Accredited online calculus courses are a great way to fulfill requirements, pick up credits, and level up your education. The convenience of not having to leave home to do so is a big one.
I’ve researched the top courses that deliver exactly that and listed them in this article.
Here’s what else we’ll cover:
- Accredited online calculus courses from top colleges
- Recommended free/cheap options
- What to expect from studying calculus online
Ready to learn more about what’s out there? Let’s go.
Note: if you haven’t done precalculus yet and require that as a prereq for these courses you can find our online precalc course recommendations here.
Best Accredited Online Calculus Course Listings
Here’s a quick overview of all the recommended courses…
| Course | Platform | Institution | Level | Prerequisites | Length | Hours | Cost |
| Calculus I | N/A | University Of Phoenix | Undergraduate | College Algebra | 7 weeks | Self-paced | $1,592 |
| General Calculus I | StraighterLine | StraighterLine | Undergraduate | Precalculus or its equivalent | N/A | Self-paced | $59 & Membership ($99/month) |
| Calculus I | N/A | University Of New England | Undergraduate | Precalculus or its equivalent | 16 weeks | Self-paced | $1,510 |
| Calculus I | N/A | University Of North Dakota | Undergraduate | Math 112 or Math 107 | 3 to 9 months | Self-paced | $370.08/credit |
| Calculus I | N/A | UC San Diego Extension | Undergraduate | College Algebra | 4 months | Self-paced | $675 |
| Calculus I | N/A | Massachusetts College Of Pharmacy And Health Sciences | Undergraduate | None | 16 weeks | Self-paced | $460/credit |
Calculus I – MTH/280 (University of Phoenix)
University of Phoenix’s calculus course is an introduction to differential calculus.
It covers the following topics:
- Limits and continuity
- Concept of differentiation and practice differentiation techniques
- Applying differentiation to solve problems
- Simple antiderivatives
After the course, students will be able to:
- Describe the limits of functions using numeric, graphical, and algebraic techniques
- Determine the antiderivative and explain the meaning of the integrals for various types of functions
- Discover the derivative of a function, model situations involving derivatives, and interpret their solutions
- Find and apply the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
They have an adjustable calendar with upcoming start dates every month.
Check out the video below for an intro to the University of Phoenix’s online learning platform…
Details
- Name: Calculus I – MTH/280
- Institution: University of Phoenix
- Level: undergraduate
- Credits: 4 credit hours
- Prerequisites: MTH/220 – College Algebra, equivalent or higher-level math college course, not including statistics
- Length: 7 weeks
- Hours: Self-paced
- Website: phoenix.edu/courses/mth280
- Price: $1,592
General Calculus I – MAT250 (StraighterLine)
These StraighterLine’s classes introduce the principles of calculus, covering the following topics:
- Limits
- An Introduction to Derivatives
- Computational Techniques
- Special Functions
- Implicit Differentiation
- Applications of Differentiation
- Curve Sketching
- The Basics of Integration
- Applications of Integration
- L’Hôpital’s Rule
- Elementary Functions and Their Inverses
- Techniques of Integration
- Improper Integrals
- Differential Equations
The platform works on a subscription basis ($99/month) but offers 3 college credits on completion of the self-paced course.
The video below offers a nice tutorial on how best to pass this class…
Details:
- Name: General Calculus I – MAT250
- Institution: StraighterLine
- Level: Undergraduate
- Credits: 3 college credits
- Prerequisites: Precalculus or its equivalent
- Length: N/A
- Hours: Self-paced
- Website: straighterline.com/general-calculus-i/
- Price: $59 & Membership ($99/month)
Calculus I – MATH 1020 (University of New England)
The University of New England’s course focuses on single variable calculus through graphical, analytical, and numerical techniques.
It discusses differentiation and its applications and introduces basic integration techniques.
After the course, students will be able to:
- Use the core concepts of differential and integral calculus to solve problems
- Use graphical, numerical, analytical, and approximation models
- Develop visual literacy of mathematical concepts by graphical analysis
- Link mathematical concepts and apply complex symbolic representation
- Improve the ability to identify and apply multiple mathematical problem-solving techniques for a specific situation
- Gain introductory level knowledge appropriate to a single variable calculus course of mathematical definitions and proofs of critical theorems
It is a lecture-only course, and the University doesn’t offer associated lab components. The exams are all taken online.
Classes typically begin every two to three weeks. The student must be registered for it by noon EST the Monday before class starts.
Details:
- Name: Calculus I – MATH 1020
- Institution: University of New England
- Level: upper-level undergraduate
- Credits: 4 credits
- Prerequisites: a semester of college-level precalculus (MATH 1011)
- Length: 16 weeks
- Hours: self-paced
- Website: online.une.edu/calculus-i
- Price: $1,510
Calculus I – Math 165 (University of North Dakota)
The University of North Dakota offers a great accredited calculus option. Their online curriculum meets all the typical topics of a Calculus I college course.
The principal themes included in this course are limits, differentiation, using derivates to solve problems, and introducing integration.
Students have 3 to 9 months from the enrollment date to complete three proctored exams and 24 lessons.
Details:
- Name: Calculus I – Math 165
- Institution: University of North Dakota
- Level: Undergraduate
- Credits: 4 credits
- Prerequisites: Math 112 or conclusion of Math 107 (grade C or better), or Math Placement Exam score
- Length: 3 to 9 months
- Hours: self-paced
- Website: und.edu/math165
- Price: $370.08 per credit
Calculus I – MATH-40017 (UC San Diego Extension)
This course presents students with the applications of differential and integral calculus.
In differential calculus, it covers:
- Optimization and marginal analysis problems for single and multi-independent variable models
- Applications of the first and second derivatives
In integral calculus, it covers:
- The notion of antiderivative
- Indefinite and definite integrals
- Procedures for finding either area under one curve or between two curves
As a whole, you’ll cover the following areas of the subject:
- Review of Math Principles and College Algebra
- Functions, Limits, and Derivatives
- Differentiation
- Applications of Derivatives
- Logarithmic Functions
- Integration
- Calculus of Several Variables
Lectures are pre-recorded, and students can watch them during the week at their pace. The live discussion sessions occur Thursdays from 9 am to 10 am PST. Professors will give exams online during a set date and time.
Details:
- Name: Calculus I – MATH-40017
- Institution: UC San Diego Extension
- Level: Undergraduate
- Credits: 3 credits
- Prerequisites: Knowledge of College Algebra
- Length: 4 months
- Hours: Self-paced
- Website: extension.ucsd.edu/calculus-1
- Price: $675
Calculus I – MAT-151E (Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences)
MCPHS offers an online calculus course with an emphasis on polynomial, exponential, and logarithmic fractions.
It covers limits, derivative rules, implicit differentiation, curve sketching, and optimization problems.
At $460 per credit hour, it’s a solid option.
Details:
- Name: Calculus I – MAT-151E
- Institution: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
- Credits: 3 credit hours
- Prerequisites: None
- Length: 16 weeks
- Hours: Self-paced
- Website: mcphs.edu/calculus
- Price: $460/credit hour (new students are eligible to receive a 50% reduction in the cost of tuition for one course)
Free/Low-Cost Online Calculus Courses
The following courses, although not “officially” accredited, are still good options for students looking to take structured calculus courses to help in the preparation for exams and further education.
Calculus Applied (HarvardX/edX)
Harvard offers a few free calculus courses through edX. Among them, Calculus Applied is an excellent option.
It is self-paced, and an average student can conclude it in approximately ten weeks.
Classes teach students the following skills/concepts:
- Examples and case studies about how calculus is applied to problems in many other fields
- To analyze mathematical models, including constants,
- Variables, and parameters
- Assumptions and complications that go into real-world modeling situations with mathematics
- How test-makers use functions to analyze the difficulty of test questions
- How economists design the interaction of price and demand using rates of change, in a historical case of subway ridership
- How an x-ray is different from a CT-scan, and what this has to do with integrals
This is a course to learn calculus applications to other fields and not a class to learn the basics of calculus.
Check out the video below for an intro to this course…
Details:
- Name: Calculus Applied
- Institution: HarvardX/edX
- Level: Undergraduate
- Credits: Eligible for a certificate
- Prerequisites: Single-variable Calculus (derivatives, integrals, and basics of differential equations); College or AP/IB High School Level
- Length: 10 weeks
- Hours: Self-paced
- Website: edx.org/course/calculus-applied
- Price: Free
Notice this is a free version of Harvard’s Calculus Applied offered through the edX platform. Students can add a Verified Certificate for $139.
Calculus: Single Variable Part 1 – Functions (University of Pennsylvania/Coursera)
The University of Pennsylvania offers a free, self-paced, and entirely online calculus course through Coursera.
This quick course treats the core ideas of single-variable Calculus with emphasis on conceptual understanding and applications.
Through the four weeks length, the course cover what follows:
- Introduction
- A Review of Functions
- Taylor Series
- Limits and Asymptotics
Distinguishing features of the course include:
- The introduction and use of the Taylor series and approximations from the beginning
- A new synthesis of discrete and continuous methods of Calculus
- emphasis on conceptual over computational
- A transparent, dynamic, unified approach
You can check out the first lecture of the course in the video below…
Details:
- Name: Calculus: Single Variable Part 1 – Functions
- Institution: University of Pennsylvania/Coursera
- Level: Undergraduate
- Prerequisites: None
- Length: 4 weeks
- Hours: Self-paced
- Website: coursera.org/single-variable-calculus
- Price: Free. Students can also pay a $49 fee and obtain a certificate.
Introduction to Calculus (The University of Sydney/Coursera)
This University of Sydney’s Introduction to Calculus course addresses the most critical grounds for applications of mathematics in science, engineering, and commerce.
The course emphasizes calculus’s ideas and historical motivation while striking a balance between theory and application, which leads to a mastery of critical concepts in foundational mathematics.
Students taking Introduction to Calculus will:
- Gain familiarity with fundamental ideas of precalculus, including the manipulation of equations and elementary functions (first two weeks)
- Improve fluency with the methodology of tangents and limits and the definition of a derivative (third week)
- Enhance and practice methods of differential calculus with applications (fourth week)
- Improve and practice methods of the integral calculus (fifth week)
Details:
- Name: Introduction to Calculus
- Institution: The University of Sydney/Coursera
- Level: Undergraduate
- Prerequisites: None
- Length: 5 weeks
- Hours: Self-paced
- Website: coursera.org/introduction-to-calculus
- Price: Free. Students can pay a $49 fee and obtain a certificate
Related Questions
What are the most important things to look for in an online calculus course?
Calculus is a hard subject to learn (I talk about this here). But learning it online can be just as effective as taking a class in person. To get the best out of an online course you’ll want to look for the following qualities:
- Structure: how well are the course goals defined and the curriculum laid out?
- Time commitment: does the course give you a rough estimate of how much time you’ll need to commit to it each week?
- Cost: does it fit your budget?
- Instruction: is the teaching professor suitably qualified and delivering the classes in an easy-to-understand format?
- Prerequisites: what level of knowledge should you have before starting the course?
- Support: once signed up, how much support is available to you to help meet your goals?
- Assessment: how is your knowledge and progress assessed?
Many of these questions are answered in the introductory table at the beginning of this article.
Anything else should be researched via your own criteria and the contact you make with course providers.
What study tips can I use for calculus?
Calculus is best studied with worked examples and plenty of practice problems.
The video below provides lots of useful tips on performing well in the subject…
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Writer | Lawyer | PhD Student at @DerechoUCA and @UFPel
I spend most of my time washing dishes, changing diapers, playing doll/ball/house/doctor/cooking with my daughter, and making my son sleep. I write and read about education, philosophy, law, religion, finance, and real estate when there is some time left. And I usually don’t sleep!