Dive Brief:
- Udacity is launching an affordable data science degree program targeted at anyone with basic computer science skills just one day after the White House demanded more data scientists from U.S. colleges an universities.
- The White House's Wednesday announcement included the launch of a $37.8 million initiative, creating a partnership between New York University, University of California-Berkeley and the University of Washington to increase data science studies.
- Udacity's data science courses are co-developed by "leading industry experts," free to take with the option of paying (beginning at a few hundred dollars a month) for more instructional support, and range from advanced machine learning to big data analytics to computer programming.
Dive Insight:
Despite a stumble in its partnership with San Jose State University, Udacity is also the company that launched a $6,000 online master's degree in computer science with Georgia Tech and AT&T. It's only natural that the company could do the same thing for data science, and piggybacking the White House's big initiative is a great way to gain exposure for that offering.
Are they the first to offer data science classes solely online? No—but they could very well be the most accessible while providing the best return thus far. Fellow MOOC provider Coursera offers data science courses, but no set curriculum or degrees. Conversely, UC-Berkeley's online data science degree, offered in partnership with 2U, runs students a hefty $60,000.