Learning a new skill, art, or craft is a great way to expand your horizons, and even increase your value as a creator or within your career. There are a lot of online learning platforms out there to help you grow, but few are as universally recognized as MasterClass.
MasterClass is a streaming platform that offers online classes taught by some of the biggest names in their respective fields. With a subscription you’ll get access to the full library of MasterClass courses, which includes a huge variety of subjects such as food, writing, music, wellness, and home & lifestyle.
With so many subjects and so many courses to choose from on the MasterClass platform it can be difficult to figure out where to start. We’ve narrowed down our favorites, leaving you with what we feel are the best MasterClass courses for 2024.
Jon Kabat-Zinn Teaches Mindfulness and Meditation
With the world seemingly moving faster than ever, it can’t hurt to learn how to work some space into one’s life. Mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn teaches how to incorporate meditation into everyday life in this course, with the hope of improving health and happiness in its students. Coming in at a total of 6.5 hours, this course will help you cultivate a mindfulness practice, reduce your stress, and soothe your thoughts with meditation and movement.
Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking I
The legendary TV chef got all of that knowledge (and attitude) by toying around in a kitchen of his own. In this MasterClass course Gordon Ramsay takes you into his home kitchen and covers the basics of cooking. Included are everything from kitchen setup and ingredient shopping to putting it all together for memorable meals. This course consists of 20 video lessons and spans nearly four hours.
Robin Roberts Teaches Effective and Authentic Communication
One of today’s most beloved broadcasters, Robin Roberts, teaches this course on communication. Over the course of nearly 2.5 hours and 11 video lessons she teaches how to create unforgettable moments through human connection and how to communicate effectively whether in front of an audience, at work, or with those you love. More deeply, the course covers things such as embracing vulnerability, building resilience, and living life with optimism.
Neil Gaiman Teaches the Art of Storytelling
With this class you can sit down with one of the most popular fantasy and prose authors, Neil Gaiman. This is his first-ever online class, and in it he teaches how to conjure up new ideas, create convincing characters, and build immersive fictional worlds. This course is for the aspiring author in all of us. It consists of 19 video lessons and is nearly five hours in total.
Martha Stewart: Think Like a Boss, Live Like a Legend
This is a two-part course taught by the first woman self-made billionaire, Martha Stewart. In it you get to spend the day with Martha as she relays her secrets to staying relevant and sustaining success. This is one of the shorter courses on the platform. It’s composed of 21 video chapters and checks in at just under 90 minutes.
Other MasterClass courses we love
While the likes of Neil Gaiman, Robin Roberts, and Gordon Ramsey are easy to single out as some of the best MasterClass courses for 2024, there are a ton of courses to explore beyond them. Huge names like Kevin Hart, David Lynch, Coach K, and Judy Blume also have courses we love, and we’ve barely scratched the surface of subject matter you can dive into on MasterClass. Here are some other courses we feel you’ll love as much as we do:
- : As a refreshingly honest children’s book author, Judy Blume sold more than 85 million copies of classic books like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and Superfudge. In this class she teaches how to invent vivid characters, write realistic dialogue, and turn your experiences into fictional adventures.
- : If you’ve got a resolution to take better pictures this year, this course taught by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz will help. Leibovitz is the first woman to be named chief photographer at Rolling Stone and the last person to take a portrait of John Lennon. Her knowledge will help no matter what you may be trying to take pictures of.
- : In this course unconventional artist and filmmaker David Lynch gives some insights into his unconventional approach to creativity. This is a course for aspiring and practicing filmmakers, but even more so, it’s a course for both aspiring and practicing creatives.
- : You may think learning to skateboard is more of a hands-on endeavor, but legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk manages to do it virtually in this MasterClass course. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, there’s something to gather from this course taught by one of the most influential skateboarders of all time.
- : The Emmy Award-winning science educator and one of the most beloved TV personalities of the day, Bill Nye, packs a lot into this MasterClass course. He teaches his framework for scientific thinking and everyday problem-solving here, as well as his approach to navigating information through what he calls “critical filtering.”
- : If you’re looking to bring some inner space and physical clarity to your world, this is a class worth diving into. Donna Farhi is one of the most sought-after yoga instructors in the world, and you can track her down for some foundational yoga lessons with this course.
- : Geno Auriemma has won 11 national championships and two Olympic gold medals as a women’s college basketball coach, and he’s led some of the sports’ most iconic teams. In this course he teaches how to build and lead a team of any kind, whether at home, work, or in your community.
- : Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski is the winningest coach in men’s college basketball history. After a recent retirement from the head coaching role at Duke University he’s sharing in this course his secrets to building an environment conducive to success. More specifically, he teaches how to read body language, deliver difficult feedback, and identify talent.
- : Those with a musical flair should sit-in for this course with legendary singer and songwriter Alicia Keys. The course takes place within her own studio and she shares her process for creating music built out of authentic emotion. She breaks down some of her most popular songs and shows how she writes lyrics and creates melodies.
- : If you’ve got an eye for design and want to learn how to turn it toward designing interiors for both homeowners and businesses, Kelly Wearstler will make the right teacher for you. Her style has helped redefine modern American design and influenced the rise of designer hotels. In this class she teaches how to make any space feel larger, how to choose colors and materials, and how to create spaces that tell a story.
- : It can be easy to be told what to think, but approaching the world like a philosopher requires knowing how to think. Cornel West is one of the most distinguished thinkers of our time, and in this MasterClass course he teaches how to think more deeply, connect more closely to people you’re interacting with, and live a more fruitful and meaningful life by looking at the world from a completely different point of view.
- : Animal and nature lovers will want to share this course with everyone they know. It it Dr. Jane Goodall shares her insights into animal intelligence, conservation, and activism. In this course you’ll learn how to act locally and protect the planet.
- : Comedy icon Kevin Hart unleashes his knowledge of comedy as a tool for success in this MasterClass course. If you can find laughter anywhere, he claims, you can be confident anywhere. He teaches laughter as a guide for navigating your relationships and career and offers insights on how to overcome obstacles on the way to living your best life.
