Rice University Online Learning

What it is

Rice University Online Learning is the online front door of Rice University in Houston. It brings together three kinds of study: open courses that Rice faculty teach on Coursera, fully online master's degrees, and executive education from Rice Business, the university's business school. A learner can start with a short self-paced course, a working professional can take a whole degree online, and a company can put a team through a leadership program. The home page lists four online degrees, a course catalog, online summer courses and a section on certificates and CEUs, and it introduces Rice Digital Learning & Strategy with the line "Personalized Learning, Global Scale." It also runs Coursera for Rice: a banner across the site tells students, faculty and staff that they have "free access to over 80+ of Rice's online courses on Coursera."

Open courses on Coursera

Rice's open courses are delivered on Coursera, with Rice's own pages describing each one. The home page announces that "Rice's Online Economics Courses Launch to Global Learners on Coursera," quoting Jimmy DeNicco, director of Rice's principles of economics program and senior lecturer: "It is a very cool thing to be able to use the Coursera platform to reach out to such a large audience." Another headline, "20,000 Learners and Counting!", links to a story on how one Coursera course built a global audience.

The mindfulness course page shows what a learner gets. Mindfulness and Well-being: Foundations is "100% Online, Self-Paced," takes approximately 3 weeks at approximately 5 hours a week (the session panel puts the workload at 3-5 hours a week), and sessions start every two weeks. It offers a non-credit course certificate through Coursera, and the price line reads "$49 monthly subscription, financial aid, or audit for free," so a learner can study without paying and pay only for the certificate. The course covers the fundamental concepts, principles and practices of mindfulness, with experiential exercises, guided meditations, personal reflection and interactive discussions, and it is aimed at people interested in meditation for mental health, people who want to reduce stress, and anyone open to starting a mindfulness practice. It is taught by Dr. Elizabeth Slator, who, the page says, has taught and consulted on health, human performance and behavior change for more than two decades. Two further courses, Living with Balance and Ease and Peace In, Peace Out, complete a three-course mindfulness specialization. Course pages include lecture samples, and questions go to riceonline@rice.edu.

Online master's degrees

Rice lists four degrees as online programs: the Master of Computer Science, the Master of Data Science, the Master of Engineering Management and Leadership, and the Master of Business Administration. The home page highlights two rankings. It says the "Rice Master of Computer Science Online Degree Earns Top Rankings from US News," and that the "Rice Master of Data Science Online Program Ranked #8 Best ML/AI Master's," adding that the data science program "is proud to be recognized by MastersinAI.org and other rankings bodies." A feature story describes a graduate student earning her master's while traveling the world. On the business school side, the MBA comes in several formats, including an online MBA, with information on GMAT waivers for the online program, and a banner on the executive education page announces that MBA applications are open with a Round 1 deadline of October 16. The pages show no tuition figures for the degrees; the business school menu links to tuition and funding pages for its programs.

Executive education from Rice Business

Rice Business Executive Education is the organizational side of the offer. The page describes it as "housed in one of the nation's top-25 business schools," with "intentionally tight-knit programs with small classes" in which participants work with faculty and with local professionals from Houston's energy, healthcare and technology sectors. It comes in three forms.

Open enrollment programs are, the page says, "offered year-round" and help participants build "competencies in AI, management, leadership, strategy, organizational change, finance and more" alongside peers from other industries. Titles include Customer-Centric Strategy, Executive Leadership for Women, Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers, The Leadership Accelerator, Leading Organizational Change, Leading Innovation, Winning with AI, Executive Presence and Strategic Influence, The Management Incubator and From Business Intelligence to Artificial Intelligence. The Rice Advanced Management Program, for high-potential leaders moving into general management, runs over two one-week sessions.

Custom programs are designed for a company. Rice Business faculty "will identify capability gaps and strategic priorities," build coursework around the organization's context, and teach employees "in a cohort, building a shared leadership language and strengthening internal networks." The team also offers help with recruiting high-potential talent.

Online executive education mixes synchronous and self-paced courses. The FAQ says Rice Business offers fully online programs and that "Many of these courses are entirely self-paced, allowing students to enroll and progress through the curriculum as their schedules and commitments allow." Online titles include real estate investment and development, small business entrepreneurship, financial statement analysis, a business finance and data analysis fundamentals specialization, and supply chain management.

The FAQ is precise about what participants receive: "Executive Education programs award certificates of completion, not academic degrees." The certificates "verify that you completed a specific program of study at Rice Business" and "differ from degree programs in duration, admission requirements and academic credit," and the page adds that they are recognized by employers as professional credentials. Many participants fund their courses through employer sponsorship, and the team helps with funding options. The page reports 1,428 participants in 2025 from 184 firms, 23 countries and 19 states.

Who it suits and who it does not

Rice University Online Learning suits three different people. A curious learner can audit a Rice course on Coursera, such as the mindfulness series or the economics courses, for free and pay for a certificate only if they want one. A working professional who wants a full graduate degree in computer science, data science, engineering management or business without moving can take one of the four online master's programs. And a manager or an HR team can use Rice Business executive education for open programs, online courses or a custom cohort for their company.

The open courses carry a non-credit certificate, and the executive programs a certificate of completion rather than a degree, so learners who need academic credit should look at the master's programs. Degree and executive program costs do not appear on these pages, and the executive education team answers requests for information.