Almost every day, our department hears from people who want to come back to school for computer science. No doubt they’ve heard about the nearly 500,000 unfilled computing jobs in the U.S.
To help those people get the skills they need to enter the computing workforce, the University of Colorado Boulder has launched an online post-baccalaureate degree in applied computer science. The degree is tailored for people who already have a bachelor’s degree, but who may not have the prerequisites they need to pursue a graduate degree in computer science.
CU Boulder’s program is only the second of its kind in the U.S. It includes foundational coursework in topics like algorithms, programming languages and software development methods, as well as elective options in information visualization, data mining and more. The program can be completed in as little as one year for someone studying full time or three years for a part-time student.
This program is just as rigorous as our on-campus Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts, and taught by the same faculty. The only difference is we focus on core computer science classes so students can complete the degree – and find a great job in computing – as quickly as possible.
Dirk Grunwald is a professor in the Department of Computer Science and leads the Applied Computer Science post-baccalaureate program.