Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity. It involves biochemistry and molecular biology. The study of genetics has made us understand why we all have different physical characteristics and has also elevated science to a level beyond our imagination. All these types of inventions in life science and hereditary habits are scientifically due to Genetics. Genetics, therefore, provides a lucrative career and an interesting job to do. With this global pandemic hitting the whole world, there are so many online courses available for genetics. Some of the world’s leading universities, like Harvard University and Stanford University, provide online courses for students around the globe. They are numerous courses available online for genetics, and therefore we need to find the best courses considering different aspects.
Below is the list of the best courses of genetics which are available online.
1. Harvard University Genetic Course (HMX)
The course is offered by Harvard medical school for students around the globe. This course has a rating of 4.4 out of five. The duration of the course is 10 weeks with 3-6 hours of work per week. This course covers basic to advanced genetics spanning different topics such as health, risk factors, and disease prevention. The course covers the following topics:
- The Central Dogma and Genetic Variation
- Mendelian Inheritance of Disease
- Identifying Mendelian Disease Genes
- Chromosomal Aberrations
- The Genetics of Cancer
- Common Complex Traits
- Human Population Genetics
- Beyond the Genome Sequence
- Genetics and Precision Medicine.
Top instructors of Harvard medical school teach this course. Christine DeGennaro, PhD (Lecturer in Genetics, Harvard Medical School), Robert C. Green, MD, MPH (Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Associate Physician) and Carrie Blout, MS, CGC, LGC (Senior Genetic Counsellor and Project Manager, Brigham & Women’s Hospital) are the instructors for this course.
This is an intermediary course, and so prior knowledge on the topic is beneficial. The individual course on genetics costs eight hundred dollars. To apply for the course, visit the given link.
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2. MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Open Courseware
This course is offered by MIT and has a rating of 4.4 out of 5. This course is a recorded course from 2004; therefore, it is self-paced. The principles of genetics with application to the study of biological function at the molecules, cells, and multicellular organisms, including humans, are discussed in this course. The topics covered in the course are:
- Physical Structure of the Gene
- The Complementation Test and Gene Function
- Mendelian Genetics
- Probability and Pedigrees
- Chromosomes and Sex Linkage
- Recombination and Genetic Maps
- Three-factor Crosses
- Tetrad Analysis
- Phage Genetics
- Gene Structure and DNA Analysis
- Mutations and Suppressors
- Bacterial Genetics
- Complementation in Bacteria
- Prokaryotic Regulation
- Eukaryotic Genes and Genomes
- Transgenes and Gene Targeting in Mice II
- Population Genetics
- Human Polymorphisms
- Statistical Evaluation of Linkage
- Chromosome Anomalies
- Genetics of Cancer.
These topics are discussed at an undergraduate level by Prof. Chris Kaiser, Prof. Gerald Fink, Prof. Leona Samson, and Dr. Michelle Mischke. This is an open course, and therefore lecture notes, assignments, and solutions are available on the website. To complete the course, one needs to pass the final exam. To start the free course, visit the given link.
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3. Online Genetics Course (University of New England)
This is a self-paced program with 4.4 ratings out of 5. The course focuses on modern technological and experimental methodologies. The introductory lectures help you to explore the different terms and concepts that will help you to build a strong foundation. The classes are a combination of lectures and labs. The assessments seek to emphasize important concepts. The lectures are divided into sections which make it easy to follow along. The topics covered in the course are as follows:
- The Principles of Genetics
- Acellular reproduction
- Mendelian Genetics
- Non-Mendelian Genetics
- Cancer Genetics
- Population/Evolutionary Genetics
- Extranuclear Inheritance
- Gene Mapping
- DNA Organization
- DNA Duplication
- Gene Expression
- Gene Regulation
- Gene Mutation/Repair
- Epigenetics
- Chromosomal Sex Determination and Chromosomal Variation.
Experienced professors teach the course. An external webcam is necessary to enroll in the course. For the laboratory portion of the course, most weeks will also have an assigned laboratory exercise. In addition to conducting the laboratory exercises and corresponding assignments, you will also need to write a lab report. All exams are taken online. Major exams are required to be proctored online through ProctorU. The total fee of the course is one thousand, five hundred and ten US dollars. To join the course, visit the given link.
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4. Genetics and Genomics Program by Stanford University:
This is an advanced-level course on genetics and genomics offered by the Stanford School of Medicine. The program topics include advancements in personalized medicine, DNA sequencing technologies, and commercial applications of genetics research. The program build’s a solid foundation of knowledge in genetics, a broad understanding of the fundamentals of genomics, familiarity with the industry and medically relevant applications, and real-world skills that will make you more marketable. To complete this professional program, you need to complete two courses on
- Fundamentals of Genetics and
- Genomics and Other Omics and Also Several Elective Courses
- Principle of Gene Therapy
- Understanding Cancer at a Genetic Level
- Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
- Stem Cell Therapeutics
- Personal Genomics
- Epigenetics.
As this is an advanced course program. This needs some pre-requisites, which are: 5 years of work experience, preferably in science or tech-related fields, bachelor’s degree or equivalent, high school level knowledge of biology and chemistry, and most importantly, an investigative and scientific spirit.
To earn a Stanford Certificate of Achievement in Genetics and Genomics, one needs to complete the two required and four elective courses. You can enroll in courses individually or complete them through the All-Access Plan. The programs cost three thousand, four hundred and fifty-five US dollars. To join the course, visit the given link.
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5. Genetics Degrees and Certificates (Coursera)
Coursera is an American massive open online course provider founded in 2012 by Stanford University computer science professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller. Coursera works with universities and other organizations to offer online courses, certifications, and degrees in various subjects. Like many other subjects and topics, Coursera provides over a hundred courses on genetics in online mode. It has courses of all levels, beginner, intermediary and advanced courses are available with high ratings, mostly above 4.5 out of 5. Coursera makes sure that you can enhance your skills in this rapidly evolving field of Genetics irrespective of your proficiency level. The classes here allow you to build a strong foundation and apply this subject to the present research topics and developments. All courses available are self-paced. The platform’s key features are acquaintance with the necessary general jargon and a practical one. The introductory lessons provide an overview of the content of the lectures and show how to make the most of the experience. All the courses provide lots of exercises for understanding the problems, from implementing them to solve the challenges of different levels of complexity. The flexible deadline allows you to learn at your convenience. To complete a program, one needs to complete all the exams and graded assessments that follow the lesson. After completion of the program, a course completion certificate is awarded. Top choices on the website include:
- An introduction to genetics and evolution: (4.8/5)Introduction to Genetics and Evolution is a college-level class being offered simultaneously to new students at Duke University.
- Classical papers in molecular genetics: (4.8/5) the University of Geneva offers this course.
- Introduction to the biology of cancer: (4.8/5) The course introduces the molecular biology of cancer (oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes) as well as the biologic hallmarks of cancer. This is offered by John Hopkins University.
Visit the link given below to browse through the courses and join the suitable course for you.
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6. College Genetics Courses (edX)
edX is an American massive open online course (MOOC) provider created by Harvard and MIT. It hosts online university-level courses in a wide range of disciplines to a worldwide student body, including some courses at no charge. It also conducts research into learning based on how people use its platform. edX is a non-profit organization and runs on the free Open edX open-source software platform. The platform provides self-paced courses with an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5. All the necessary concepts are explained clearly to help build a strong fundamental by experienced academic mentors. The platform consists of individual and credit-eligible courses, micro master programs, and more. The courses allow you to work on the quizzes and assignments to assess your grasp of the topics covered. These interactive lessons make learning a fun experience. The study materials, videos, and exercises are available for free. Some courses provide a free certification, while some need a minimal fee payment to obtain the certificate after completing the project. Some of the top choices are DNA sequences, molecular biology, principles of synthetics biology, introduction to genomic data, graph algorithms in genome sequencing, and statistical methods for gene mapping. Visit the link given below to browse through the courses and join the suitable course for you.
