If you want to take one or a few courses without completing the entire degree or certificate program, you must first apply to the program. Once accepted, you can register for as many courses within your program as you wish. Be sure to check the Boston University Online Course Schedule to find out when courses are offered.
If you haven't done so already, you may want visit our Prospective Students page to read about What to Expect when you take an online course at Boston University.
Undergraduate Courses
You must be a current BU student, faculty, or staff member to register for these courses.
- CFA FA 501 Arts Criticism: From the Old Media
to the New
Online offering. Since the late 18th century, criticism of the arts has been featured in general circulation newspapers and magazines. Today, cultural and economic forces are endangering that tradition of public cultural discussion. Increasingly, the mainstream media is curtailing the column inches it reserves for serious reviews of the fine arts. This class is dedicated to keeping critical thinking about the arts alive. Students explore the history of journalistic reviewing while also learning the craft. By bringing critical skills into the realm of blogs, websites, and podcasting, the class will be on the cutting edge of new journalism, exploring the direction public dialogue about the arts will take in the future.
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CFA FA 501 Arts Criticism
[ 4 cr.]
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GMS BT 440 Genetics, Ethics, and the Law
This online class will explore the newest information in human genetics and its legal and bioethical implications. Human genetics is the most explosive field in medicine today and its present and future involve legal and ethical decisions only imagined today. The decisions that come from the issues will be presented to professionals and lay people alike. Using audio-visuals, actual cases, discussion and lecture, this class examines cases that come straight from the headlines. Topics covered include: new reproductive techniques, genetic diseases, prenatal testing and genetic testing, DNA fingerprinting, cloning, and DNA technology. [ 4 cr.]
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GMS BT 442 Issues in Assisted Reproduction
This on-line course explores the new world of assisted reproduction. Students will examine cases for their ethical and legal implications. Web sites and readings will be provided so students can synthesize information into thoughtful analyses. Topics will include in vitro fertilization, surrogacy, frozen embryos, and gene manipulation. The entire process is taught on-line. Assignments, including case analyses, quizzes and papers, will turned in over the Internet. Online course only. [ 4 cr.]
Graduate Courses
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MET ML 631 Culture and Cuisine: France
The association between France and fine cuisine seems so “natural.” French society and history are intertwined with the culinary, and have been since the court society of the Old Regime. After the French Revolution, French cuisine became a truly modern affair in the public sphere. The invention of the restaurant, the practice of gastronomy, a literature of food, and strong links between French cuisine and national identity all came together in the 19th century. In the 19th and 20th centuries, French food, featuring both haute cuisine and regional culinary specialties, was widely considered the world’s best. In the 20th century, the culinary allure of France continued to fascinate people all over the world. It is still said today, enviously, that the French really know how to appreciate good food and wine – la bonne chère – in their daily lives. This course looks at how the history of French culinary culture evolved in the particular way that it did. The course is organized largely chronologically, but not entirely, as some of the readings weave issues of different times periods thematically. In studying culture and cuisine, with France as a great example, we will explore the relationship between a place, a people, and their foodways. We launch our investigation with the question: how and why is this relationship distinctive in France? [ 4 cr.]
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SED EM 590 Software for the Curriculum
Evaluation and selection of software and web-based resources to support K-12 curriculum goals emphasized. Students gain experience supporting teaching and learning with software and develop strategies for evaluatiing educational resources across disciplines and grade levels. [ 4 cr.]
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SED EM 610 Internet and WWW for Educators
Introduction to Internet/Web technologies and their potential use and misuse in classrooms, libraries, and other educational and training environments. Applications such as communication, news, research, and instructional resources considered. Evaluation of educational value, technical knowledge, legal, and ethical issues emphasized. [ 4 cr.]
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SED EM 680 Distance Education
Students gain perspective on distance education through studying its potential and limitations; its similarities to, and differences from, conventional classroom education; the history and research on the effectiveness of distance education; the technological supports and administrative issues; and international examples. [ 4 cr.]
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SED EM 701 Instructional Design
Applying the strategies employed in the systems approach to the design of mediated curricula. Includes selection of educational objectives, needs assessment, taxonomy of educational objectives, and evaluating the results of systemized programs. [ 4 cr.]
- SMG EN 561 Strategy and Entrepreneurship
This course provides you with a basic understanding of strategy and entrepreneurship. We explore the essential components of idea and concept generation, the phases of the entrepreneurial process and timeline as well as the roles of management teams and advisors.
Topics include: differentiation and competitive strategy, the role of information technology and intellectual property, exit strategies, elements of a business plan, and how to develop a preliminary feasibility analysis. [4 cr.] - SMG EN 562 Entrepreneurial Sales and Marketing
As an entrepreneur time, money, and members of your team with essential experience are a luxury you might not have. Therefore, it is critical that you creatively and accurately define and understand your customers’ needs. This course helps you assess your current marketing opportunities and build powerful as well as practical plans to grow your business. We will reveal eight critical yet simple marketing milestones any business owner can achieve. Plus, you will complete the program with an actionable marketing plan in hand that you can put to work immediately. [4 cr.]
- SMG EN 563 Entrepreneurial Leadership and Organization
This course supports potential entrepreneurs in your quest for entrepreneurial leadership. It provides a structured process to introduce you to three key elements for developing a successful management structure for your enterprise: a self-aware, mature entrepreneur; a well-designed management (and governance) team; and motivated, creative work groups. The assignments assist you in deciding whether entrepreneurship is your best career choice and if so, help you define the specific type of entrepreneurial organization to set up and what challenges await. [4 cr.]
- SMG EN 564 Entrepreneurial Finance and Funding
Regardless of which career path you choose, a comprehensive understanding of finance is an essential ingredient in your “recipe” for business success. No longer can the assumptions underlying financial projections be treated as “black boxes.” In many cases, the answer is less important than the analytical process used to calculate it. This course is designed for individuals interested in pursuing managerial careers in the entrepreneurial sector, and covers the development of financial and business skills to identify, evaluate, start, and manage new ventures. [4 cr.]
