Want to know more about The Great Courses?
Vision:
To make lifelong learning an enjoyable, enriching experience for everyone.
Mission:
To offer the most engaging, enriching, and trusted learning experiences to the world.
What is The Great Courses Plus?
The Great Courses Plus is the streaming home of more than 19,000 hours of engaging courses designed to enrich and improve your life. Academically comprehensive and relentlessly engaging, our courses bring lifelong learners face-to-face with the world’s greatest professors and subject matter experts on topics ranging from science and history to philosophy and religion to travel and professional growth. Always ad-free, The Great Courses Plus is the place to experience the pure joy of learning—anytime, anywhere.
About The Great Courses
It all began with just a few videotapes—and a situation we’ve all been in.
Thomas M. Rollins, the founder of The Great Courses, was just a law student at Harvard University facing an important exam for which he wasn’t prepared. Knowing his success depended not just on passing his exam but on understanding the material, Rollins obtained videotapes of 10 one-hour lectures by a noted authority on the subject. Rollins planted himself in front of his television set late at night and put the first tape into his VCR. And what he discovered changed his life.
The videotaped lectures were unlike anything Rollins had experienced in other lecture halls. They were outrageously insightful. Impressively thorough. Even engagingly witty. Most important: They hammered home concepts in a way that made the subject both accessible and interesting. They made learning not a chore to be accomplished but an adventure to be experienced.
Rollins played all 10 hours of videotaped lectures nearly nonstop. And, a few days later, he passed his exam. But he never forgot the unique power of recorded lectures by a great teacher—the way a bright mind could ignite a passion for lifelong learning. In 1990, Rollins founded The Great Courses to share that unforgettable experience with the rest of the world.
Now, after more than 30 years and 20 million courses taken by lifelong learners, The Great Courses is excited to use The Great Courses Plus as another platform to make engaging, accessible courses available to all lifelong learners.
Meet The Great Courses
We believe in the power of learning to enrich our lives. Just ask our employees, including:
Course Development
“From script development to editing to studio taping, my time spent with each presenter is enlightening, challenging, and so gratifying. Our presenters are the magic ingredient in our courses and working with them is such an awesome experience. I’m constantly amazed by the passion and knowledge our presenters bring to their productions, and I love learning from them as we travel the content development road together.”
Juliet R., Writer/Producer
Course Filming
“Here in the studio we are dedicated to making the experience for the on-camera presenter as comfortable as possible so that they can deliver the best performance of their material. Before they even arrive we work with the producer and graphics department to create a unique and topical set for each production. The Great Courses has given us new opportunities to dive deeper into the visual creative process. It has opened up new ways to create striking and interesting visual productions that match the high level, quality material our presenters bring.”
Roberto de M., Video Production Director
We seek out only the world’s greatest professors and experts to guide your learning experiences, including:
John McWhorter, PhD
Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University
Dorsey Armstrong, PhD
Associate Professor of English and Medieval Literature at Purdue University
James Scott Bell, JD
award-winning novelist and writing instructor
Art Benjamin, PhD
Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, professional “Mathemagician”
Joel Sartore
award-winning professional photographer and a regular contributor to National Geographic magazine
Work for the Great Courses?
If you have a passion for learning, come join our team.
Partner with The Great Courses?
There are a number of ways you can partner with The Great Courses, whether it’s by promoting us on your social media channels—or even teaching for us.
- Partnerships
partners@thegreatcourses.com - Instructor Relations
instructorrelations@thegreatcourses.com
We would love to hear from you
Check out our FAQ’s first
Please e-mail us and let us know about your experience.
We try to respond to all e-mail inquiries within 24 business hours.
CALL
CALL
1-800-832-2412
We’re open:
Mon-Fri: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET
Sat: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET
WRITE
WRITE
The Great Courses
4840 Westfields Blvd. Suite 400
Chantilly VA 20151
