A selection of courses from the FT’s Mooc tracker

There are now more than 180 free online business courses listed in the FT’s Mooc Tracker. Here is a selection from those massive open online courses.*

The Secret Power of Brands — FutureLearn.com

Developed by the UK’s University of East Anglia with help from global brand consultancy Wolff Olins, the course examines how global brands such as Google became so powerful.

Time commitment The course runs at set times of the year and lasts for six weeks, with a workload of three hours per week.

Certification Students can buy a statement of participation certificate for £34 or take an invigilated exam costing £119 in one of 4,000 test centres around the world. Those who pass gain a statement of attainment.

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UX Design for Mobile Developers — Udacity.com

The course looks at how to build user-friendly apps, not how to write code. UX stands for user experience and is aimed at improving ease of use.

It was created by Udacity, the online course provider, in collaboration with Google. So far more than 57,600 students have signed up.

Time commitment Students go at their own pace, but can finish in five weeks based on six hours of work per week.

Certification There are a series of assignments, such as how to improve a registration form. However, there are no certificates or instructor feedback, so learners are basically getting access to interactive reference materials.

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Scaling Up Your Venture Without Screwing Up — NovoEd.com

Developed by Stanford Graduate School of Business, the programme is running for the second time.

Time commitment It takes five weeks and has an estimated workload of four to six hours per week.

There are assignments with set deadlines that are reviewed by peers. The final project involves forming a plan to tackle scaling challenges faced by start-ups.

Certification Subject to satisfactory performance and course completion, students will receive a statement of accomplishment.

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Data Analysis: Take It to the MAX( ) — edX.org

Take it to the MAX( ) was developed by Delft University of Technology and teaches participants how to make sense of data sets using Excel spreadsheets.

Time commitment Students set their own pace, but the course can be completed in eight weeks based on four to six hours of work per week.

Certification Students can get a verified certificate for $50 if they achieve an overall pass mark of 60 per cent.

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Introduction to Public Speaking — Coursera.org

Developed by the University of Washington, this course teaches students how to improve their presentation and communication skills. Topics include making impromptu speeches and persuasive speaking techniques.

Students can upload videos — or audio files, if they are worried about anonymity — of their presentation skills for peer review.

Time commitment Ten weeks based on three to five hours per week, but students can go at their own pace.

Certification Currently, no certificate is available for the course.

* The Mooc Tracker does not list courses that demand fees, but some have pay-for assessment and certification options