
Enhance your career and gain in-demand skills with a fully funded University of Stirling short course. We are committed to supporting your continued professional development, so we're offering hundreds of free places to anyone living in Scotland who meets the eligibility criteria.
Our free upskilling courses provide you with specialist knowledge from leading academics, and make your CV stand out from the crowd.
Apply for one of our free courses
Choose from a range of part-time online courses. All will begin in June 2022 and are designed to fit around your life. To apply for a funded place, choose a course below and click on the 'apply now' link.

Digital Business and Emergent Technologies
** Applications now closed **
10 credits
Learn to predict and evaluate emerging and potentially disruptive technologies that you can use to your benefit in business.
Duration: 10 weeks
Why study this course:
- Learn to identify technology trends
- Gain in-demand skills such as systems thinking and business acumen
- Learn how to use technology to add business value
- Make informed predictions about the current state and future developments of business IT

Climate Change and Sustainable Business
** Applications now closed **
10 credits
Examine the changing purpose of business and gain essential skills for pursuing and measuring business impact on society and climate.
Duration: 10 weeks
Why study this course:
- Learn about global partnerships, impact start-ups, social enterprise and more
- Learn how to measure societal and environmental impacts of business
- Develop skills to help you navigate changing stakeholder relationships

Machine Learning
** Applications now closed **
20 credits
Learn in-demand technical skills and their workplace applications in this applied machine learning course.
Duration: 12 weeks
Why study this course:
- Learn practical problem-solving skills
- Deepen your technical expertise
- Gain in-demand knowledge and experience
- Get a flavour of postgraduate study
Are you eligible?
You can apply for a fully funded place on our upskilling courses if:
- You have lived in Scotland for the last three years for reasons other than education; or
- You are living in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and working for a Scottish employer; or
- You are a member of staff at the University of Stirling

Top reasons to study a free short course
- enhance your career with credited learning
- use credits towards further study
- get a taste of a new industry
- gain skills if you've been made redundant
- study online, at your own pace, around your life
- experience university without committing to the time or cost of a degree
What our students said

Scotland
Work and Leadership in the Age of AI
Read Harry's storyI was particularly impressed with the interdisciplinary knowledge of the lecturers... they were continually honing the material to meet the needs of a very diverse cohort.

United Kingdom
Work and Leadership in the Age of AI
Read Dave's storyCompleting this course has boosted my own confidence that, aged 66, I can still handle research and reasoning tasks and that my practical experience can help inform a contemporary debate.