For true learners that crave for retention exercises while studying, Coursera is the place!

Coursera (https://www.coursera.org/courses) has almost become my marketplace of choice for testing my interests in areas alien to me. The difference between Coursera and a passive medium like iTunes University is that the courses are interactive. You are asked to submit home works and can evaluate the home works of other fellow students. I really like the frequent feedback that they provide, which helps you to monitor your own progress, and know when you've really mastered the material.Coursera offers courses in a wide range of topics: From topics that appeal to people who want a better society such as Humanities, Social Sciences, Medicine;  to topics for the mathematically inclined folks in areas such as Biology, Mathematics, Business, and Computer Science. The courses are free and in some cases they come with an ability to donate to pay for the environment. The courses are offered by faculty at world class universities making it a truly immersive environment. Try before you buy never has been better. For some courses, you can even earn a certificate should you satisfactorily complete the coursework. Great site. My favorite. Enjoy!

iTunes University - A true gift of knowledge

With 16 categories from Art & Architecture to Teaching & Learning, iTunes University is packed with free audio visual courses for almost everyone. This is an excellent way of trying out your interest areas before committing yourself to that expensive bachelor's or graduate degree. Several top ranked universities from around the world have posted their courses and I find them a great resource for people that cannot afford increasingly expensive University education or looking to figure their next calling in life. Further, TED videos on specific topics are also available. Interestingly enough, some courses are also available in Chinese, Spanish, French, German, and Italian - making this a truly global endeavor. Some courses are audio only but that does not take away the sheer insights coming from some top ranked and award winning educators. The iTunes University rests within your iTunes program on your iPAD or iMAC or any PC with iTunes in it, and is a rewarding way to put these machines to use. Perhaps you will be the next jeopardy winner and you didn't even have to go to school.

Biovisions by Harvard University

If you are as interested in how cells in the human body work and how food gets processed into energy, you should watch this clip below created by scientists at Harvard Medical School under a program called Biovisions. In today's NY Times video clip, the scientists explained why they wanted to created a video of molecular level cellular mechanisms - mainly for the public at large to know the intricate workings of the cellular components through a powerful visualization technique. The animations were jointly created by students of multimedia who want to work for companies such as Pixar and Harvard medical scientists. The animations largely accurately describe the bio-molecular processes to the last detail.

Enjoy the videos!

BioVisions - The Mitochondria

Why I like Berklee College of Music for online programs

I picked up the phone and called Berklee College of Music to review their online/part time programs in Music. I liked what they had to say. There are 3 types of certificate programs:

 - Master Certificates (8-12 courses)
 - Professional Certificates (5-6 courses)
 - Specialist Certificates (3 courses)

A typical vertical subject would be Guitar. See this page: http://www.berkleemusic.com/guitar

The online site is beautifully constructed and allows you to view a sample lesson, get to know a few current students and faculty, and review courses. Courses are offered several times a year and that's great flexibility. A course costs about $1,250 (so, a Master Certificate would run you about $12,500) and the online college offers scholarships of a maximum of $1,250 depending on your performance in the first course you register for. FAFSA is not available currently but the advisor told me they are working on this. But private loans are always an option, if you can afford them.

Once a student, you can also become part of the Berklee alumni network and use their online sites to get gigs, network with fellow alumni, collaborate on projects or just exchange ideas.

Do you want to be the recipient of a scholarship from Steve Vai? Then, this may be the program for you.

Part time law programs

I came across this US News analysis of best part time law schools. I am happy that one of my friends graduated from George Mason University, Arlington, VA -  a top 10 part time school. Here's the link: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/part-time-law

The top 10 part time law schools are:

• Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
• George Washington University, Washington D.C.
• Fordham University, New York, NY
• Yeshiva University (Cardozo), New York, NY
• University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
• George Mason University, Arlington, VA
• American University (Washington), Washington D.C.;Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn, NY
• Temple University (Beasley), Philadelphia, PA
• Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago-Kent), Chicago, IL
• University of Houston, Houston, TX
• University of San Diego, San Diego, CA

A list of Executive Technology Management programs

People who are interested in combining technology education with entrepreneurship and are looking to work in incubating facilities closely tied to the University they are pursuing these programs with may find this list to be of use (I will keep updating this list as I come across programs of interest and usefulness):

• MS in Technology Commercialization at University of Texas, Austin (http://www.ic2.utexas.edu/mstc/) - 23 weekends (online or in-class) and 3 intensive weeks (in-class only). The program does not offer scholarships but expect low tuitions for in-state Texas residents. 
• Executive Masters in Technology Management (http://www.emtm.upenn.edu/companies/industries/technology_commercialization.html) - This is a part-time weekend based in-class program and has no online options. the program does not offer scholarships as well. 
• MS in Technology Commercialization at Northeastern University (http://www.cps.neu.edu/mstc/). This is an online program. Cool thing about this program is they have an Online Incubator called I-Cubator for online collaboration of incubatable ideas. The University also offers Scholarships and Financia Aid, which I like. Further, this program has 8 start dates throughout the year and therefore is really flexible for working professionals, unlike the UT Austin and UPenn programs that are more rigid in the admission and financial aid structures. 

Try NYU Polytechnic University for great part-time programs if you live in New York City

The Polytechnic University (www.poly.edu) merged with New York University to form NYU Poly. With this, one of the oldest American Universities has merged with another well endowed university of higher learning. The reason I or you should like to go to NYU Poly is because it is situated in the heart of NYC in Brooklyn and the emphasis is on incubating companies. I personally like their MS in Accelerated Management Technology (http://www.poly.edu/amot) and MS in Biomedical Engineering (http://www.poly.edu/academics/programs/biomedical-engineering-ms) programs. The MS in Biomedical Engineering program draws a lot of expertise from SUNY Downstate Medical Center and currently has research going on in the areas of tissue culture, telemetry and neuro-robotics. Both programs are offered at their Brooklyn location in the Metrotech center. Another interesting program that is tailor made for entrepreneurs is the MS in Biotechnology and Entrepreneurship. Comparing the two, MS in Biotechnology and MS in Biotechnology and Entrepreneurship (http://www.poly.edu/academics/programs/biotechnology-and-entrepreneurship-ms/compare), I find that the latter MS is more designed toward people who want to incubate companies in the Biomedical area. Why is this important? New York City, greatly hit by the financial downturn, is slowly trying to become a city of diverse businesses. Therefore, financing for clean tech and green tech companies has vastly improved. There are Biomedical applications that can be used in Clean Tech areas. NYC ACRE (http://www.poly.edu/business/incubators/nyc-acre), one of the incubators funded by NYC houses companies such as SyntheZyme (http://www.nycacre.com/portfolio/index.php) which is a merger of Biomedical and Energy disciplines. If you want to be part of the exciting NYU start-up scene, I recommend a degree at NYU Poly. Courses can be taken at NYU's campuses in Manhattan as well and financial aid is available for part-time programs as well. As you all probably know by now, I always look for the availability of financial aid and scholarships in the programs I research.
For people who are short on time or who want to gain some additional skillsets, NYU Poly offers Certificate programs as well. Some of their Certificate Programs I find relevant to tomorrow's careers are:

• Certificate Program in Bioinformatics (http://www.poly.edu/academics/programs/bioinformatics-ct)
• Certificate Program in Cybersecurity (offered in their Westchester campus as well)

One other interdisciplinary program I like at NYU Poly is the Master of Engineering (M.Engg.) in Wireless Innovation (http://www.poly.edu/academics/programs/interdisciplinary-studies-engineering-wireless-innovation-me). Wireless and mobile applications are growing every day. I appraise a lot of these companies and find that revenue growth rates are healthy. If you want to be part of this industry, this may be the right program for you. What I find extraordinary about NYU Poly is the fact that they seem to have developed very relevant curriculum for tomorrow's careers. Most of their part-time programs also come at affordable costs, a big plus in NYC.

New York University's Certificate in Intellectual Property Law

This is an excellent certificate for people wanting to gain in-depth knowledge of Intellectual Property (IP) Law. One recent study states that more than 60% of S&P 500's value come from intellectual property. According to an IP Law adjunct professor, America's biggest export to foreign nations is IP. All these make the relevancy of this certificate even more useful. The NYU's School for Continuing and Professional Studies (NYU SCPS) offers this Professional Certificate at an affordable cost. Visit http://www.scps.nyu.edu/areas-of-study/accounting-taxation-legal/professional-certificates/intellectual-property-law.html to learn more about the courses and to register. 4 require core courses plus 2 electives make up the Certificate requirements. No prior legal training is necessary. Like with most Certificate programs, financing is not available but you should be able to use your credits for a worthy purpose here, if you are short on cash. Also, you get an NYU Student Card which makes you eligible for accessing the Career Center, use their extensive Library and get NY City wide discounts for students. The Certificate can be completed at your own pace (within 3 years though). If you are a foreign lawyer and want to get some NY City IP Law exposure, this certificate maybe right for you.

Johns Hopkins University offers an excellent array of certificates in Biomedical engineering

Johns Hopkins is ranked the #1 Biomedical engineering program by US News Magazine (US News ranking of Biomedical Engineering Programs). I reviewed their part-time and certificate programs in Biomedical engineering discipline and found several programs of interest. I am listing these programs in my order of interest. But, this could vary for others. The biomedical engineering part-time programs are offered by the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences under two areas: part-time MS and Certificate programs.

Part time programs can be found here at http://biotechnology.jhu.edu/graduate-education/index.html, as part of the Advanced Biotechnology Studies under the Center for Biotechnology Education. The Center offers 4 Graduate Degree Programs:

• MS in Biotechnology
• MS in Bioinformatics
• MS in Bioscience regulatory Affairs
• MS in Biotechnology/MBA Joint Degree

The Center also offers Certificate programs that are of a shorter duration.  The Certificates currently on offer are:

• Certificate in Biotechnology Enterprise (for entrepreneurs that want to build companies in the biotechnology industry)
• Certificate in Biotechnology Education in partnership with the JHU School of Education (ideal for those wanting to teach Biotechnology in High Schools)

My favorite part-time program is the joint MS in Biotechnology with a concentration in Biodefense plus a Certificate in National Security Studies. (http://biotechnology.jhu.edu/graduate-education/ms-in-biotechnology-certificate-in-nss/index.html). Lets just say that I am biased toward developing technology for the military. 

The nice thing about the Krieger School's part-time program is the availability of financial aid in the form of scholarships. Note that these scholarships are only available for US Citizens and Permanent Residents. International scholars excuse. There aren't very many schools out there that offer scholarships for part-time programs. Details of the Advanced Academic Programs Scholarship Assistance Program can be found at http://biotechnology.jhu.edu/graduate-education/ms-in-biotechnology-certificate-in-nss/financial-aid/index.htm

Happy learning and keep me posted of your successes and experiences.