Yes, you can take medical terminology courses online. And a bunch for college credit too, meaning you can pick up those all-important prereqs.
I’ve researched the top courses that deliver exactly that and listed them in this article.
Here’s what else we’ll cover:
- Accredited medical terminology courses from top colleges
- Recommended free/cheap options
- What to expect from studying medical terminology online
Ready to learn more about what’s out there? Let’s go.
Best Online Medical Terminology Courses For College Credit Listings
Here’s a quick overview of the recommended courses in this article:
| Course | Institution | Level | Prerequisites | Length | Hours | Cost |
| Medical Terminology (MTC-210E) | Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | Undergraduate (Credits: 3) | None | 16 weeks | Self-paced | $460/credit hour |
| Medical Terminology for Health Care Professionals (HCS/120T) | University of Phoenix | Undergraduate (Credits: 3) | None | 5 weeks | Self-paced | $1,194 |
| Medical Terminology | StraighterLine | Undergraduate (Credits: 3) | None | Self-paced | Self-paced | $59 (plus monthly membership) |
| Medical Terminology (MEDT 1000) | University of New England | Undergraduate (Credits: 3) | None | 16 weeks | Self-paced | $1,140 |
| Medical Terminology (BIOL 210) | Doane University | Undergraduate (Credits: 3) | None | 8 weeks | Self-paced | $1,260 |
| Online Medical Terminology Course | Corexcel | Undergraduate (9.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs)) | None | 1 year | Self-Paced | $295 |
| Medical Terminology (BIOL-210x) | DoaneX | Undergraduate (Eligible for 3 credits) | None | 8 weeks | Self-paced | Free |
| Clinical Terminology for International and US Students | University of Pittsburgh | Undergraduate | None | 6 weeks | Self-paced | Free |
| Medical Terminology – A Word Association Approach | Kennesaw State University | Undergraduate | None | 90 days | Self-paced | $149 |
Best Accredited Online Medical Terminology Courses
The following courses are a mix of courses at reputable U.S. institutions that you can take online for transferable credit.
1. Medical Terminology (MTC-210E) – Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
MCPHS offers a fully online medical terminology course. Students can complete assignments at their pace over the 16 weeks.
This course gives students the support of an instructor and 24/7 online tutoring.
It covers the most common symbols and abbreviations used in medical terminology, teaching how word parts – think about roots, suffixes, and prefixes – act as building blocks of medical terms.
Details:
- Name: Medical Terminology – MTC-210E
- Institution: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
- Credits: 3 credit hours
- Prerequisites: None
- Length: 16 weeks
- Hours: self-paced
- Website: mcphs.edu/medical-terminology
- Price: $460/credit hour (but new students are eligible to receive a 50% reduction in the cost of tuition for one course)
2. Medical Terminology for Health Care Professionals (HCS/120T) – University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix’s medical terminology course offers students engagement and interaction with the dynamic language of health care through comprehensive discussions and activities.
It covers three basic skills and outcomes:
- Communication: identify language relevant in the healthcare industry.
- Health Administration: describe the structure, services, and functions of the healthcare industry.
- Medical Records: explain the importance of compliance for patient health data and technology.
They have a flexible schedule with upcoming start dates almost every month.
Details:
- Name: Medical Terminology for Health Care Professionals – HCS/120T
- Institution: University of Phoenix
- Level: undergraduate
- Credits: 3 credit hours
- Prerequisites: there are no prerequisites
- Length: 5 weeks
- Hours: self-paced
- Website: phoenix.edu/hcs120t
- Price: $1,194
3. Medical Terminology (MEDTERM101) – StraighterLine
These StraighterLine’s classes introduce elements of medical terminology. Students will learn the etymology of words and how to apply them correctly for principal pathological conditions.
The course will identify and explain the names used for the integumentary, nervous, respiratory, endocrine, reproductive, digestive, urinary, hematic, lymphatic, immune, and musculoskeletal systems.
Course topics cover the following:
- Learning Medical Terminology
- The Body as a Whole
- The Integumentary System
- The Musculoskeletal System
- The Cardiovascular System
- The Respiratory System
- The Nervous System
- The Urinary System
- Systems of The Female Reproductive System
- The Male Reproductive System
- The Lymphatic, Hematic, and Immune Systems
- The Digestive System
- The Endocrine System
- The Sensory System
The course includes proctoring, tutoring, and a MEDTERM101 eTextbook.
For $109, StraighterLine offers a professor-led version of this course with Prof. Nikki Epps – MBA, University of Phoenix. It includes discussion forums and additional short assignments. If you’re seeking a more engaging and exciting approach, it may fit your needs.
Details:
- Name: Medical Terminology – MEDTERM101
- Institution: StraighterLine
- Level: undergraduate
- Credits: 3 college credits
- Prerequisites: there are no prerequisites
- Length: less than 30 days
- Hours: self-paced
- Website: straighterline.com/medical-terminology
- Price: $59 + Mambership ($99/month)
4. Medical Terminology (MEDT 1000) – University of New England
The University of New England’s course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the unique medical terminology used in various health professions.
After the course, the student must be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of all the basic etymology of the words.
- Identify the parts of medical terms and their meaning.
- Apply guidelines for proper medical term formation, pronunciation, and spelling.
- Apply terminology and abbreviations concerning the system of the body, diseases, and therapies within real-world situations.
It is a lecture-only course, and the University does not offer associated lab components. The exams are all taken online.
Classes typically begin every two to three weeks, and the student must be registered for it by noon EST the Monday before class starts.
Details:
- Name: Medical Terminology – MEDT 1000
- Institution: University of New England
- Level: undergraduate
- Credits: 3 credits
- Prerequisites: there are no prerequisites to take this course
- Length: 16 weeks
- Hours: self-paced
- Website: online.une.edu/online-medical-terminology
- Price: $1,140
5. Medical Terminology (BIOL 210) – Doane University
Doane University offers an entirely online and self-paced medical terminology course. Its students receive instructions in developing fluency with medical terms.
Classes propose to teach medical vocabulary with specific emphasis on the root – stem words -, suffixes, prefixes, and abbreviations.
By the end of the course, students must:
- Have a basic comprehension of medical terms.
- Be able to communicate accurately to their peers in the field.
The University sets no prerequisites to take this course but recommends that students are familiar with Biology I or the equivalent for successful completion.
Details:
- Name: Medical Terminology – BIOL 210
- Institution: Doane University
- Level: undergraduate
- Credits: 3 credits
- Prerequisites: there are no prerequisites to take this course
- Length: 8 weeks
- Hours: self-paced
- Website: doane.edu/medical-terminology
- Price: $1,260
Free/Low-Cost Online Medical Terminology Courses
1. Online Medical Terminology Course – Corexcel
Corexcel’s medical terminology is an online and self-paced course that introduces medical terms focusing on root words, suffixes, and prefixes.
Students will learn medical terminology by combining names related to the body system, word-building principle, and phonetic pronunciation in the classes. It is a perfect fit for non-medical professionals who wants to pursue a field in the industry.
Classes modules cover the following:
- Introduction to Medical Terminology
- Human Body In Health and Disease
- Skeletal System
- Muscular System
- Cardiovascular System
- Lymphatic and Immune System
- Respiratory System
- Digestive System
- Urinary System
- Nervous System
- Special Senses: The Eyes and Ears
- Skin: The Integumentary System
- Endocrine System
- Reproductive System
- Diagnostic Procedures and Pharmacology
Registration includes a year of access to the online course and the Medical Terminology for Health Profession eBook.
Details:
- Name: Online Medical Terminology Course
- Institution: Corexcel
- Level: undergraduate
- Credits: 9.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
- Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites
- Length: 1 year
- Hours: self-paced
- Website: corexcel.com/online.medical.terminology
- Price: $295
2. Medical Terminology (BIOL-210x) – DoaneX/edX
Doane University offers a free medical terminology course through edX.
It is self-paced, and an average student can conclude it in approximately eight weeks.
Classes must prepare students to:
- Identify and interpret the common prefixes and suffixes used in the industry.
- Determine the meaning of stem words to break down complex medical terms and their components to decipher the meaning.
- Use standard medical abbreviations in typical medical documents to interpret a physician’s shortened notes
- Write and apply medical terms in a suitable context in reports and other forms of medical documentation
Notice this is a free version of Doane’s Medical Terminology – BIOL 210 offered through the edX platform and credit-eligible. Students have the opportunity to experience university-level classes on a flexible schedule and earn academic credits if they reach C or better. Price for three credits: $500.
Details:
- Name: Medical Terminology – BIOL-210x
- Institution: DoaneX/edX
- Level: undergraduate
- Credits: eligible for three credits
- Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites
- Length: 8 weeks
- Hours: self-paced
- Website: https://www.edx.org/course/medical-terminology
- Price: free
3. Clinical Terminology for International and US Students – University of Pittsburgh/Coursera
The University of Pittsburgh offers a free, self-paced, and entirely online course through Coursera.
They designed it for US health care profession students and international students aspiring to become familiar with the US clinical setting language.
The course cover what follows:
- Introduction to Clinical Terms and Abbreviations
- Decoding Complex Medical Terms
- Advanced Decoding Strategies for Clinical Terms
- Diseases of the Bodily Systems
- Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures
- Practice Understanding Clinical Abbreviations and Complex Terms in Clinical Situations
Students can also pay a $49 fee and obtain a certificate.
Details:
- Name: Clinical Terminology for International and US Students
- Institution: University of Pittsburgh/Coursera
- Level: undergraduate
- Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites
- Length: 6 weeks
- Hours: self-paced
- Website: coursera.org/clinical-terminology
- Price: free
4. Medical Terminology (A Word Association Approach) – Kennesaw State University
The online Medical Terminology – A Word Association course offers a non-degree study. It does not earn transferable credits but Continuing Education Units (CEUs). It is 24 hours of online training, and students will receive a certificate of completion upon passing this course.
Kennesaw offers two versions of the course: not self-paced (monthly) and self-paced.
The courses’ monthly version opens on the second or third Wednesday of each month. A lesson is released each Wednesday and Friday for six weeks. On the sixth Friday, the system releases both the last assignment and the final exam. Students then have two weeks to complete the final exam.
The self-paced version contains the same lessons as the monthly online courses. All classes are immediately available once enrollment verification is done each Wednesday by 5 p.m. Students then have 90 days of access to the material.
The course covers the following topics:
- Common Root and Musculoskeletal Terms
- Integumentary and Digestive Terms
- Cardiovascular and Respiratory Terms
- Urinary and Reproductive Terms
- Neurosensory Terms and Root-Term Review
- Prefixes and Suffixes: A Through H
- Prefixes and Suffixes: I Through O
- Prefixes and Suffixes: P Through Z
- Color Prefixes and Suffixes and Abbreviated Titles
- Standard Abbreviations: A Through R
- Common Abbreviations: S Through W and Specialized Abbreviations
- Standard Abbreviations: S Through W and Specialized Abbreviations
Details:
- Name: Medical Terminology – A Word Association Approach
- Institution: Kennesaw State University
- Level: undergraduate
- Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites
- Length: 90 days
- Hours: self-paced
- Website: cpe.kennesaw.edu/medical-terminology-a-word-association-approach-online
- Price: $149
Related Questions
What Are The Most Important Things To Look For In An Online Medical Terminology Course?
Learning medical terminology isn’t too difficult. Learning it online, however, can make it a whole lot more fun while giving you the freedom to go at your own pace.
To get the best out of an online medical terminology course you’ll want to pay close attention to the following criteria.
- 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 Can I Expect Learning Medical Terminology Online?
There are a ton of resources you can use to learn medical terminology online. Yet despite YouTube being packed with authoritative lectures, it can be lonely trying to study the topic without structure, deadlines, or the community of other students coming along for the journey.
Most medical terminology courses will run you through the basics. They’ll explain the Greek and Latin origins of most of the words you hear doctors, nursing, and other healthcare practitioners using and even help you understand things like clinical diagnoses too.
The video below is a good primer on the types of things you can expect to run into in more depth in any of the courses above…
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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!