Study architecture online for free

If you have a computer or an iPod, you can go to college for free. Hundreds of colleges and universities around the world offer free downloads of popular courses and lectures in architecture, urban design, and engineering.

Yes, there are drawbacks. You can't chat with the professors or classmates. You can't earn credits or work toward a degree. But you'll get the same lecture notes and assignments as "live" students. In some cases, you can even download free audio files and videos.

1. MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Established in 1865, the Department of Architecture at MIT is the oldest and one of the most highly respected in the United States. Through a program called OpenCourseWare, MIT offers almost all its classes online - for free. Downloads include lecture notes, assignments, reading lists, and, in some cases, galleries of student projects for more than 100 undergraduate and graduate courses in architecture. MIT also offers some architecture courses in audio and video formats.

2. University of Notre Dame

Since 1898, Notre Dame has offered widely acclaimed undergraduate and graduate programs in architecture. Notre Dame's OpenCourseWare offerings are not nearly as extensive as MIT's, but you can download free lecture notes and illustrations for an advanced seminar in architecture.

3. Utah State University

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers free online materials for several courses that explore environmental planning and the design and construction of physical works.

4. University of Virginia

Green Building Techniques, Sustainable Cities, and Rebuilding New Orleans are just a few of many audio lectures offered by the Architecture School at the University of Virginia. Listen to UVA's esteemed professors now, or download the audio files to listen to later.

5. Architecture on Air

The College of Architecture at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte has teamed with iTunes to produce a unique series of podcast interviews. Each 45-minute interview features a respected professor exploring questions posed by students. The lecture series covers architecture, history, theory, industrial design, urbanism, architecture in society, and the role of architects in contemporary culture.

6. University of Hong Kong

The University of Hong Kong offers several free online courses in sustainable architecture and energy-efficient design. The course materials are all in English.