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Critical Thinking Skills for the Professional

Beginner English University CertificateFREE
SkillsCritical thinkingProblem-solvingDecision-makingAnalysisReasoning

Is this course right for you?

Our take
Diane Davidson's UC Davis course treats critical thinking as something you do, not just know about.

Good for: A practical, step-by-step method for thinking through work problems.

Skip if: You want philosophy or formal logic rather than applied problem-solving.

It's built around a seven-step model you can apply to real decisions and problems at work, which gives you a repeatable approach rather than vague advice to 'think harder'. That applied focus is the point, and it marks the boundary: if you want philosophy or formal logic, this isn't that — it's a workplace problem-solving method.

Audit it free on Coursera; a certificate needs a subscription (about $49/month) or Coursera Plus, with financial aid available, and it documents the learning, not a professional credential. A structured way to think through problems stays useful in any role (as of 2026).

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About this course

Critical Thinking Skills for the Professional teaches critical thinking as something you do, not just something you know about. From UC Davis and instructor Diane Davidson, it's built around a seven-step model that carries you from defining a problem through analysing options, making a recommendation, and handling feedback — with practice tied to real situations.

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Instructor

DD
Diane Davidson
Coursera instructor

Diane Davidson teaches for UC Davis's continuing and professional education programs. Learners praise her engaging delivery, and the course is built around a practical, repeatable problem-solving model rather than abstract logic.

Frequently asked questions

More practical than either. From UC Davis, it focuses on applied critical thinking for the workplace — questioning assumptions, evaluating information and arguments, reasoning through problems, and making better decisions — rather than formal philosophy or symbolic logic. It draws on those foundations but frames them for professional use, so expect usable thinking skills for real work rather than academic logic theory.

Professionals across any field who want to think more clearly and make better-reasoned decisions — analysts, managers, or anyone whose work involves judgement and problem-solving. It assumes no philosophy or specialist background, so it suits a broad audience. Given that critical thinking is a genuinely transferable, in-demand skill, it is relevant to almost anyone wanting to sharpen how they reason at work.

Yes. It assumes no prior training in logic or critical thinking and builds the skills from foundations, framed practically for professionals. It is accessible to newcomers while still offering genuine substance. The value comes from applying the techniques to real situations, so it rewards active engagement, but you do not need any background to start and benefit from it.

Yes, you can audit it on Coursera and watch the lectures at no cost. The graded elements and the certificate require a subscription, with financial aid available if you apply. Since much of the value is understanding and practising the critical-thinking techniques, auditing gives you the substance if you want the skills rather than the credential.

It typically runs a few weeks at a modest weekly pace as a focused course. It is skills- and practice-oriented rather than a hands-on build, so the time goes into learning the critical-thinking techniques and applying them — which is where the improvement actually happens, since clearer thinking is built by practising it.
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to audit
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