Futures Studies (a community college program!)

Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland has an Institute for the Future: http://www.aacc.edu/future/ .

They are partnered with the World Future Society.

I don't know what they could do for a mid-career professional looking for a graduate credential, but this is still interesting. Clayton Christensen of Harvard Business School identified community colleges as being a "disruptive technology" for higher education. He defines "disruptive technologies" (more or less) as new technologies which encroach on the markets of more established technologies and usually do not outperform them but are able to find footholds in new and underserved markets, after which they grow, improve, and ultimately displace the established technologies. This will be interesting to watch.

Some info on AACC's Institute for the Future, from http://www.aacc.edu/future/ :

What does IF @ AACC do?

The Institute for the Future (IF) at Anne Arundel Community College seeks to be the local information and training source for information on the future. Learning programs, projects, research, and consulting will be in place to serve the needs of internal and external clients within the region served by Anne Arundel Community College. IF will be a conduit for connections with national and international groups that provide information on the future. IF would be positioned locally, nationally and internationally as a leader in working at the local level to enhance the understanding of the future and promote the use of this understanding in productive applications. Business, government, health-care, education and nonprofit organizations are some of the organizations able to use this information.

* Get a start with "The Art of Foresight" PDF
(Posted here with permission of our Partner the World Future Society)
* Find futures fast with our Practical Guide to the Future!
* Want to start a local futures institute? Here's a blueprint!