Is Introduction to Power Electronics free? Full cost breakdown
The short answer
What you actually pay for Introduction to Power Electronics
Introduction to Power Electronics is classified as a subscription course. That distinction matters more than the headline price: you are renting access, not buying a course. If you stop paying before you finish, you stop having access, so the real cost is the monthly figure multiplied by however long the course actually takes you, not by how long University of Colorado Boulder says it takes.
The cost classification above is the one University of Colorado Boulder publishes in the structured data on its own course listing, retrieved 2026-08-14. We report that classification rather than a headline price, because the advertised price changes with promotions, region and subscription bundling. The classification is the part that tells you what kind of purchase you are making.
Introduction to Power Electronics cost at a glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Course | Introduction to Power Electronics |
| Cost model | Subscription: included with a paid plan, not sold outright |
| Provider | University of Colorado Boulder |
| Taught by | Dr. Robert Erickson |
| Time to complete | 12 hours |
| Certificate | Offered on completion |
| Learner rating | 4.7 / 5 from 3,558 ratings |
| Total enrolled | 136,589 |
| Subject area | Science & Engineering |
Is the Introduction to Power Electronics certificate worth paying for?
Introduction to Power Electronics offers a certificate on completion. Whether it justifies its cost depends on what you need it for. A certificate is evidence that you finished something; it is not evidence that you can do the work. Hiring managers in Science and Engineering weight a portfolio of applied work more heavily than a completion certificate, and that gap widens the more senior the role.
The case for paying is narrower and more specific than the marketing suggests: an employer or professional body that reimburses or requires it, a visa or compliance requirement, or a career change where you have no other artifact to show. If none of those apply to you, the free or audit path plus a project you actually built is usually the better trade.
How long Introduction to Power Electronics really takes
University of Colorado Boulder lists Introduction to Power Electronics at 12 hours. Treat that as the floor rather than the estimate. Published durations count video and reading time; they do not count re-watching, note-taking, or the time you lose to an exercise that will not compile. A realistic planning figure is roughly one and a half to two times the listed length.
This matters directly to cost when the course is subscription-based, because the time it takes you is what you are actually paying for.
What 3,558 ratings tell you
A 4.7 average across 3,558 ratings is a strong signal, and the volume matters as much as the score. Averages built on a few hundred ratings move easily, and this one is not. 136,589 learners have enrolled in total.
Enrolment counts are cumulative and include everyone who signed up, not everyone who finished. On free and subscription courses in particular, enrolment is a much weaker signal than the rating, because signing up costs nothing.
Who Introduction to Power Electronics suits
Introduction to Power Electronics is taught by Dr. Robert Erickson through University of Colorado Boulder, in Science and Engineering. This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5700, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. This course introduces the basic concepts of switched-mode converter circuits for controlling and converting electrical power with high efficiency. Principles of converter circuit analysis are introduced, and are developed for finding the steady state voltages,
How Introduction to Power Electronics compares on cost to other Science and Engineering courses
Cost model is easier to judge against its neighbours than on its own. Of the 5 other Science and Engineering courses we hold cost data for, 2 are free, which is the context that tells you whether subscription is normal here or unusual.
| Course | Cost model | Rating | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Power Electronics | Subscription | 4.7 | 12 hours |
| Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries | Free | 4.8 | 16 hours |
| 工程圖學 2D CAD | Subscription | 4.7 | 34 hours |
| Applied Sustainability Engineering | Subscription | 4.5 | 20 hours |
| Greening the Economy: Sustainable Cities | Subscription | 4.7 | 10 hours |
| Introdução ao Controle de Sistemas | Free | 4.8 | 20 hours |
Frequently asked questions about Introduction to Power Electronics
Is Introduction to Power Electronics free?
No. Introduction to Power Electronics is offered on a subscription basis, so access continues only while the subscription is active. Many subscriptions include a trial period.
How long does Introduction to Power Electronics take?
University of Colorado Boulder lists it at 12 hours. Allow more than that in practice: published durations exclude review time and exercises that take longer than planned.
Does Introduction to Power Electronics come with a certificate?
Yes, a certificate is offered on completion. It is normally the paid component even where the course material itself is not.
Is Introduction to Power Electronics worth it?
It holds 4.7 out of 5 from 3,558 ratings, with 136,589 enrolled. On cost model it is subscription, so the question is less whether it is good and more whether the cost model fits how you actually study.
Compare Introduction to Power Electronics against alternatives
Run this course against others on cost model, time and certificate value in our free tool.
Open the Course ROI ShowdownView Introduction to Power Electronics on University of Colorado Boulder for current pricing and enrolment.
Federal data behind this page
What a programme costs, what its graduates earn, and what aid is available are published by federal statistical agencies rather than by any provider's marketing page, and the sources below are the primary ones. They are linked so a reader can check a figure here directly.
- College Scorecard publishes the federal cost, completion and post-enrolment earnings data used to compare programmes.
- National Center for Education Statistics is the federal statistical agency for education and the source most published figures trace back to.
- IPEDS holds the institution-level survey data behind enrolment, price and completion comparisons.
- Federal Student Aid states what aid exists, who qualifies, and what repayment actually obligates a borrower to.
- CFPB paying for college documents how education financing works and where its common traps are.
- US Department of Education sets the policy framework the accreditation and aid systems operate under.
- Department of Education laws and policy carries the rules that decide whether a provider or credential is recognised.
This page compares programmes on published data. Outcomes vary by student, and a reader's own aid package and circumstances decide what a programme actually costs them.