If you or someone close to you is living with multiple sclerosis (MS), you know how important it is to have access to clear, reliable information. That’s exactly what the Understanding MS online course offers, and it’s completely free.
Developed by Patient Community Day Supporting Partner, the MS Research Flagship at Menzies Institute for Medical Research in Australia, in partnership with the MS community, this course has already helped over 50,000 people around the world better understand MS and how to live well with it. Whether you’ve just been diagnosed, have been living with MS for years, or support someone who does, this course is designed for you.
Why take the course?
Since its launch in 2019, Understanding MS has become one of the most successful online health education courses globally. Since ranking as the #1 online course in 2019 when it launched, it has been awarded ‘best of all time’ status by online course aggregator Class Central.
But what really sets it apart is the impact it’s having, including:
Global reach: People from more than 180 countries worldwide have enrolled
Real-world benefits: 64% of participants say they’ve applied what they learned in their daily lives.
What you’ll learn
The course covers key topics including:
- What MS is and how it affects the body
- MS symptoms and diagnosis
- Disease management
- Strategies for living well with MS insights from both scientific research and lived experience
- It’s designed to be accessible and engaging, with short videos, interactive activities, and expert input from researchers, clinicians and people living with MS, and their carers.
What people are saying*
🌟 “I’ve been living with MS for 15 years and found this course to be a great refresher.”
🌟 “I did this course to help me understand my mum’s MS better and it was so informative.”
🌟 “This course is amazing. I have MS and have learnt so much from it. Thank you for making it free.”
Backed by research
The course isn’t just informative, it’s evidence-based. Research built into the course shows that participants gain lasting knowledge, feel more confident talking about MS, and even make positive changes to their health and wellbeing.
Continuous learning
The team behind Understanding MS has also developed three new online courses based on feedback from the MS community.
These explore:
Mental health and MS
Deciding about disease-modifying therapies
Ageing well with MS
As with Understanding MS, these courses are open to anyone with an interest in MS, accessible whenever it suits you, day or night, and entirely online and free.
Join the community
Understanding MS is more than a course — it’s a community-driven initiative designed to empower people affected by MS.
🗓️ Course opens: 8th September (enrolments close: 27th Sep 2025, 9:00am AEST)
⏳ Duration: 6 weeks
🧠 Effort: 2 hours per week
🎓 Certificate: Yes
🎉 Cost: FREE
Ready to get started?
Enrol today at https://ms.mooc.utas.edu.au/i/mspcd
*Quotes from course participants provided in feedback surveys
Understanding MS has been supported by funding from Menzies Institute for Medical Research, Wicking Dementia Centre, MS Australia, MS Plus and the Australian Government, Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), Emerging Priorities in Consumer Driven Research. Funding for the specialised MS courses is provided by the MRFF.
Blog courtesy of MS Research Flagship, a Patient Community Day Supporting Partner.