DIY MIT Classes For Free?

The MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY has 1800 courses available to you online – free, under the Creative Commons license – in their OpenCourseWare Program.

There’s no degrees or certificates involved, and you don’t get access to their instructors, but the courses have been carefully checked for accuracy and completeness. They include videos, suggested reading, syllabus, lecture notes, problem and answer sets, labs, and other special features.

You don’t even have to register. Just choose your course, and download the zip file and related materials. The courses are free, although they do ask for a donation, if you found the course helpful.

Courses are available for the following departments:

• Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Anthropology
• Architecture
• Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation
• Biological Engineering
• Biology
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Chemical Engineering
• Chemistry
• Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Comparative Media Studies
• Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
• Economics
• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
• Engineering Systems Division
• Experimental Study Group
• Foreign Languages and Literatures
• Health Sciences and Technology
• History
• Linguistics and Philosophy
• Literature
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Media Arts and Sciences
• Music and Theater Arts
• Nuclear Science and Engineering
• Physics
• Political Science
• Science, Technology, and Society
• Sloan School of Management
• Special Programs
• Urban Studies and Planning
• Women’s and Gender Studies
• Writing and Humanistic Studies

Here is a partial list of the classes in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science:

6.001 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs Spring 2005
6.002 Circuits and Electronics Spring 2007
6.003 Signals and Systems Fall 2003
6.011 Introduction to Communication, Control, and Signal Processing Spring 2004
6.012 Microelectronic Devices and Circuits Fall 2005
6.013 Electromagnetics and Applications Fall 2005
6.033 Computer System Engineering (SMA 5501) Spring 2005
6.034 Artificial Intelligence Fall 2006
6.035 Computer Language Engineering (SMA 5502) Fall 2005
6.041 Probabilistic Systems Analysis and Applied Probability Spring 2006
6.042J Mathematics for Computer Science Fall 2005
6.045J Automata, Computability, and Complexity Spring 2005
6.046J Introduction to Algorithms (SMA 5503) Fall 2005
6.071J Introduction to Electronics, Signals, and Measurement Spring 2006
6.07J Projects in Microscale Engineering for the Life Sciences Spring 2007
6.090 Building Programming Experience: A Lead-In to 6.001 January (IAP) 2005
6.091 Hands-On Introduction to Electrical Engineering Lab Skills January (IAP) 2008
6.092 Bioinformatics and Proteomics January (IAP) 2005
6.092 Introduction to Software Engineering in Java January (IAP) 2008
6.095J Computational Biology: Genomes, Networks, Evolution Fall 2005
6.096 Algorithms for Computational Biology Spring 2005
6.097 Fundamentals of Photonics: Quantum Electronics Spring 2006
6.111 Introductory Digital Systems Laboratory Spring 2004
6.152J Micro/Nano Processing Technology Fall 2005
6.161 Modern Optics Project Laboratory Fall 2005
6.170 Laboratory in Software Engineering Fall 2005
6.171 Software Engineering for Web Applications Fall 2003
6.189 A Gentle Introduction to Programming Using Python January (IAP) 2008
6.241 Dynamic Systems & Control Fall 2003
6.245 Multivariable Control Systems Spring 2004
6.251J Introduction to Mathematical Programming Fall 2002
6.252J Nonlinear Programming Spring 2004
6.263J Data Communication Networks Fall 2002
6.264J Queues: Theory and Applications Spring 2006
6.270 Autonomous Robot Design Competition January (IAP) 2005
6.334 Power Electronics Spring 2003
6.337J Introduction to Numerical Methods Fall 2006
6.338J Applied Parallel Computing (SMA 5505) Spring 2005
6.341 Discrete-Time Signal Processing Fall 2005
6.345 Automatic Speech Recognition Spring 2003
6.370 Robocraft Programming Competition January (IAP) 2005
6.374 Analysis and Design of Digital Integrated Circuits Fall 2003
6.431 Probabilistic Systems Analysis and Applied Probability Spring 2006
6.443J Quantum Information Science Spring 2006
6.452 Principles of Wireless Communications Spring 2006
6.637 Modern Optics Project Laboratory Fall 2005
6.641 Electromagnetic Fields, Forces, and Motion Spring 2005
6.685 Electric Machines Fall 2005
6.720J Integrated Microelectronic Devices Spring 2007
6.728 Applied Quantum and Statistical Physics Fall 2006
6.763 Applied Superconductivity Fall 2005
6.772 Compound Semiconductor Devices Spring 2003
6.774 Physics of Microfabrication: Front End Processing Fall 2004
6.776 High Speed Communication Circuits Spring 2005
6.780 Semiconductor Manufacturing Spring 2003
6.781J Submicrometer and Nanometer Technology Spring 2006
6.801 Machine Vision Fall 2004
6.803 The Human Intelligence Enterprise Spring 2006
6.804J Computational Cognitive Science Fall 2004
6.806 Ethics and the Law on the Electronic Frontier Fall 2005
6.821 Programming Languages Fall 2002
6.823 Computer System Architecture Fall 2005
6.824 Distributed Computer Systems Engineering Spring 2006
6.825 Techniques in Artificial Intelligence (SMA 5504) Fall 2002
6.828 Operating System Engineering Fall 2006
6.829 Computer Networks Fall 2002
6.830 Database Systems Fall 2005
6.831 User Interface Design and Implementation Fall 2004
6.833 The Human Intelligence Enterprise Spring 2002
6.834J Cognitive Robotics Spring 2005
6.837 Computer Graphics Fall 2003
6.838 Algorithms for Computer Animation Fall 2002
6.840J Theory of Computation Fall 2006
6.841J Advanced Complexity Theory Fall 2001
6.844 Computability Theory of and with Scheme Spring 2003
6.852J Distributed Algorithms Fall 2005
6.857 Network and Computer Security Fall 2003
6.864 Advanced Natural Language Processing Fall 2005
6.866 Machine Vision Fall 2004
6.867 Machine Learning Fall 2006
6.874J Computational Functional Genomics Spring 2005
6.875 Cryptography and Cryptanalysis Spring 2005
6.877J Computational Evolutionary Biology Fall 2005
6.883 Pervasive Human Centric Computing (SMA 5508) Spring 2006
6.895 Essential Coding Theory Fall 2004
6.896 Theory of Parallel Hardware (SMA 5511) Spring 2004
6.972 Algebraic Techniques and Semidefinite Optimization Spring 2006
6.972 Game Theory and Mechanism Design Spring 2005
6.973 Communication System Design Spring 2006
6.974 Fundamentals of Photonics: Quantum Electronics Spring 2006
6.976 High Speed Communication Circuits and Systems Spring 2003
6.977 Semiconductor Optoelectronics: Theory and Design Fall 2002
6.977 Ultrafast Optics Spring 2005