Philosophy majors outperform business and economics majors on the GMAT. Music theory training measurably improves mathematical reasoning. And according to a 2023 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, the two most in-demand skills at Fortune 500 companies are creativity and communication — both developed through arts and humanities study. The problem isn't that these fields lack value. The problem is most people don't know where to start learning them.
This guide cuts through the noise and shows you the best arts and humanities courses available online right now — what they cover, who they're for, and whether they're worth your time.
What Arts and Humanities Actually Covers
Arts and humanities is one of those phrases that sounds self-explanatory until someone asks you to define it. In practice, it's a broad umbrella covering:
- Fine and performing arts — music, visual art, theater, film, dance
- Language and literature — writing, linguistics, literary criticism
- Philosophy and ethics — logic, moral reasoning, epistemology
- History and cultural studies — historiography, social history, archaeology
- Design and media — graphic design, photography, game design, narrative
Online courses in arts and humanities tend to skew toward the practical end of this spectrum. You'll find strong offerings in music theory, design fundamentals, and creative writing. Philosophy and history courses exist but are rarer and often less structured than their in-person equivalents.
If you're coming from a STEM background and want to cross-train in arts and humanities, music theory and design are your best entry points — they're rigorous, skill-based, and have clear progression paths.
What to Look for in an Arts and Humanities Course
Not all courses in this category are built the same. Before you enroll, check these four things:
Instructor credentials
Arts and humanities is a field where institutional prestige matters. A music theory course from Berklee College of Music carries different weight than one from an anonymous creator. When you're learning something as nuanced as diatonic harmony or film analysis, you want an instructor who has published, performed, or practiced professionally — not just someone who read about it.
Practice materials
Passive video consumption doesn't build arts skills. Look for courses that include exercises, downloadable workbooks, project submissions, or peer review. A music theory course without ear training exercises is incomplete. A photography course without shooting assignments won't move the needle.
Completion time and structure
Arts and humanities courses range from two-hour skill sprints to six-month specializations. Match the format to your goal. If you want a general introduction, a shorter standalone course is fine. If you're building toward a portfolio or credential, look for specializations with cumulative projects.
Free audit vs. paid certificate
Most Coursera arts and humanities courses can be audited for free, which means you get the video lectures and some exercises at no cost. Paying ($49–$79/month for Coursera Plus) unlocks graded assignments, peer feedback, and the shareable certificate. For casual learners, auditing is often enough. For career changers, the certificate matters more.
Top Arts and Humanities Courses
The courses below represent the strongest options currently available online, filtered for learner ratings, instructor quality, and practical value. All prices reflect free audit availability unless noted.
Music Theory Comprehensive Complete (Parts 1, 2, & 3)
The most thorough music theory course available on Udemy, covering everything from reading notation to advanced harmonic analysis across three sequenced parts. If you're serious about understanding how music works — not just how to play it — this is where to start.
Music Theory for Electronic Music COMPLETE (Parts 1, 2, & 3)
Built specifically for producers and beatmakers who learned music by ear and now want to understand the theory behind what they're doing. This course translates classical theory concepts into the language of DAWs, loops, and synthesis — a rare combination that academic courses miss entirely.
Ultimate Ableton Live 9 COMPLETE (Parts 1, 2, & 3)
Ableton Live is the dominant tool for electronic music composition, live performance, and audio production. This comprehensive course takes you from installation to full track production, covering arrangement, mixing, and performance workflows. Arts and humanities includes creative production — this is where that meets professional craft.
Musicianship: Chord Charts, Diatonic Chords, and Minor Keys (Coursera)
From Berklee College of Music, this course focuses on the specific skills working musicians actually use — reading chord charts, understanding diatonic harmony, and navigating minor keys. More applied than most theory courses, with real repertoire examples rather than abstract exercises.
Arts and Humanities by Discipline: Where to Focus
If you're not sure which corner of arts and humanities to explore, here's a practical breakdown by outcome:
If you want to make music
Start with music theory fundamentals before jumping into production tools. Understanding intervals, chord construction, and rhythm will make every software tutorial more meaningful. The Music Theory Comprehensive Complete course is the right starting point, followed by the Ableton or electronic music courses once you're ready to produce.
If you want to work in design or media
Coursera's Fundamentals of Graphic Design (from CalArts) is the most frequently recommended entry point. From there, photography, UX, and motion graphics courses branch off naturally. For game narrative specifically, Coursera's Story and Narrative Development for Video Games covers the intersection of humanities and interactive media.
If you want to study philosophy or critical thinking
Coursera's Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking is the most structured option available, taught with formal logic frameworks rather than generic "think better" platitudes. It's genuinely rigorous and appropriate for people who want the intellectual discipline that philosophy training provides.
If you want to study history or cultural studies
Options are thinner here than in music or design, but Coursera hosts courses from top universities on topics like the Holocaust, the history of architecture, and contemporary art. These are best treated as supplements to reading, not replacements for it.
Are Arts and Humanities Courses Worth It Online?
The honest answer: it depends what you're trying to accomplish.
Online arts and humanities courses work well when the subject is skill-based — music theory, design, photography, creative writing. These disciplines have clear right and wrong answers at the foundational level, making them teachable through structured video + practice formats.
They work less well for disciplines that depend heavily on seminar discussion, close reading with a professor, or sustained engagement with primary texts. If your goal is to understand Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, a Coursera course will give you an overview; it won't give you the depth that a university course with a real philosopher in the room would.
For most people browsing arts and humanities courses online, the goal is one of three things: build a creative skill (music, design, photography), explore a subject out of intellectual curiosity, or supplement a formal degree with additional perspectives. All three are legitimate — and online courses serve all three, just unevenly across disciplines.
FAQ
What is covered in arts and humanities?
Arts and humanities covers a wide range of disciplines including music, visual arts, theater, literature, philosophy, history, linguistics, and cultural studies. The common thread is the study of human culture, expression, and ideas — as distinct from natural sciences, which study the physical world, or social sciences, which study human behavior empirically.
Can I study arts and humanities online for free?
Yes. Most Coursera arts and humanities courses can be audited at no cost, giving you access to video lectures and some exercises. Udemy courses go on sale frequently and are often available for under $20. Platforms like edX and FutureLearn also offer free audit tracks. You won't always get the graded assignments or certificate without paying, but the core learning material is widely accessible.
Which arts and humanities skills are most useful for a career?
Music production and audio engineering have a clear career pathway. Graphic design and UX are in high demand. Critical thinking and communication skills developed through philosophy or literature study translate broadly across industries — they're just harder to demonstrate on a resume than a design portfolio or production credit. The most employable arts and humanities learners pair disciplinary skills with a portfolio of concrete work.
How long does it take to complete an arts and humanities course online?
It varies significantly. Standalone Coursera courses in arts and humanities typically run 4–6 weeks at 3–5 hours per week. Specializations (multi-course sequences) can run 3–6 months. Udemy courses are usually self-paced and designed for 10–20 hours of total learning. Completion time is highly dependent on how much practice you put in outside the course itself.
Is music theory considered part of arts and humanities?
Yes. Music is a core arts and humanities discipline, and music theory specifically sits at the intersection of arts (performance and composition) and humanities (the analytical study of musical structure and history). It's also one of the most consistently well-taught subjects in online learning, with Berklee, Coursera, and Udemy all offering strong structured courses.
Do employers care about arts and humanities credentials?
For creative roles — music production, graphic design, content creation, UX writing — employers care more about portfolio and demonstrated skill than credentials. For roles where arts and humanities training provides transferable skills (communication, analysis, synthesis), the credential matters less than how you frame the skill. A certificate from Berklee's Coursera specialization carries meaningful signal in music industry contexts; a general "Introduction to Humanities" certificate carries less weight in a hiring conversation.
Bottom Line
Arts and humanities online courses are strongest in music theory and production, design fundamentals, and logic/critical thinking — disciplines where structured skill-building translates well to video and practice formats. If you're deciding where to start, the Music Theory Comprehensive Complete course is the most thorough foundational option available, and the Berklee Musicianship course on Coursera is the most practically oriented for working musicians.
For production-focused learners, pairing Music Theory for Electronic Music with the Ableton Live course gives you both the conceptual foundation and the tool proficiency to actually make music — which is ultimately what most people in this category are trying to do.
Start with one course, finish it, and build from there. The arts and humanities reward sustained engagement more than any other academic domain — and online learning, done seriously, can provide exactly that.