Software Development

Do you like building things? Do you like using apps and web sites but keep wanting to change them to work better? Do you like to experiment? You may not have a technical background, be a programmer, or know much about the web, but you are willing to work hard and to learn as you go. If this description fits you, the Software Development program may be for you.

This immersive online program will teach you front-end and full-stack software development. If you're a self-starter looking to dive into one of the fastest-growing careers out there, this program will teach you the skills that will guarantee you a job.

What Will You Do in This Program

Front-End Development:

Introduction to Website Development

In this course, you are an independent contractor who develops custom websites for small organizations. The Northside Youth Soccer League (NYSL) has hired you to develop a website for their soccer teams. You will work on this website on your own and will learn to use modern HTML and CSS to produce an attractive, informative multi-page website based on the client's requirements.

Introduction to JavaScript Development

In this course, you are a developer at Code of the Web, a small software shop that creates custom JavaScript-based web applications. Transparent Government in Fact, a non-partisan non-profit organization working to increase the public's involvement in government, has hired you to develop a Congressional tracking web site for them. You will work on this web application using modern JavaScript technologies including JQuery, AJAX, JSON, and RESTful APIs.

Mobile Web Application Development

In this course, you will again be an independent developer the Northside Youth Soccer League has hired to create an app to give their players and parents easy on-the-go access to the league's game schedules. To avoid the hassles of native apps, they would like this to be a mobile web app. You will design and develop the mobile web app, and will add features to the app that are specific to mobile devices, such as location-based features so parents can see where they are in relation to the soccer field.

Full-Stack Development

Java Development

In this course, you have been hired by a board game company looking to use their brand recognition to market online games with a retro touch. In particular, they want your team to create a multi-player online version of a Salvo-like game engine. Salvo was a pencil and paper game that was the basis for the popular Battleship game. The basic idea involves guessing where other players have hidden objects. This can be varied to create many different kinds of games with different user interfaces. Your job will be to create a front-end mobile-friendly web application that game players interact with, and a back-end game server to manage the games, scoring, and player profiles. You will use the Angular JavaScript library for the front-end client, and the Spring Boot framework for the Java-based RESTful web server.

Your Mentor

As you work, you will have constant access to a unique automated mentor, employing natural-language processing technology derived from our decades of artificial intelligence research. The automated mentor can provide immediate answers to most task-related student questions posed to it in plain English, and it can provide immediate feedback on your work. Of course, human mentors will still be available in those rare instances in which you need help with a unique problem. Automated mentoring will speed your progress through the program and will significantly lower the program's tuition cost, making preparation for a software development career more widely accessible.

You will be assigned to a small team made up of fellow students, and you will meet regularly in an online environment to discuss your work. A human mentor can join your group meeting, as required, to assist in solving unique problems.

Attend a Free Webinar

Click below to register for a free webinar to learn more and ask questions about this program.

REGISTER NOW

Try our Demo

See our immersive, story-centered curricula in action. This demo is actual content from an early task in this course.
Note: due to the technical nature of this course, this course is built for and best viewed on a laptop/desktop (not mobile).

Launch demo
Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this program.

Timeline

The Software Development Program is divided into two parts:
You can choose to attend:
- Full time (30 hours per week) for 24 weeks,
- Part time (15 hours per week) for 48 weeks.

Cost

The cost for this program is 
$7,900.
Financing available.
The program comes with our Employment Guarantee and is subject to our Refund Policy.
Financing available.

OUR PROMISE

You will get an offer for a full-time job, a contracting job, or paid internship working at least 35 hours per week within six months of successfully completing a certificate program.

If you voluntarily elect to accept a job working fewer than 35 hours per week and stops seeking full-time employment as a result, you will forfeit the employment guarantee.

If you meet the above criteria and do not receive a job offer within six months of completing the program you will be issued a refund for 100% of tuition you have paid.

At the conclusion of the first course of the Software Development program (three to four full-time weeks into the program), a committee of mentors will decide, based on your progress and quality of work, if you are likely to succeed in a professional career. If the committee decides that you are not, you can elect to leave the program with a 90% refund or to continue the program without an employment guarantee.

TO BE ELIGIBLE, YOU MUST:

Successfully complete the entire program, submitting work judged to be satisfactory by our mentors for all projects in the program.
Be 21 years or older.
Live in a top 20 metropolitan area of the USA or be willing to locate to one. Be eligible and willing to work in the USA.
Be proficient in English.
Develop and actively maintain a portfolio in Github.
Develop an acceptable professional resume and accompanying LinkedIn profile.
Be available for a minimum of 3 job interviews per week.
Apply for jobs with at least 8 prospective employers each week.
Submit any analytics challenges required for job applications promptly.
Accept any legitimate job offer meeting the conditions above.

Apply for this program