Top Emotional Intelligence Courses - Q2 2023

According to Psychology Today, emotional intelligence (also known as emotional quotient, or EQ) is the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. In the workplace, emotional intelligence skills can help an employee approach problems and people with empathy and compassion, achieving much greater results. Indeed, LinkedIn, Forbes Magazine, and Career Builder have all reported that Emotional Intelligence is one of the top soft skills in demand by employers today.

Our Expert Picks

There are literally hundreds of Emotional Intelligence courses available across dozens of online learning platforms. How to find the best course for you? Campus.com partners with industry experts to review the best courses based on rigorous criteria, including content coverage, lecture quality, quiz quality, assignment quality, and certification brand.

Campus.com Rating
5
/5

Time to Complete:

5 weeks @ 4 hours per week

# Enrolled:

108,302

Content Coverage:

Lecturer Quality:

Quiz Quality:

Exercise Quality:

Our Expert Review

Content Coverage (5)

This eight-week course specifically concentrates on leadership and emotional intelligence.  Topics  covered in this course include being a leader, emotional intelligence, inspiring, stress, relationships, emotional competencies, and social and cognitive competencies.  Other topics covered in this course are communication skills, social intelligence and awareness, reflection, and strategy.  This is an outstanding course to take if you are looking for a high-level course in emotional intelligence.

Lecture Quality (5)

The lead instructor for this course uses many real-world stories conceptual graphics, and animations in the lectures and reading materials.  The instructor does an excellent job of keeping learners engaged.  The lectures are very interactive and fun to listen to.  Dr. Boyatzis has learners complete self-reflection assignments in the middle of videos that relate directly to the material being covered.

Quiz Quality (5)

There is a graded quiz each week that is consistent in approach.  These quizzes are comprised of true/false and multiple-choice questions that cover the majority of concepts covered in the course.  Some weeks include practice quizzes.

Assignment/Exercise Quality (5)

Discussions allow learners to share life experiences that relate to the topics being covered in class.  Discussions also allow learners to comment on each other’s posts, making the course interactive and more interesting.  Self-reflection exercises are also incorporated into the video lectures to make the course more interactive.  Dr. Boyatzis includes reflection assignments that are submitted and graded.

Certificate Brand Quality (5)

The course is sponsored by Case Western Reserve University.  Case Western Reserve University is a very well-respected private research (R1) institution located in Cleveland, Ohio.  This university was founded in 1826.

A group of people meet. Superimposed over them is a neural graphic of a brain.Go to Class
on Coursera's website
Campus.com Rating
4.6
/5

Time to Complete:

3 weeks @ 4 hours per week

# Enrolled:

26,171

Content Coverage:

Lecturer Quality:

Quiz Quality:

Exercise Quality:

Our Expert Review

Content Coverage (3/5)

This is a four-week introductory course mainly covering the topics of emotional and social awareness.  Some of the topics that are covered in this course include motivation, self-awareness, self-management, relationship management, empathy, reflection, and journaling.

Lecture Quality (5/5)

Ms. Laurie Cozart, the instructor for this course, is an Executive Coach and Public Speaker.  She uses conceptual graphics and animations throughout the course to emphasize key points.  The lectures are engaging and Ms. Cozart is clearly knowledgeable in the subject and confident in her presentation.

Quiz Quality (5/5)

Multiple weekly quizzes comprised of true/false and multiple-choice quesiotns are required in this course.  The quizzes cover the majority of the concepts taught in easy-to-understand language. The answer options to multiple-choice questions are all plausible and relevant.

Assignment/Exercise Quality (5/5)

There are more than enough assignments and exercises in this course for learners to successfully reflect on what they have learned. Weekly discussions are required participation and self-reflection and journaling exercises are also included.

Certificate Brand Quality (5/5)

The course is sponsored by the University of California Davis.  University of California Davis is a well-known public land-grant research university.  The university was founded in 1905.

A man and woman sit closely talkingGo to Class
on Udemy's website
Campus.com Rating
4.5
/5

Time to Complete:

1 week @ 4 hours per week

# Enrolled:

30,870

Content Coverage:

Lecturer Quality:

Quiz Quality:

Exercise Quality:

Our Expert Review

Content Coverage (3/5)

This 21 day beginner-level course is geared toward individuals looking to understand more about their emotions and the emotions of others.   The course leans heavily on creating healthier relationships in the workplace and in personal life.  Specific topics covered in this course are self-awareness, understanding your strengths and weaknesses, identifying emotions, stress, and self-care.   The course does not cover all of the information we consider as critical to an emotional learning course.

Lecture Quality (5/5)

Dr. Patricia Thomson,  the instructor for this course, \is an engaging, confident, and knowledgeable speaker.  She uses real-life examples and well-designed graphics throughout her lectures that help learners relate to the information being taught.

Quiz Quality (3/5)

There are short, weekly quizzes in this course comprised of true/false, and multiple-choice questions.  The quizzes are relatively easy and cover the majority of the topics, but not all.  Additional questions might be helpful for learners to recall more of the information covered in the course.

Assignment/Exercise Quality (1/5)

There are no assignments or exercises in this course.

Certificate Brand Quality (3/5)

The course is sponsored by Udemy.  This is a good company to work with if you are interested in taking a course online without having to be hassled with red tape at a college or university and you are not interested in earning a degree.  Udemy was founded in 2010 and has over 204,000 courses in over 75 languages.

Go to Class
on Coursera's website
Campus.com Rating
4.4
/5

Time to Complete:

5 weeks @ 4 hours per week

# Enrolled:

27,561

Content Coverage:

Lecturer Quality:

Quiz Quality:

Exercise Quality:

Our Expert Review

Content Coverage (3/5)

This short class is structured into four weeks. We estimate that it would take most learners 5 weeks to complete if they commit four hours per week.  The Scope is limited in emotional intelligence information. However, there is useful information if you are interested in self-awareness, stress management, mindfulness, and life balance.  The sequence of the information flows well.

Lecture Quality (5/5)

The instructor, Dr. Slator, is very engaging and the quality of the videos is high.  The instructor uses real-life examples that most everyone can relate to.  Dr. Slator is an interesting person who is clearly confident and well-educated in this field.  The use of graphics and animations is relatively limited in this course.

Quiz Quality (5/5)

There are nine quizzes, comprised of true/false, multiple-choice, and essay questions that cover most of the information in the course delivery.  The course also includes practice quizzes for weeks 1-3.

Assignment/Exercise Quality (4/5)

There are reading assignments that include links to articles, but there are limited assignments that are submitted to the instructor.  Each week includes discussion assignments that learners submit.  However, written assignments are limited.

Certificate Brand Quality (5/5)

Rice University is a well-known private research university located in Houston, TX.  The university was established in 1912.

Topics To Look For in an Emotional Intelligence Course

The following are the topics that our experts feel should be covered in an Emotional Intelligence Course.
  • What is Emotional Intelligence
  • The Importance of Emotional Intelligence
  • Pillars of Emotional Quotient or Emotional Intelligence
  • Emotional Awareness
  • Emotional Competencies
  • Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
  • Emotional Intelligence and Diversity
  • Social Intelligence
  • Social Awareness
  • Social Skills
  • Self-Management
  • Self-Care
  • Self-Reflection
  • Self-Regulations and Strategies
  • Empathy in the Workplace
  • Cognitive, Emotional and Compassionate Empathy
  • Relationship Management
  • How stress Can Impact Emotional Intelligence
  • Communication Skills
  • Communication Strategies
  • 360-Degree Performance Reviews
  • Managing Conflict
  • Working with Teams
  • Emotional intelligence Assessment / Appraisal / Self-Evaluation

The Major Online Learning Platforms

Each online learning platform is unique.  Some specialize in certain types of content, some partner with major universities or corporations to develop content, and some have special learning features.  While not exhaustive, the list below includes the major online platforms whose courses we feature.

Pros / Cons

Pros: Certificates often are offered from major universities or corporations.

Cons: The quality of course content and features available varies dramatically between courses.

Cost

$$$

Pros / Cons

Pros: Courses are very similar to those offered in colleges.

Cons: The quality of content and features offered varies dramatically between learning programs.

Cost

$$$$

Pros / Cons

Pros: A focus on microlearning with consistently high-quality content.  Consistent use of quizzes throughout all courses.

Cons: Pricing is skewed toward annual subscriptions, which is far more content (and cost) than most learners need within a year.

Cost

$$$

Pros / Cons

Pros: Labs offer a means of gaining practical experience in technical skills.

Cons: There are no incremental quizzes or ways to test learners on specific topics.

Cost

$$$$

Pros / Cons

Pros: Udemy tends to be one of the more affordable options for individuals looking to learn specific technical skills.


Cons:
Highly inconsistent quality between courses.

Cost

$

Pros / Cons

Pros: Consistent, high-quality micro-content that focuses on practical exercises.

Cons: The catalog is somewhat limited compared to other vendors on this list.

Cost

$$$

Pros / Cons

Pros: Many free online classes are offered. Live online classroom experiences are offered for some of their courses.

Cons: Variable quality of courses, with some courses having relatively low quality.

Cost

$$$$$

Pros / Cons

Pros: Skillshare has a large library of courses related to creative skills.

Cons: Most courses are just a series of lectures with no interactivity, quizzing, or opportunities to practice concepts.

Cost

$$$

For more information, check out our detailed post on the best online course platforms.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is emotional intelligence?

Psychology Today defines emotional intelligence as “ the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.”  For a more in-depth explanation, visit our post on Emotional Intelligence.

How can one develop emotional intelligence?

There are many methods to develop EI, but some of the most common are:

  • Being more aware of how you are feeling and why
  • Being more aware of how you are acting and why
  • Active listening
  • Journaling

Can emotional intelligence be measured?

There are currently over 30 widely-used psychometric measures for emotional intelligence. The following is a sample of widely researched measures:

Is emotional intelligence important to employers?

IndeedLinkedIn, and Career Builder have all reported that Emotional Intelligence is one of the top soft skills in demand by employers today. Earning a certificate in Emotional Intelligence can certainly boost the likelihood of your resume being considered by employers or improve your chances of promotion.  As importantly, becoming more emotionally intelligent can impact your performance at work and many other interpersonal relationships.