This affordable Ivy League degree doesn’t require any background in computer science and is a launchpad for pivoting into a career in tech.
In the US, there are currently 10 times more computing jobs available than there are students graduating with computer science degrees to fill them. Demand for specialized trained workers across all industries is growing rapidly. Efforts are being made to introduce computer literacy skills at a younger age, but there’s also a need to create better opportunities for adults who might want to make a significant change in their careers or upskill to meet the changing demands of their jobs.
At Coursera, we’ve heavily invested in online degrees to address this growing need. Today, we’re excited to launch the first Ivy League degree on Coursera. The University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Computer and Information Science has partnered exclusively with us to bring their on-campus Master of Computer and Information Technology program online. The MCIT Online is Penn Engineering’s first online master’s degree and the only Ivy League graduate computer science degree that has absolutely no computer science prerequisites. For the first time, anyone – even those with a degree outside the field of computer science – can pursue this valuable credential on their own time and from their own home.
As a part of our broader degree initiative, we’re partnering with leading universities around the world to make high-quality, affordable degrees more accessible than ever before. We’ve been overwhelmed by the popularity of these programs and are committed to continuing to build out the number of game-changing degrees available on our platform. Students are taking to them, too – our iMBA program from the University of Illinois recently graduated its first class and has a 93% rate of retention.
MCIT Online confers the same degree as the on-campus MCIT but at roughly a third of the cost ($26,300). The degree consists of six core courses and four electives and blends computer science theory and applied, project-based learning, and is available entirely on Coursera’s interactive platform. Students will be able to connect and collaborate with a diverse and inclusive community no matter where they are located in the world via our multi-platform learning experience. Over 80% of degree students on Coursera access their classes via our mobile app.
We’re proud to partner with Penn to build a new kind of degree. Students around the world can now pursue an Ivy League graduate diploma, while continuing to work and advance their careers. Building greater flexibility means greater access, and greater access means more opportunity for professionals everywhere.
The first cohort of the ten-course degree program will start in January 2019. Go here to learn more and apply now.