As a lifelong learner, your journey of discovery is ongoing. To ensure you’re able to make the best choices to achieve your unique life and career goals, our Nanodegree programs are organized into schools that offer clear roadmaps to success.
Is there such a thing as too much choice? When it comes to learning, we don’t think so. But, having a wide range of learning options at your disposal can make charting your own path to career success complicated. Each of us brings a unique set of skills and experience to the table, each of us has our own unique sense of work values, and each of us aims to represent a unique value to prospective employers. But even with a clear end goal in sight, it can be challenging to determine what exactly you need to do to reach your career goals.
With 30 different Nanodegree programs available, Udacity offers a wide range of learning opportunities. But how do you know what to take, and when to take it?
That’s where Udacity’s “Schools” can help!
To help you navigate our catalog, find the programs that align with your goals, and identify the points-of-entry that are right for your skills and experience, our programs are organized into five different “schools”:
- The Udacity School of Artificial Intelligence
- The Udacity School of Autonomous Systems
- The Udacity School of Business
- The Udacity School of Data Science
- The Udacity School of Programming
Each school offers a range of programs. Some are for beginners, and some are for advanced learners. Some are optimized for those looking to execute full-scale career changes, others are ideal for learners looking to enhance their existing skill sets. Still others are designed for job seekers eager to establish their fundamentals, while certain programs offer advanced specializations for career professionals aiming to take their skills to new levels.
Let’s take a closer look at each school, to better understand what’s on offer, and to help you chart your own path to career success.
The School of AI
Artificial Intelligence is one of the most exciting areas of study in the world today. Virtually every industry will be impacted by developments in the field, and there is incredible demand for qualified AI talent across the entire hiring landscape. Whether you want to pursue a full-time career in Artificial Intelligence, add specialized AI knowledge to your existing skill set, or simply start learning the fundamentals of one of our world’s most transformational technologies, there is a program for you at Udacity.
If you’re new to AI, and want to quickly start learning AI essentials, consider our AI Programming with Python Nanodegree program. Within just three months, you’ll be coding in Python and building your first neural network.
If you already possess some Python and statistics experience, and are eager to start mastering the most important AI techniques, we recommend exploring our Deep Learning Nanodegree program. It’s one of the hottest fields in AI, and there is tremendous demand for individuals with deep learning skills. In this program, you’ll master TensorFlow, and learn Generative Adversarial Networks (Gans) from their inventor, Ian Goodfellow.
If you want to get on the fast-track to an AI job, the Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree program could be ideal for you. Machine learning is the fastest-growing AI career path today, and in this program, you’ll build an amazing GitHub portfolio of projects that will clearly demonstrate your new skills to prospective employers.
If you already have some AI expertise, and want to expand your toolkit into the most cutting-edge fields, you can choose from a number of options, including our Deep Reinforcement Learning Nanodegree program, where you’ll learn the technology that DeepMind’s team famously used to power its AlphaGo Zero engine.
If you’re eager to start applying advanced AI techniques directly to some of the world’s toughest challenges, consider our Computer Vision and Natural Language Processing Nanodegree programs. From building self-driving cars to smart assistants, these programs are built with industry leaders like NVIDIA and Amazon Alexa, to help you put AI to immediate use in the real-world.
One of the most compelling learning experiences in the entire School of Artificial Intelligence is the opportunity to learn AI directly from experts like Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig. You can do so in our Artificial Intelligence Nanodegree program, where you’ll master the techniques used in the NASA Mars Rover and DeepMind’s AlphaGo agent.
The newest offering in our School of Artificial Intelligence is the Artificial Intelligence for Trading Nanodegree program. In this program, you’ll analyze real data and build financial models for trading. Whether you want to pursue a new job in finance, launch yourself on the path to a quant trading career, or master the latest AI applications in quantitative finance, this program offers you the opportunity to master valuable data and AI skills.
The School of Autonomous Systems
The School of Autonomous Systems offers a comprehensive learning experience for anyone who wants to land a specific job in the autonomous systems field, or who wants to master core autonomous systems tools and technologies to augment their existing skill sets, and to apply these skills in related fields.
If you’re pursuing specific career outcomes, the School of Autonomous Systems offers end-to-end learning paths—from beginner to advanced—that target three specific roles: Self-Driving Car Engineer, Flying Car Engineer, and Robotics Software Engineer. Our programs are designed to prepare you for these roles based on your unique career goals, and your current skills and experience levels.
For those of you who wish to master core autonomous systems tools such as ROS, TensorFlow, Keras, Kalman Filters, C++, and Python; concepts such as Neural Networks, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning; and applications such as Computer Vision, Localization, Path Planning, and Control, we offer a range of options that run the gamut from foundational instruction to advanced specializations.
If you do not yet possess basic programming skills, we recommend first completing our Intro to Programming Nanodegree program. Once you’ve graduated from this program, you can then either take our free Self-Driving Fundamentals with Baidu course—if you’re still exploring a possible future in this field—or enroll directly in our Intro to Self-Driving Cars Nanodegree program, to start building your autonomous systems career. Graduates of the Intro to Self-Driving Car Nanodegree program earn guaranteed admission into one of our advanced programs.
For those who already possess the necessary prerequisites for advanced study, you can enroll in the program that targets your chosen career path, and immediately begin mastering the skills that will qualify you to land a rewarding job as either a Self-Driving Car, Flying Car, or Robotics Software Engineer.
The School of Business
Modern business objectives, across virtually all fields, are achieved through the intelligent use of data and analytics as applied to user research, product design, distribution, analysis, and strategy. The Nanodegree programs in Udacity’s School of Business combine to offer foundational grounding in the core skills, tools, and techniques of modern business.
Whether you’re just getting started in business, seeking to advance a career as a digital marketer, product designer, or business analyst, or looking to augment your current roster of skills with the latest business tools, the programs in this school offer you the opportunity to rapidly and efficiently prepare for a successful business career.
If you’re looking to launch or advance a digital marketing career, our Digital Marketing Nanodegree Program is the ideal way to acquire a valuable, 360-degree understanding of the entire digital marketing ecosystem. You’ll master platform-specific skills valued by top employers, and run live campaigns on major marketing platforms. You’ll learn and apply new techniques, analyze results, produce actionable insights, and build a dynamic portfolio of work. You’ll learn from curriculum built with industry leaders like Facebook, Google, Hootsuite, Hubspot, and more.
If your focus is on learning how to bring better products to market faster, then we recommend exploring our Design Sprint Foundations Nanodegree Program. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to master the revolutionary Design Sprint process used by the most innovative brands in the world. Graduates of this program emerge fully ready to leverage the efficacy of this process in the workplace, with peers, and as independent collaborators. In this program, you’ll work on an actual Design Sprint. You’ll define a challenge, devise solutions, prototype, and draw conclusions from user-testing.
If you’d like to become an adept specialist with one of the most important tools in the digital business landscape, consider our Google AdWords Nanodegree program. Nearly 80 billion dollars was spent on Google AdWords (now Google Ads) in 2016, and mastering this critical advertising tool is a key competitive differentiator for anyone seeking to advance their career in this valuable field. You’ll gain an in-depth understanding of all aspects of Google Ads, including Search, Display, Video, Shopping, and App advertising. You’ll also be ready to earn Google AdWords Certification, as an extra layer of accomplishment.
Udacity’s School of Business also offers excellent learning options for those who want to start gaining foundational data skills that are applicable to virtually any field. In the Business Analytics Nanodegree program, you’ll learn to collect, organize, and analyze data using Excel, SQL, and Tableau, and you’ll explore how to make data-driven decisions.
The Predictive Analytics for Business Nanodegree program is ideal for anyone interested in pursuing a career as a business analyst, who is not currently looking to add programming to their skillset. In this program, you’ll learn to apply predictive analytics and business intelligence to solve real-world business problems. You’ll do so by building fluency in two leading software packages: Alteryx, a tool that enables you to prepare and analyze data quickly; and Tableau, a powerful data visualization tool.
The School of Data Science
Udacity’s School of Data Science is organized around three main roles: Business Analyst, Data Analyst, and Data Scientist. The programs in this school are designed to prepare you for these roles based on your career goals, and your current skills and experience levels.
The School of Data Science offers two different, and clearly-defined, career paths. These paths are differentiated by whether they focus on developing programming skills or not. Each path features a certain number of “steps” to reach the point where you are qualified for the intended role.
The non-programming path is best for students who wish to pursue career roles in data, without adding and/or relying on programming skills to do so. There is one career role for you to target on this path: Business Analyst. Business Analysts are in high demand, and graduates who complete their studies on this path emerge fully qualified to apply for these roles.
If you’re at the beginner level, you’ll want to enroll in the Business Analytics Nanodegree program first. This program is an ideal choice whether you’re just getting started with data, are interested in applying data skills to a current role, or plan to pursue advanced studies and career roles.
When you’re ready to take your skills to the next level, and start focusing on career opportunities, you’ll want to enroll in the Predictive Analytics for Business Nanodegree program. In this program, you’ll use sophisticated techniques to wrangle and segment your data, learn to set up and analyze a/b tests to make data-driven decisions; and practice predicting business outcomes like product launches and default risk.
This programming path is for students who wish to pursue career roles in data, and who wish to incorporate relevant programming skills into their skill set. There are two career roles for you to target on this path: Data Analyst, which is a two-step path, and Data Scientist, which is a three-step path.
Step one of the programming path is the Programming for Data Science Nanodegree program. Here, you’ll learn the most valuable programming tools and languages used by data professionals today. You’ll manipulate large datasets, perform version control, and access modern databases using Python, SQL, the Terminal, and Git.
This program is ideal to launch a career in data, or augment existing analysis skills.
Step two is the Data Analyst Nanodegree program. In this program, you’ll learn to use Python, SQL, and statistics to uncover insights, communicate critical findings, and create data-driven solutions. After graduating, you’ll be full prepared for Data Analyst roles.
If you wish to pursue Data Scientist roles, you’ll want to continue to the third step, and enroll in our Data Scientist Nanodegree program. Data Scientists possess advanced skills, and use cutting-edge techniques like machine learning to do their work. In this program, you’ll build effective machine learning models, and learn to run data pipelines, design experiments, build recommendation systems, and deploy solutions to the cloud.
The School of Programming
Programming is a critical skill in today’s economy, and there is an acute shortage of qualified developers across virtually all fields. Whether you’re new to coding, looking to add more skills, or are focused on taking your career to new heights, the programs in this school will help you prepare you for your ideal developer job.
If you’re brand-new to the world of programming, then we recommend our Intro to Programming Nanodegree program as the perfect place to get started. There are no prerequisites to enroll, and the program provides a strong foundation for developing a programming mindset, and an understanding of different tools you’ll need. This represents your first step towards careers in Web and App Development, Machine Learning, Data Science, AI, and more! You’ll learn HTML, CSS, Python, and JavaScript, and establish a solid programming foundation.
If you’re ready to start pursuing a role as a web developer, we have a range of options for you. If you’re interested in the interactions and user experience of a website, you might consider the Front-End Developer Nanodegree program. And if you’re interested in taking that interest one step further into database management and launching a full web application, the Full Stack Nanodegree program is an ideal next step.
If your interest lies with mobile development, we offer two tiers of Android learning. In our Android Basics Nanodegree program, you’ll learn Android programming basics with curriculum developed in collaboration with Google, and no programming experience is required to enroll. Upon completing this program, you’ll be ready for the Android Developer Nanodegree program, where you can advance your Android Developer skills, and gain a working knowledge of Java development best practices, in order to become an Android specialist.
We also offer our iOS Developer Nanodegree program. Whether you’re already a skilled developer, or still largely new to programming, you’ll learn to program in Swift, and then create and publish your first iOS apps apps from scratch.
The School of Programming additionally offers opportunities to specialize in cutting-edge fields like Cybersecurity and Blockchain, and to master highly in-demand developer skills like React.
“The pathway to educational excellence lies within each school.”—Terrence E. Deal
As a lifelong learner, your journey of discovery is ongoing, and your path will take many exciting twists and turns along the way. Our hope is that, through our offerings, Udacity can play a role in your story, and help support your pursuit of excellent in your life and career. Come explore our schools today, and discover all that lies within them!
