What is the Metaverse? (Coursera)

Offered by Meta,
What is the Metaverse? (Coursera)

The metaverse isn’t just for gamers or developers, it will be for everyone. In this free course from the experts at Meta, you’ll learn what the metaverse is, what it means for our world today and into the future, and the opportunities it presents for both professionals and businesses. Understand the metaverse fundamentals.
Experts will guide you through a broad range of topics spanning the metaverse ecosystem, from communication and collaboration to NFTs and cryptocurrency, from avatars and devices to platforms and game engines. You’ll learn about augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), extended reality, NFTs, blockchain, web3, cryptocurrency, and more.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Discover new ways to connect, learn, and work
The metaverse provides new ways to connect people, websites, platforms and realities. You’ll explore how it will enhance online social experiences, the future of work and learning.
Opportunities for professionals and businesses
The metaverse will be built by everyone, with creative and practical applications being developed every day by imaginative people. Learn how the metaverse will be applied in areas like healthcare, education, city planning, art, and more—and how you can start creating these experiences today. You’ll also learn how the metaverse can make the world a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive place.
By the end of the course, you’ll be equipped with the fundamental knowledge of the metaverse to determine future areas of interest, learning, or professional growth.

What You Will Learn

  • Access and engage with the metaverse and discuss the potential impact of the metaverse
  • Explore the importance of creating a metaverse that is ethical, safe, inclusive, and accessible.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
What is the metaverse?
In this module, you will take your first steps into the metaverse, exploring what it is, how to interact with it, and how to communicate and connect with others within it. You'll also examine the ecological ramifications of the metaverse, and the role of decentralization in making the metaverse more ethical, inclusive, and accessible.

WEEK 2
Who is creating the metaverse?
In this module, you will explore how the metaverse will be made by identifying the architects of the metaverse, as well as the devices, platforms, and game engines they will use to build it and you will use to interact with it. You will also explore how extended reality (XR) is used in the metaverse, and the role of the creator economy.

WEEK 3
Metaverse verticals
In this module, you will explore how the metaverse will impact various verticals, including education, healthcare, city planning, and civic engagement. You will also examine what communication, marketing, and design will look like in the metaverse, and what it will mean to engage with art, entertainment, and sports in the metaverse.

WEEK 4
Money in the metaverse
In this module, you will define blockchain and crypotcurrency as you examine how commerce will work in the metaverse, explore the implications of a decentralized metaverse economy, and discuss economic trends and opportunities in the metaverse.

WEEK 5
Metaverse responsibility
In this module, you will explore the ways in which the metaverse can—and must—be built with diversity, equity, and inclusion in mind, how to build a safe and secure metaverse, and protecting intellectual property in the metaverse. You will also discuss the importance of centering ethics when building the multiverse.

WEEK 6
How will we build the metaverse?
In this module, you will explore the possibilities of the metaverse, focusing on research and development opportunities, how university and enterprise partnerships will help the metaverse evolve, and the infrastructure changes needed to support the growth and development of the metaverse.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Blockchains, Tokens, and The Decentralized Future (Coursera) Coursera
Illinois Tech

Blockchains, Tokens, and The Decentralized Future (Coursera)

Dive into the transformative world of blockchain with our course, designed to navigate the complexities of digital currencies, smart contracts, and decentralized applications. Whether you're intrigued by Bitcoin, Ethereum, or the broader implications of blockchain for industries and governance, this course offers deep insights and practical knowledge to leverage blockchain technology for innovation and problem-solving. Perfect for both beginners and seasoned enthusiasts, it's your gateway to mastering the blockchain ecosystem and its burgeoning impact on the digital age.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
Introduction to Blockchain (Coursera) Coursera
Pohang University of Science and Technology - POSTECH

Introduction to Blockchain (Coursera)

Before diving into an in-depth study of blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies, this course can provide high-level explanations and practical examples that can be easily understood and applied by individuals who do not have a blockchain background. These explanations will relate to blockchain and cryptocurrency concepts and how they can be utilized in real-world scenarios.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies (Coursera) Coursera
Princeton University

Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies (Coursera)

To really understand what is special about Bitcoin, we need to understand how it works at a technical level. We’ll address the important questions about Bitcoin, such as: How does Bitcoin work? What makes Bitcoin different? How secure are your Bitcoins? How anonymous are Bitcoin users? What determines the price of Bitcoins? Can cryptocurrencies be regulated? What might the future hold?

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Smart Contracts (Coursera) Coursera
University at Buffalo,The State University of New York

Smart Contracts (Coursera)

This second course of the Blockchain specialization will help you design, code, deploy and execute a smart contract – the computational element of the blockchain technology. Smart contracts allow for implementing user-defined operations of arbitrary complexity that are not possible through plain cryptocurrency protocols. They allow users to implement conditions, rules and policies of the domain applications. Smart contracts are a powerful feature that, when properly designed and coded, can result in autonomous, efficient and transparent systems.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Introduction to Supply Chain Finance & Blockchain Technology (Coursera) Coursera
New York Institute of Finance

Introduction to Supply Chain Finance & Blockchain Technology (Coursera)

What is Supply Chain Finance? How does Blockchain apply? In this course, you’ll learn about an emerging set of solutions within trade finance implemented by financial institutions, leading corporate buyers and their trading partners all over the world known as Supply Chain Finance. You’ll learn about the key enablers in Supply Chain Finance and recognize the key challenges in the current market that are responsible for the growing interest in Supply Chain Finance.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
AR (Augmented Reality) & Video Streaming Services Emerging Technologies (Coursera) Coursera
Yonsei University

AR (Augmented Reality) & Video Streaming Services Emerging Technologies (Coursera)

Welcome to the course “Augmented Reality & Video Service Emerging Technologies.” The level of AR (Augmented Reality) and advanced video & multimedia technology included in a product is what determines the level of value and luxury. The objective of this course is to teach all important technologies that are used in state-of-the-art AR, Skype, and YouTube video and multimedia products and services.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to Virtual Reality (Coursera) Coursera
University of London,Goldsmiths, University of London

Introduction to Virtual Reality (Coursera)

This course will introduce you to Virtual Reality (VR). The course will teach you everything from the basics of VR- the hardware and the history of VR- to different applications of VR, the psychology of Virtual Reality, and the challenges of the medium. The course is designed for people who are new to VR as a medium. You may have experienced some virtual reality before, and may have some hardware- but this course is suitable to individuals who have never experienced VR and those who do not have much hardware- we will explain Mobile VR as well as devices such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Blockchain Scalability and its Foundations in Distributed Systems (Coursera) Coursera
The University of Sydney

Blockchain Scalability and its Foundations in Distributed Systems (Coursera)

Blockchain promises to disrupt industries once it will be efficient at large scale. In this course, you will learn how to make blockchain scale. You will learn about the foundational problem of distributed computing, consensus, that is key to create blocks securely. By illustrating limitations of mainstream blockchains, this course will indicate how to improve the technology in terms of security and efficiency. In particular, this course will help you: understand security vulnerabilities of mainstream blockchains; design consensus algorithms that tolerate attacks, and; design scalable blockchain systems.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Primitives (Coursera) Coursera
Duke University

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Primitives (Coursera)

DeFi and the Future of Finance is a set of four courses that focus on decentralized finance. The second course is called DeFi Primitives. It is recommended that you take the first course, DeFi Infrastructure, before this course. In this course, we talk about transaction mechanics and introduce both fungible and non-fungible tokens – or NFTs. The course explores the important issue of custody (holding private keys). The course then explores supply adjustment which includes the minting and burning of tokens.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
New Technologies for Business Leaders (Coursera) Coursera
Rutgers University

New Technologies for Business Leaders (Coursera)

This introductory course is developed for high-level business people (and those on their way) who want a broad understanding of new Information Technologies and understand their potential for business functions (e.g. marketing, supply change management, finance). This is not a course for people looking for guidance on how to become a deep technical expert or implement these technologies.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks