From the trade to engineering
Finished the certificates and want the theory behind the theory? This is a free, self-paced Electrical Engineering foundation — roughly three years of university core, built entirely from open courses (MIT OCW, MITx, edX, Coursera, CS50). Adapted from OSEE — Open-Source Electrical Engineering Curriculum by Artoriuz (MIT license).
Core knowledge areas
Where FreeTradeCamp's certificates teach you to pass licensing exams, this pathway teaches you to derive the rules those exams test. Start with the native EE Foundations Bridge track — eight FreeTradeCamp units with quizzes and a practice exam covering these core subjects — then continue into the full courses below.
4 subjects
Introduction to Electrical Engineering
Get a feel for the field before committing — channels and casual reading beat textbooks at this stage.
Free courses: EEVblog (YouTube) · ElectroBOOM (YouTube) · Computerphile (YouTube)
Reference texts: Understanding the Digital World — Kernighan
Calculus
The language the rest of engineering is written in. Strang's free textbook plus MIT's three-part course.
Free courses: MITx Calculus 1A — Differentiation · MITx Calculus 1B — Integration · MITx Calculus 1C — Series
Reference texts: Calculus — Gilbert Strang (free)
Linear Algebra
Matrices power robotics, control, and machine learning alike.
Free courses: edX — Linear Models & Matrix Algebra · edX — Linear Algebra: Foundations to Frontiers
Reference texts: Linear Algebra — Gilbert Strang
Boolean Algebra & Logic Circuits
Where Cert 1's switch logic becomes formal — gates, truth tables, digital design.
Free courses: MIT OCW — Computation Structures
4 subjects
Probability & Statistics
Underpins communications, quality control, and every measurement you'll ever trust.
Free courses: edX — Fundamentals of Statistics · edX — Probability
Reference texts: Grinstead & Snell — Intro to Probability (free)
Electricity & Magnetism
The physics behind everything from Unit 1.2 onward — fields, forces, and Maxwell's equations.
Free courses: MITx — E&M: Electrostatics · MITx — E&M: Fields and Forces · MITx — E&M: Maxwell's Equations
Reference texts: Electromagnetic Field Theory — Zahn (free)
Programming & Algorithms
CS50 is the single best free on-ramp to programming, full stop.
Free courses: Harvard CS50 — Intro to Computer Science · edX — Intro to CS and Programming (MIT)
Linear Systems & Signals
The most distinctively 'EE' subject there is — the doorway to the frequency domain.
Free courses: edX — Signals and Systems Part 1 · edX — Signals and Systems Part 2
4 subjects
Numerical Analysis
Modelling and simulation — how engineers compute what can't be solved on paper.
Free courses: edX — Mathematical Modelling Basics · Coursera — Intro to Programming with MATLAB
Electric Circuits
The rigorous version of Certs 1–2: network theorems, transient analysis, AC steady state.
Reference texts: Fundamentals of Electric Circuits — Sadiku
Digital Systems & Computer Architecture
Build a computer from NAND gates up — famously satisfying.
Free courses: Coursera — Nand2Tetris Part 1 · Coursera — Nand2Tetris Part 2
Control Systems
Feedback, stability, and why motor drives behave the way they do.
Free courses: edX — Dynamics and Control · WPILib — Intro to State-Space Control (free)
4 subjects
Power Systems Analysis
The direct continuation of Cert 3 — generation, transmission, and fault analysis at grid scale.
Reference texts: Power System Analysis — Saadat
Electric Machines
Motors, generators, and transformers — the theory behind Unit 3.1's √3.
Reference texts: Fitzgerald & Kingsley's Electric Machinery
Electronics
From diodes to op-amps — the component-level world.
Free courses: edX — Circuits & Electronics 2 · edX — Circuits & Electronics 3
Communication Systems
How signals actually travel — modulation, noise, and networks.
Free courses: edX — A System View of Communications (Part 1) · edX — IoT Networks and Protocols
Specialization electives
Once the core is covered, pick a track and follow your interest — by this point you'll know your way around edX and Coursera.
External links point to third-party platforms; course availability and URLs can change over time. Full curriculum, prerequisites map, and updates at the OSEE repository.