Dive Brief:
- No longer trying to tempt traditional students from higher education, Udacity's new model focuses on adults who have skills, but want to add new ones through intensive courses supported by the industry.
- The New York Times reports Udacity wants to teach millions of adults tech skills quickly, providing at least minimally recognized nanodegrees in five months, on average.
- The courses cost $200 per month for as long as students take to finish them and upon completion, Udacity reimburses half of the tuition cost.
Dive Insight:
Udacity, founded by former Stanford professor Sebastian Thrun, shifted its business model after the bubble of promise of massive open online courses burst. The company said it officially reached profitability in July.
It's too soon to tell how great an impact the company's new direction will have on the higher education sector, but developing courses with industry partners gives graduates an entry point to certain jobs, but not a full education. A computer science degree is one path to employment and a Udacity course in part designed by Google is another.