The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) are 17 goals with a total of 169 targets among them, most of which are meant to be achieved by 2030. These goals strive to work towards sustainable economic, social, and environmental development on a global scale. The UN SDG website provides in-depth reports about these goals and the progress being made towards achieving them.

In July 2017, 17 universities from 5 continents and Coursera partnered to form the SDG initiative. The initiative offers a new learning experience for those who want to turn their learning into real-life impact and help achieve the SDGs. Courses offered through the SDG initiative cover one or more of the goals through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

There are also a number of other organisations, including the Commonwealth of Learning and the Open University of Mauritius that have collaborated to offer MOOCs that cover SDGs. We have compiled a list of open courses from around the web, under each SDG below. You may also want to view other course listings.

Open Courses

SDG 1

End poverty in all its forms everywhere. Read more about SDG 1

 

Leiden University
Political Economy of Institutions and development

University of Taiwan
Welfare and Rights of Youth (Course language: Chinese)
​
University of Geneva
Children’s Human Rights: An Interdisciplinary Introduction

University of Manchester
Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries Part 1: Understanding Complex Problems (Endorsed by the Global Water Partnership)
Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries Part 2: Developing Effective Interventions (Endorsed by the Global Water Partnership) (Endorsed by the Global Water Partnership)

University of Oslo
What Works: Promising Practices in International Development

University of York
Improving Children’s Lives: Reducing Child Poverty and Inequality Around the World

McMaster University
Finance for Everybody: Decisions
Finance for Everybody: Markets
Finance for Everybody: Value
​Finance for Everybody: Debt

 

SDG 2

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. Read more about SDG 2

 

Leiden University
Remote Food Security Monitoring (In collaboration with the World Food Programme)

Utrecht University
Future Foods

University of Reading
Our Hungry Planet: Agriculture, People and Food Security

Leiden University (NeoLMS)
Remote Food Security Monitoring

 

SDG 3

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Read more about SDG 3

 

Leiden University
​De-mystifying Mindfulness (In collaboration with the Oxford Mindfulness centre)

University of Copenhagen
​An introduction to Global Health (In collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund)​

University of Cape Town
Organ Donation: From Death to Life
​
University of Copenhagen
Diabetes – the Essential Facts
​Sustainable Tourism – promoting environmental public health
Air Pollution – a Global Threat to our Health

Duke University
Tropical Parasitology: Protozoans, Worms, Vectors and Human Diseases  ​

University of Geneva
Global Health at the Human-Animal-Ecosystem Interface
Global Health: an interdisciplinary overview
Ebola: vaincre ensemble! (Course language: French)
In the footsteps of Zika….approaching the unknown
Violence Against Healthcare
Disease Screening in Public Health 
​
Leiden University
Anatomy of the Stomach and Pelvis: a journey from basic to clinic
Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation

University of Manchester
Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries Part 1: Understanding Complex Problems (Endorsed by the Global Water Partnership)
Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries Part 2: Developing Effective Interventions (Endorsed by the Global Water Partnership)

Utrecht University
Ebola: Essential Knowledge for Healthcare professionals (In partnership with the University of Amsterdam)
Dynamics of Youth
Clinical Epidemiology

 

SDG 4

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Read more about SDG 4

 

University of Taiwan
Welfare and Rights of Youth (Course language: Chinese)

McMaster University
Mindshift
Experimentation for Improvement

University of Geneva
Children’s Human Rights: An Interdisciplinary Introduction

 

SDG 5

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Read more about SDG 5

 

University of Taiwan
Welfare and Rights of Youth (Course language: Chinese)

University of Geneva
Children’s Human Rights: An Interdisciplinary Introduction

Macquarie University
Big History – diversity and inclusion​

​University of Manchester
Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries Part 1: Understanding Complex Problems (Endorsed by the Global Water Partnership)
Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries Part 2: Developing Effective Interventions (Endorsed by the Global Water Partnership)

 

SDG 6

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Read more about SDG 6

 

University of Geneva
Water Resources Management and Policy
​​Droit International de l’Eau Douce Note: this course is offered in French
Children’s Human Rights: An Interdisciplinary Introduction
Ecosystem Services: a Method for Sustainable Development
Global Health: An Interdisciplinary Overview

University of Manchester
Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries Part 1: Understanding Complex Problems (Endorsed by the Global Water Partnership)
Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries Part 2: Developing Effective Interventions (Endorsed by the Global Water Partnership)

 

SDG 7

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Read more about SDG 7

 

University of Cape Town
Climate Change Mitigation in Developing Countries

University of Copenhagen
Air Pollution – a Global Threat to our Health

University of Geneva
Water Resources Management and Policy
​Droit International de l’Eau Douce (Course language: French)

 

SDG 8

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Read more about SDG 8

 

SDG 9

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. Read more about SDG 9

 

University of Cape Town
Becoming a Changemaker: introduction to social innovation (In partnership with Rlabs)

Leiden University 
​A Circular Economy of Metals: Towards a Sustainable Societal Metabolism

University of Copenhagen
Sustainable Tourism – promoting environmental public health.  ​

Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and Open University of Mauritius
​Introduction to Sustainable Development in Business

 

SDG 10

Reduce inequality within and among countries. Read more about SDG 10

 

Leiden University
Political Economy of Institutions and development
​PROJECT Partnering with Development Done Differently. Participants will analyse a (local) NGO and suggest possible improvements for effectiveness.

University of Taiwan
Welfare and Rights of Youth (Course language: Chinese)

University of Geneva
Children’s Human Rights: An Interdisciplinary Introduction
Introduction aux Droits de l’Homme (Course language: French)

University of London
Global Diplomacy – Diplomacy in the Modern World

Macquarie University
Big History – diversity and inclusion​

 

SDG 11

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Read more about SDG 11

 

Leiden University
Political Economy of Institutions and development

Lund University
Greening the Economy: Sustainable Cities (In partnership with WWF and ICLEI)

University of Geneva
​Ecosystem Services: a Method for Sustainable Development

 

SDG 12

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. Read more about SDG 12

 

Lund University
Greening the Economy: Sustainable Cities (In partnership with WWF and ICLEI)
​
Leiden University 
​A Circular Economy of Metals: Towards a Sustainable Societal Metabolism

​University of Copenhagen
Sustainable Tourism – promoting environmental public health.

 

SDG 13

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Read more about SDG 13

 

University of Arizona
Biosphere 2: Science for the future of our planet

University of Cape Town
Climate Change Mitigation in Developing Countries

University of Chicago
Global Warming

University of Copenhagen
Air Pollution – a Global Threat to our Health

University of Geneva
Ecosystem Services: a Method for Sustainable Development​

University of Manchester
Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries Part 1: Understanding Complex Problems (Endorsed by the Global Water Partnership)
Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries Part 2: Developing Effective Interventions (Endorsed by the Global Water Partnership)

 

SDG 14

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. Read more about SDG 14

 

University of Geneva
Water Resources Management and Policy

 

SDG 15

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. Read more about SDG 15

University of Geneva
Ecosystem Services: a Method for Sustainable Development

 

SDG 16

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. Read more about SDG 16

 

SDG 17

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. Read more about SDG 17