WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP): Purdue University is partnering with technology provider edX to provide select courses online.

The first PurdueX courses, being developed by Purdue NExT and nanoHUB-U, will begin this spring through the two-year agreement with edX. Edx was founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2012 to offer what are known as massive open online courses.

The Purdue-led nanoHUB-U will develop five nanotechnology courses through 2016, and Purdue NExT, which has nearly 40 online courses, will lead development of five new courses for edX.

People taking the courses aren't required to be registered at Purdue to take the edX course, but they must register through edX.org. They won't receive credit, but for a small can receive a certificate indicating they completed the course.