10 Playlist-Worthy Educational Podcasts for College Students

You’re the type of person who loves to learn. Absorbing new information, ideas, facts and stories is part of why you love to listen to podcasts so much. However, you’re also a college student, and juggling all of your different priorities and responsibilities doesn’t leave you with a lot of extra time to waste. So why not mix passion with priority—something enjoyable with something educational? Educational podcasts allow you to keep on learning while you exercise, grocery shop or drive to and from classes.

Whether you’re looking to bolster your understanding of your own area of study or take a break and dive into something new, these podcasts are some of the best educational podcasts out there for students like you who love to learn.

10 Educational podcasts worth checking out

These ten educational podcasts feature a variety of topics from science and politics to ethics and money. Putting in your ear buds and playing these podcasts will help you dive into new worlds, ideas and educational experiences that will keep your gears turning outside of the classroom.

1. Examining Ethics

Whether or not you’re a philosophy buff, the Examining Ethics podcast is a great way to get exposed to ethical dilemmas facing our world today, helping you to think outside of the box, become more relevant and prepare to encounter these kinds of discussions while in school and after graduation.

2. TED Talks audio

Most college students have watched and probably even posted a TED Talks video on social media at some point in their lives, but did you know there’s a TED Talks podcast, too? Listening in gives you insights from experts, entrepreneurs, authors, leaders and philanthropists on a variety of topics, with the common denominator of “ideas worth spreading.”

3. College Info Geek

It doesn’t get much more college-centered than the College Info Geek podcast. Featuring tips on studying, landing jobs, being productive, giving speeches and more, this podcast is designed with the college student in mind. While much of their content focuses on traditional college students fresh out of high school, there’s plenty of helpful tips and advice to be found for students of all backgrounds—you’re never too old to learn how to cook like an adult or keep up with an exercise routine.

4. NPR’s Planet Money

If you’re like most college students, you probably don’t have a ton of time to watch the markets or keep track of what’s happening in the world economy. Planet Money gives you an inside peek into the economy and presents other business- and finance-related topics without boring you to tears. They like to take a look at interesting market-related phenomena and present it with a human touch that can be much more accessible and easy-to-digest than you might get from an economics lecture.

5. The Naked Scientists

The evocatively named podcast, The Naked Scientists, is an excellent option for anyone looking for an approachable explanation to common scientific topics. The hosts do their best to “strip down” (Get it?) complex scientific trends, news and research and explain them in a way that’s easily accessible for those of us who haven’t quite earned our lab coats.

6. Stuff You Missed in History Class

Want to branch out from the usual “greatest hits” found in most history courses? Stuff You Missed in History Class is a fun way to learn about interesting, lesser-known yet important historical events and could be a way to help you fill in the gaps and get a better picture of our history. This podcasts gives listeners time to dive into the fascinating details and information that tend to get glossed over by grade-school teachers tasked with covering thousands of years of information in a single course.

7. Left, Right & Center

In today’s political climate, it seems impossible to hear differing opinions without it devolving into incessant interruption, name-calling and high emotion. So where can you go to learn about different political perspectives without the vitriol? KCRW’s Left, Right & Center podcast is an excellent option if you’re looking for a civilized discussion of political happenings with multiple perspectives represented.

8. Hardcore History

Historians tend to pride themselves on doing what they can to present a “just-the-facts” retelling of historical events. That’s great for understanding what happened, but can be pretty dry for the rest of us. Hardcore History’s host Dan Carlin uses his knack for storytelling to inject an infectious enthusiasm for the subject matter into his listeners. Hardcore History’s sprawling podcasts—some clock in at over three hours long—give proper life to the Earth-shaking historical events covered.

9. TWiT (This Week in Tech)

Whether or not you’re a tech junkie, the TWiT podcast can offer helpful how-to’s, interesting insights into new tech trends and news that you’re probably not getting from the nightly network news.

10. This American Life

One of the most popular podcasts in the world, This American Life is worth listening to simply for its relevance and attention to culture at large. Each episode has a theme—which might be anything from the housing crisis to cars or stories from summer camp. Each theme typically includes multiple stories from people all over the country and an analysis of each theme.

Creating a great environment to learn

With these great educational podcasts, you can listen anywhere and everywhere. Just plug in your earbuds, put on your noise-cancelling headphones and you’re in a different world.

There’s so much out there to learn. If you’re looking for even more new ways to add more skills to your arsenal, look no further. Check out our article, “8 Great Ways to Learn Something New to Improve Your Resume.”