Online mycology courses, taught live

What an online mycology course can teach you

Mycology is the study of fungi: mushrooms, molds, yeasts, lichens and the vast networks of mycelium that live in soil and wood. It touches far more of everyday life than most people expect, from bread, cheese and beer to forest health, crop diseases, new materials and medical research.

A good online mycology course covers the parts of this knowledge that travel well through a screen: how fungi are built and how they live, how species are named and grouped, which features matter for identification, how fungi interact with plants and animals, and how they are grown, fermented and studied in the lab. Live classes let you ask questions, look at specimens and microscope images together with the instructor and work through real cases instead of memorizing lists.

How Fungaris programs work

Fungaris is organized into 12 schools, from mushroom cultivation and culinary mycology to fungal ecology, biotechnology, medical mycology and mycelium design. Every program follows the same simple structure:

• Courses have 6 modules and run over 2–3 months. They are the easiest way to get started or to add one specific skill.
• Diplomas have 8 modules and go deeper into a professional area.
• Masters have 12 modules and combine several areas into a complete specialization.

Classes are taught live by working professionals in small groups, so there is time for your questions. Sessions are scheduled with time zones in mind, and recordings, readings and exercises stay available on the virtual campus (Moodle), so you can catch up from the East Coast, the West Coast or anywhere in between. Each program ends with a final project in which you apply what you have learned to a case of your own, and you receive a Fungaris certificate when you complete it.

Choosing your first program

The best starting point depends on what you want to do with fungi:

• Understand fungi in general: a foundations course gives you the biology, the main groups and the vocabulary for everything else.
• Forage and cook wild mushrooms: start with mycology for foragers and wild mushroom identification, including deadly look-alikes such as the death cap and destroying angels.
• Grow mushrooms: an introduction to cultivation covers substrates, sanitation, fruiting and harvest, whether you grow at home or plan a small farm.
• Work with soil, forests or farms: fungal ecology and mycorrhizal courses connect fungi with soil health and land management.
• Food, materials and industry: fermentation, biotechnology and mycelium design programs show how fungi are used to make products.

If you're not sure, begin with a short course. Many students later continue with a diploma in the same school.

Online learning, local clubs and fieldwork

Some skills can't be learned from a screen alone. Recognizing a mushroom safely in the field depends on smell, texture, habitat and experience built up over many seasons. That is why our identification courses teach you a method and the features to check, and encourage you to practice outdoors, keep notes and photos, and join forays with one of the many local mushroom clubs across the country, many of them affiliated with the North American Mycological Association (NAMA).

One rule applies to every course: never eat a wild mushroom that has only been identified online, in a class or with an app. Always have your finds checked in person by a qualified local expert.

Certificates and recognition

Fungaris certificates are issued by Fungaris. They document the program, the modules and the final project you completed. Fungaris is not a US college or university, and our certificates are not academic degrees or state licenses. Where an official qualification exists, such as a state's certification for wild mushroom identification experts who sell to restaurants, our programs can help you prepare, but they do not replace it.