Hirst Academy
Free · Self-paced · 2026

Learn business by building it.

Free, self-paced courses in marketing, e-commerce and entrepreneurship. Every module ends with an interactive tool that turns what you've learned into a plan for your own business.

11
Courses
46
Modules
46
Tools
Free
Always
How it works
Three steps, every module, every course.
01

Learn

Short, practical lessons with worked examples built on real numbers — no fluff and no paywall.

02

Do

Every module has a tool — a calculator, planner or scorecard — that saves as you work and prints as a plan.

03

Prove it

Finish the course, complete the capstone, and generate your certificate of completion.

Try a tool — no sign-up

Is your advertising actually making money?

A healthy ROAS can still lose money on every order. Change the numbers and watch the margin move — this is one of the calculations from the E-commerce module.

Open the full channel calculator →
The courses
Every course is free and self-paced, with interactive tools that save as you work.
marketing

Digital Marketing Mastery

Strategy, websites, SEO, content, social, email, paid ads, e-commerce and analytics — with AI tools built into every module and a capstone you can actually use.

10 modules41 lessons~61 hoursFree
branding

Brand Strategy & Communication

A postgraduate course on building and defending brands: equity, positioning, identity, integrated communication, stakeholders, crisis and effectiveness — each grounded in the research and applied with hands-on tools.

8 modules32 lessons~54 hoursFree
strategy

Marketing Strategy and Planning

A postgraduate course on building a marketing strategy from the ground up: research, segmentation and positioning, competitive strategy, pricing, the marketing mix, channels and performance measurement — integrated into one plan.

9 modules36 lessons~52 hoursFree
management

Innovation and Change in Marketing

A postgraduate course for marketing managers on leading innovation and organisational change: strategy, technology adoption, the internet and web3, AI in marketing, emerging technology, sustainability, project management and leadership — applied to a running case with a hands-on tool in every module.

11 modules47 lessons~74 hoursFree
ai-strategy

AI Strategy for Business Leaders

A practical, non-technical course for senior leaders who need to lead AI adoption — from understanding the technology to presenting a board-ready AI strategy.

8 modules36 lessons~51 hoursFree
e-commerce

E-commerce Growth Essentials

A focused path for product sellers: strategy, a store that converts, affordable paid ads, marketplace and social-shop economics, email retention, analytics — and a capstone plan you can put to work.

7 modules28 lessons~42 hoursFree
aiPartner site ↗

Mastering AI in Modern Marketing

12 self-paced modules on AI strategy, prompt engineering, personalisation, analytics, automation and ethics — with prompt-template exercises and quizzes.

IntermediateFree
internationalPartner site ↗

Marketing Across Cultures

A 10-unit programme on international marketing — theory, market intelligence and strategy, plus interactive coursework tools.

UndergraduateFree
analyticsPartner site ↗

Marketing Metrics Lab

12 modules on marketing metrics and analysis — CAC, CLV, ROMI, attribution and marketing mix, with a dashboard capstone. Free registration.

PostgraduateFree
entrepreneurshipPartner site ↗

Business Acumen & Entrepreneurship

A complete 12-week first-year undergraduate course on business acumen and entrepreneurship.

UndergraduateFree
entrepreneurshipPartner site ↗

Venture Arc

The start-up development programme: build a Business Model Canvas and Value Proposition Canvas, test it Lean Startup-style, and get AI-powered feedback on every block.

Students · invite code from your tutorFree

Pick a course. Open a tool. Start building.

Start Digital Marketing Mastery →See all courses