Degrees of separation

Elite universities abroad offer great online courses. Is it really the same as spending multiple semesters on campus?

- Urvee Modwel

Who wouldn't want Harvard, Cornell or MIT on their CV? As more international universities offer online certificate courses - from Digital Marketing and Economics for Managers to Artificial Intelligence – those hallowed hallways are at least virtually within reach. Sure, they're expensive (course fees alone start at Rs 1 lakh). Is it worth the time, money and trouble?

Online courses offer students flexibility - great for anyone juggling studies and work. Shubhika Bilgrami, 33, a knowledge professional at a consulting firm in the Middle East, took the six-week Beyond Smart Cities course by MIT in 2021. She found it intense but manageable. "There was one module every week," says Bilgrami, whose company sponsored the Rs 1.18 lakh course. "It took eight to 10 hours per week, and could be paced as we wanted."