Real-world projects from industry experts
With real-world projects and immersive content built in partnership with top-tier companies, you’ll master the tech skills companies want.
Become an AWS Cloud Architect
Nanodegree Program
Lead your organization's cloud computing strategy as an AWS Cloud Architect. Plan, design, and build secure, high availability cloud infrastructure.
Estimated time
3 months
At 10 hours / week
Enroll by
May 31, 2023
Get access to the classroom immediately on enrollment
Skills acquired
AWS Availability Zones, Cloud Security in AWS, AWS IAM, Terraform
What you will learn
AWS Cloud Architect
3 months to completePlay a critical role in an organization’s cloud computing strategy as an AWS Cloud Architect. Learn to plan, design, and implement secure cloud infrastructure in AWS at scale. Begin by designing and building high availability infrastructure, and then move on to building scalable, secure, and cost-optimized architecture. Finally, explore and execute best practices and strategies around securing access to cloud services and infrastructure.
Prerequisite knowledge
Experience with Cloud Computing, Programming, and AWS.
Design for Availability, Reliability, and Resiliency
In this course, you will use the highly available constructs within AWS to create highly available and resilient systems and networks. Then, you will build with AWS services and understand their redundant capabilities. You will explore the connection between the technical aspects of these systems and business operations and objectives. Finally, you will practice what to do when things fail and how to handle these situations.
Design for Performance and Scalability
In this course, you will use AWS tools to identify and implement best practices for cost, and identify and understand the elements required to design and architect scalable infrastructure. You will be able to modify traditional infrastructure for performance, and identify architectures and workloads where serverless infrastructure should be considered to meet cost and performance goals. Finally, you will be able to provision and destroy infrastructure from the command line using the AWS CLI and Terraform.
Design for Security
In this course, you will explore best practices and strategies around securing access to cloud services and infrastructure. You will also use tools and methods available with public cloud ecosystems - such as AWS - to ensure that data stored in the cloud is protected. Finally, you will investigate security practices around monitoring and defending cloud based applications and environments.
All our programs include
Real-time support
On demand help. Receive instant help with your learning directly in the classroom. Stay on track and get unstuck.
Career services
You’ll have access to Github portfolio review and LinkedIn profile optimization to help you advance your career and land a high-paying role.
Flexible learning program
Tailor a learning plan that fits your busy life. Learn at your own pace and reach your personal goals on the schedule that works best for you.
Program offerings
Class content
- Real-world projects
- Project reviews
- Project feedback from experienced reviewers
Student services
- Student community
- Real-time support
Career services
- Github review
- Linkedin profile optimization
Succeed with personalized services.
We provide services customized for your needs at every step of your learning journey to ensure your success.
- Experienced Project Reviewers
- Real-Time Support
Get timely feedback on your projects.
- Personalized feedback
- Unlimited submissions and feedback loops
- Practical tips and industry best practices
- Additional suggested resources to improve
1,400+ project reviewers
2.7M projects reviewed
88/100 reviewer rating
1.1 hours avg project review turnaround time
Learn with the best.
Learn with the best.
Tom Verbiscer
Director of Engineering at Current MediaTom is a coach and builder specializing in creating, running, and advancing highly scalable, reliable, and flexible platforms. He is AWS Certified at the professional tier as both an AWS Solutions Architect, and DevOps Engineer.
Leslie Bell
Disaster Recovery Specialist at AonLeslie Bell is a Senior Solutions Architect specializing in IT Governance and Disaster Recovery. She has worked in technology across a number of industries, from scientific research, chemical analysis, transportation, to insurance to cloud-based infrastructure.
Mehdi Razvi
Senior Cloud Architect at NuEra Automotive SolutionsMehdi is a senior cloud architect and consultant based out of the Chicago area. He loves helping companies large and small build, deploy, and run their applications in the cloud. Most recently, he has worked with companies such as 2ndWatch and GuidePoint Security.
AWS Cloud Architect
Get started today
Learn
Lead your organization's cloud computing strategy as an AWS Cloud Architect. Plan, design and build secure, high availability cloud infrastructure.
Average Time
On average, successful students take 3 months to complete this program.
Benefits include
- Real-world projects from industry experts
- Real-time classroom support
- Career services
Program details
Program overview: Why should I take this program?
Why should I enroll?
With the global public cloud computing market topping $250 billion in 2019, and more than 80% of all organizations projected to migrate to the cloud by 2025, Cloud Computing is a massively growing business. Professionals with cloud architecture expertise, and the ability to design, build and migrate applications are in high demand, with over 13,000 open jobs in available worldwide. Cloud Architects are the drivers of an organization’s cloud architecture strategy, determining the best plan to build and deploy reliable, scalable, and secure cloud services.
With Udacity’s new AWS Cloud Architect Nanodegree program, you will learn to plan, design, and implement secure cloud infrastructure in AWS at scale. AWS is the world’s largest systems business and a Cloud Architect earns an average salary of $159,000!
A graduate of this program will be able to:
- Design and deploy a fault tolerant and resilient web service architecture in AWS.
- Monitor availability and simulate and test failure scenarios and recovery.
- Optimize cloud service infrastructure for cost and performance.
- Use Terraform to provision and configure AWS services in a global configuration.
- Evaluate a cloud environment’s security vulnerabilities.
- Apply best practices in cloud security to harden and secure the environment.
- Design a DevSecOps pipeline that will scan infrastructure as code, AMI and containers, and AWS cloud configuration for vulnerabilities.
What jobs will this program prepare me for?
This program is designed to prepare students to become AWS Cloud Architects. This includes job titles such as Cloud Infrastructure Architect, Cloud Solutions Architect, Solutions Architect, Hybrid Cloud Architect, AWS Engineer/Developer, DevOps Solutions Architect, Cloud Software Architect, and more. Cloud Architect skills are also helpful for adjacent computer systems architecture roles.
How do I know if this program is right for me?
If you are interested in leading the planning, designing, and implementation of secure cloud infrastructure in AWS at scale, and have some experience with Cloud Computing, then this program is right for you. You will begin by designing and building high availability infrastructure and then move on to building scalable, secure and cost optimized architecture.
Additional job titles and backgrounds that could be helpful include Cloud Developer, Cloud DevOps Engineer, Cloud Engineer, Software Engineer/Developer and more. Roles that involve web application development, cloud computing, and networking will help you have the requisite experience to succeed in this program.
Enrollment and admission
Do I need to apply? What are the admission criteria?
There is no application. This Nanodegree program accepts everyone, regardless of experience and specific background.
What are the prerequisites for enrollment?
To be best prepared to succeed in this program, you should have experience with:
- Web Development (HTML, CSS)
- Object-Oriented Programming
- Linux Command Line Basics
- Have 1-2 years of experience in developing apps or managing cloud infrastructure that have been deployed using AWS.
- Basic understanding of and some hands on experience using compute, networking, storage, and database AWS services.
- Familiarity with concepts related to web application architecture, hosting, infrastructure, and components (e.g. web servers and databases, SSL certificates, CDN etc).
- Equivalent experience to having completed the Cloud DevOps Engineer Nanodegree program or the Cloud Developer Nanodegree program.
If I do not meet the requirements to enroll, what should I do?
To best prepare for this program, we recommend the Cloud DevOps Engineer Nanodegree program or the Cloud Developer Nanodegree program.
Tuition and term of program
How is this Nanodegree program structured?
The AWS Cloud Architect Nanodegree program is comprised of content and curriculum to support three projects. Once you subscribe to a Nanodegree program, you will have access to the content and services for the length of time specified by your subscription. We estimate that students can complete the program in three months, working 10 hours per week.
Each project will be reviewed by the Udacity reviewer network. Feedback will be provided and if you do not pass the project, you will be asked to resubmit the project until it passes.
How long is this Nanodegree program?
You will have access to this Nanodegree program for as long as your subscription remains active. The estimated time to complete this program can be found on the webpage and in the syllabus, and is based on the average amount of time we project that it takes a student to complete the projects and coursework. See the Terms of Use and FAQs for other policies regarding the terms of access to our Nanodegree programs.
Can I switch my start date? Can I get a refund?
Please see the Udacity Program FAQs for policies on enrollment in our programs.
Software and hardware: What do I need for this program?
What software and versions will I need in this program?
For this Nanodegree program, you will need a desktop or laptop computer running recent versions of Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux and an unmetered broadband Internet connection. For an ideal learning experience, a computer with Mac or Linux OS is recommended.
You will use: AWS CLI, AWS CloudFormation, Terraform, Lucidchart or other diagramming software, and Github in this Nanodegree program.