orders@futurelearn.com. 

What is Unlimited?

Unlimited, also known as ‘Subscribe & save’, is a subscription you can purchase on FutureLearn. It is available as either a monthly or annually renewing subscription. 

If you wish to purchase Unlimited for less than 10 learners, please use the same method as recommended for purchasing an ExpertTrack subscription above. If you are looking to arrange an Unlimited for Business account for your organisation, please review our Unlimited for Business guide.

What does an Unlimited subscription get you?

Being subscribed to Unlimited means the learner can get the following benefits on all of the courses included in Unlimited:

  • Unrestricted learning time; all course content is available as soon as you join a course, and you can keep accessing the whole course for as long as you are subscribed to Unlimited (and longer if you earn a certificate on that course)
  • Unlock all course tests, which will then count towards your end of course certificate
  • Access to Certificates of Achievement for all courses completed in full. You can read more about certificates here- Records of completion.

What are free digital upgrade courses?

We have a number of courses on which the course partner has sponsored the course to include a free digital upgrade for all learners who join the course. They can’t be purchased in bulk, but anyone can join them and get the same benefits listed above on any of these courses. 

You can browse those courses here. If you want to try a course on FutureLearn before making any purchases these courses are a good starting point. You will need to create an account on FutureLearn or login to an existing account, in order to join these courses.

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