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30 Insane College Courses That Will Have You Itching to Go Back to School

Aug 25, 2010 01:00 PM

PopSci has compiled an amazing list of 30 college labs that would tempt anybody to re-enroll. If you know any high school juniors or prospective grad students, pass this along. They just might reconsider their initial choices.

30 courses are pictured below, click through to PopSci's 30 Coolest College Courses in the Country for descriptions.

Missouri University of Science and Technology: Experimental Mine

Career: Industrial demolitions

Learn to: Blow things up extremely well

Firefighters preparing for a rescue operation in a high-heat environment.

George Washington University: National Crash Analysis Center

Career: Safety engineer

Learn to: Propel a sedan at 60 mph into a roadside planter

Workers in orange jumpsuits on industrial machinery with smoke and debris.

University of Alabama at Huntsville: Propulsion Research Center

Career: Rocket scientist

Learn to: Make things that go very fast and very far

University students launching a rocket in a field.

Northern Kentucky University: Barton Lab

Career: Geologist

Learn to: Study Martian living conditions here on Earth

Cave explorers examining stalactites and stalagmites in a limestone cave.

University of Maryland: Space Systems Laboratory

Career: Spacesuit designer

Learn to: Test out new astronaut gear in zero gravity

Indoor swimming pool area with diving boards and training equipment.

Colorado State University: Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory

Career: Mechanical engineer

Learn to: Make a 2,300hp engine stronger and cleaner

Manufacturing facility with workers operating machinery and equipment.

Texas Tech University: Wind Science and Engineering Research Center

Career: Atmospheric scientist

Learn to: Hurl planks at walls to measure hurricane damage

Demonstration of a brick wall being breached with debris flying.

Cornell University: Game Design Initiative

Career: Videogame designer

Learn to: Create your own game

Data center with rows of server racks.

University of California at Merced: Dawson Lab

Career: Marine biologist

Learn to: Dive with jellyfish

Diver observing a jellyfish underwater at night.

Carnegie Mellon University: Robotics Institute

Career: Robot designer

Learn to: Construct autonomous SUVs

Two individuals working together at a computer in a workshop setting.

New College Florida: Peruvian Amazon Field Course

Career: Rainforest biologist

Learn to: Follow rare animals up 150-foot trees

Person engaging in canopy climbing among lush trees in a forest.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Toy Lab

Career: Toy designer

Learn to: Build toys and test them on actual kids

Group of people posing playfully in a workshop with various tools and equipment.

University of Florida: Lightning Research Laboratory

Career: Building lightning-resistant objects

Learn to: Catch lightning—millions of volts of it

Lightning striking a tower under dark storm clouds.

Montana State University: Subzero Science and Engineering Laboratory

Career: Antarctic explorer

Learn to: Look for life in 250,000-year-old ice cores

Two men using a snow gauge in a snowy landscape.

Stanford University: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Career: Condensed-matter physicist

Learn to: Capture 3-D images of molecules using powerful x-rays

Industrial research facility with advanced machinery and equipment.

University of California at Berkeley: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Career: Alien hunter

Learn to: Create software that looks for signs of extraterrestrials

Satellite dish on a mount against a cloudy sky.

Utah State University: Center for Integrated BioSystems

Career: Genetic engineer

Learn to: Clone a mule

Two scientists smiling and working together in a laboratory setting.

New York University: Interactive Telecommunications Program

Career: Interactive artist

Learn to: Design interactive videos for a 120-foot screen

People observing a large, illuminated aquarium display in a modern indoor setting.

Stanford University: Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability

Career: Development entrepreneur

Learn to: Build low-cost incubators for premature babies in Nepal

Two men smiling and holding green lanterns outdoors, with a thatched roof structure in the background.

New Mexico Tech: Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center

Career: Bomb expert

Learn to: Create your own diamonds, using tons of explosives

People examining wreckage in a barren landscape.

University of Houston: Sasakawa Intl Center for Space Architecture

Career: Space architect

Learn to: Design lunar pods for NASA

Futuristic Mars habitat model with a Martian landscape backdrop.

Colorado School of Mines: Humanitarian Engineering Program

Career: Globe-trotting engineer

Learn to: Generate electricity for rural villages in Ecuador

Installation of a water distribution system with community members observing.

UC San Diego: CA Institute of Telecommunications & Info Technology

Career: Virtual archaeologist

Learn to: Excavate a fortress in Jordan using virtual reality

Two individuals interacting with a virtual reality display of a 3D construction or excavation site.

College for Creative Studies: Transportation Design

Career: Mass-transit designer

Learn to: Design a hydrogen-fueled car with wind turbines attached

Futuristic concept car with a sleek design and unique wheel structure.

U.S. Geological Survey: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

Career: Geophysicist

Learn to: Measure lava flow on volcanoes

Lava flow being manipulated by a person in protective gear.

Penn State Univ.: Humanitarian Engineering & Social Entrepreneuriship

Career: Community-based engineer

Learn to: Create biodiesel fuel—in Kenya

Worker welding a blue metal barrel on a stand.

University of Hawaii at Manoa: Marine Option Program

Career: Scientific Diver

Learn to: Tag animals near a coral reef in Hawaii

Diver conducting underwater research on a coral reef.

North Carolina State University: Forensic Analysis Lab

Career: Forensic investigator

Learn to: Analyze human remains

Group of students studying human anatomy in a laboratory setting.

University of Wisconsin: Wisconsin National Primate Research Center

Career: Stem-cell researcher

Learn to: Observe monkeys for biomedical research

Laboratory technicians working in a biohazard containment area.

Boston University: National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory

Career: Bird-flu researcher

Learn to: Study pathogens with leading infectious-disease specialists

Petri dish with bacterial culture exhibiting various colors and growth patterns.

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