Former03 Competitors

The FOM University of Applied Sciences offers the possibility of studying at a university while holding a full-time job. Students are able to continue and strengthen their company career and at the same time acquire a German or international university degree. Lectures and seminars are held in the evenings or at weekends so that in general there is no overlap with working hours. Additionally, courses are supplemented by the use of new media such as the internet: Via Online Campus students can organize their studies, download lecture notes and get in touch with lecturers and other students alike. The FOM was founded in 1993 by the Essen Employer’s Association, the Essen Retail Association, the Essen Association of Wholesale and Foreign Trade and by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Essen, Mülheim and Oberhausen. These institutions represent important enterprises in energy supply, retail and services, chemical and glass production and the metal and electrical industries – from medium sized private companies to global players. By now the FOM has become one of the biggest private universities in Germany with headquarters in Essen and study centres in 30 German cities. All academic degrees awarded by the FOM are officially recognised and accredited by the government: In 2006 the Bachelor and MBA programme have been successfully accredited by the FIBAA, one of the leading academic accreditation institutions. Furthermore the “Wissenschaftsrat”, the Federal Council of Science, has accredited the FOM as a university of applied sciences in 2004.

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Coursera was launched in 2012 by Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. Today, it is one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with 197 million registered learners as of December 31, 2025. Coursera partners with over 375 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates, and degrees. Coursera’s platform innovations — including generative AI-powered features like Coach, Role Play, and Course Builder, and role-based solutions like Skills Tracks — enable instructors, partners, and companies to deliver scalable, personalized, and verified learning. Institutions worldwide rely on Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, students, and citizens in high-demand fields such as GenAI, data science, technology, and business, while learners globally turn to Coursera to master the skills they need to advance their careers. Coursera is a Delaware public benefit corporation and a B Corp.