12 Best Online Critical Thinking Classes You Can Take Online
Critical thinking is one of the most valuable skills you can build online. The strongest courses do more than talk about “thinking better.” They teach you how to analyze arguments, evaluate evidence, recognize bias, solve problems, and make clearer decisions in academic, professional, and everyday settings. Major learning platforms describe critical thinking courses in exactly those terms, often tying them to logical reasoning, argument analysis, and better decision-making.
1. Critical Thinking Skills for the Professional
Offered by the University of California, Davis on Coursera, this beginner-friendly course is designed for people who want to apply critical thinking to complex problems in a practical setting. Coursera lists it as a flexible course of about 9 hours and says learners will use a problem-solving model and ask better questions to understand problems more deeply. That makes it a strong choice for professionals who want something directly usable at work.
2. Critical Thinking Skills for University Success
This University of Sydney course on Coursera is a very good fit for students or anyone returning to formal study. The course has 6 modules and focuses on using critical thinking and argumentation in university contexts, identifying bias in arguments, evaluating evidence, and applying these skills to real-world issues. It is especially useful for people who want academic critical thinking rather than only workplace problem-solving.
3. Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking
Duke University’s Coursera specialization is one of the most logic-centered options on this list. The program is built to help learners identify, analyze, and evaluate other people’s arguments while also learning to construct their own. If you want a more rigorous foundation in reasoning, fallacies, and argument structure, this is one of the clearest choices.
4. Reasoning Across the Disciplines
Also on Coursera, this course from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is designed with incoming college students in mind, but it is open to anyone. It explains how critical thinking changes across fields and applies the skill to subjects including chemistry, history, psychology, law, English, and American Studies. This makes it a smart option for learners who want broad intellectual training rather than one narrow framework.
5. Solving Problems with Creative and Critical Thinking
IBM’s Coursera course is a practical, shorter-format option for people who want an applied toolkit. Coursera says it takes about 3 hours, covers a 5-step problem-solving process, and teaches root-cause analysis, solution exploration, and implementation. This is a very good pick for early-career professionals, team leads, and anyone who wants fast, structured improvement in problem-solving.
6. Critical Thinking & Logic: Real-World Skills
This Coursera course from Deep Teaching Solutions leans into argument analysis in everyday contexts. The course page highlights identifying premises and conclusions, working with inductive, deductive, and abductive reasoning, and evaluating missing information and rhetorical techniques. It is a strong option for learners who want critical thinking that feels modern and practical without becoming too academic.
7. Philosophy and Critical Thinking
UQx on edX offers a course that connects critical thinking with philosophical inquiry. The official edX description says it introduces principles of philosophical inquiry and critical thinking to help learners tackle big questions about knowledge, reason, and judgment, and edX lists it as a 4-week course. This is a good fit for learners who enjoy ideas, concepts, and reflective reasoning rather than only workplace frameworks.
8. Structure and Function of Argument: Introduction to Critical Thinking
HarvardX’s edX course focuses on the structure of everyday arguments. The official page describes it as a course that helps learners explore how arguments are built and develop tools for analyzing them more clearly. It is a solid choice for people who want to sharpen argumentative thinking, especially for writing, discussion, and persuasion.
9. Critical Thinking: Fundamentals of Good Reasoning
IsraelX on edX frames critical thinking as a set of foundational reasoning skills. The course description says its goal is to improve the learner’s ability to recognize arguments and interpret them more effectively. This makes it a good option for someone who wants a classic introduction to reasoning before moving into more advanced study.
10. Critical Thinking at University: An Introduction
FutureLearn’s course from the University of Leeds is a strong academic option. The provider page says it helps learners understand what critical thinking skills are needed at university level, how they apply across disciplines, and how to use practical strategies to build them. It is especially relevant for undergraduates, new postgraduate students, or anyone who wants to improve the quality of essays, source evaluation, and academic discussion.
11. Critical Thinking
LinkedIn Learning’s course taught by Mike Figliuolo is aimed at practical decision-making. The course page explains that it focuses on reflective and independent thinking, thoughtful decisions, root-cause issues, and avoiding future problems created by weak analysis. This is a useful choice for working professionals who want a lighter, more accessible format than a full university course.
12. Critically Exploring Psychology
If you want a free starting point, OpenLearn’s course is worth serious attention. The Open University describes it as a free course that introduces critical thinking as a tool for psychology and independent research, and its learning outcomes include understanding differing perspectives and the importance of critical thinking in psychology and research. It is especially useful for learners who want to practice critical thinking through evidence, methods, and interpretation.
Which online critical thinking class should you choose?
The best fit depends on your goal. If you are a student, the University of Sydney course, UNC’s Reasoning Across the Disciplines, and the University of Leeds course are especially strong because they tie critical thinking directly to academic success and evaluating arguments across subjects.
If you are focused on work, UC Davis, IBM, and LinkedIn Learning offer more direct routes into decision-making, problem-solving, and communication. If you want deeper logical structure, Duke, HarvardX, UQx, and IsraelX lean more heavily into argument analysis and formal reasoning. If cost is a major factor, OpenLearn gives you a free way to get started.
FAQ
A strong course should teach argument analysis, logical reasoning, evidence evaluation, bias recognition, and decision-making. The best ones also show how those skills apply in real contexts like work, study, research, and communication.
Yes. OpenLearn’s Critically Exploring Psychology is explicitly presented as a free course, and some larger platforms also offer limited-access or trial-based options depending on the course.
For most beginners, the easiest starting points are UC Davis’s Critical Thinking Skills for the Professional, IBM’s Solving Problems with Creative and Critical Thinking, and LinkedIn Learning’s Critical Thinking because they are practical and approachable. Students may prefer the University of Sydney or University of Leeds options.
