Several Universities Will Partner With edX To Offer New Artificial Intelligence Boot Camp

edX, the online learning platform from 2U, Inc. is partnering with several leading U.S. universities to launch a new Artificial Intelligence Boot Camp. According to edX, the online program is designed for learners with little to no prior technical AI training who want to build the AI skills necessary for entry-level technical positions.

Classes are scheduled to begin in September 2023, at Michigan State University, the University of Denver, The Ohio State University College of Engineering, and Southern Methodist University.

Enrollment for these boot camps is now open at edX.org. The price varies, ranging from $11,245 to $12,745, but those who enroll in the pilot cohorts are being given a $1,000 discount.

Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, the University of Utah, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte will begin their first AI Boot Camp cohorts in November.

The part-time, 24-week boot camp program will include instruction and practice in several content areas, including data science, machine learning, and AI. The curriculum will cover technologies and basic concepts such as Python, transformers, natural language processing, AI applications, time series forecasting, and AI and data ethics.

“Every individual, irrespective of their profession or trade, stands to benefit from a fundamental understanding of AI–it is now a requisite literacy in our times,” said Anant Agarwal, Founder of edX, Chief Platform Officer at 2U, and former director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, in a news release.

Agarwal added, “the Artificial Intelligence Boot Camp with edX will help equip more people with the AI knowledge and skills necessary to augment their capabilities and ensure they’re harnessing the myriad opportunities unfolding in this fascinating and rapidly shifting technology.”

According to a recent survey of technical hiring managers commissioned by edX, while hiring managers expect almost half (42%) of all job candidates hired in the next five years will need AI skills, they also believe less than 20% currently have such skills. The survey also found strong demand for AI training among learners, with 82% saying they’ve researched AI-related higher education programs in the last six months.

“We have leveraged the edX platform through our partnership with 2U in developing innovative and affordable educational programs that serve the evolving needs of learners and employers,” said Michael J. Robertson, Assistant Provost for Global, Online & Continuing Education at Southern Methodist University, in the release. “By broadening our partnership to include the Artificial Intelligence Boot Camp, we’re helping equip individuals in Dallas and beyond with the tools to navigate and shape this new era of AI innovation while creating meaningful and rewarding careers pathways.”

The AI Boot Camp builds out edX’s current catalog of boot camp programs in coding, data science, cybersecurity, UX/UI, and fintech. A dozen Machine Learning and AI MicroBootCamps and five ChatGPT open courses are now available. The open courses, all free to audit, include Prompt Engineering Advanced ChatGPT, and ChatGPT for education, business, healthcare, and tech/coding/data.

edX was founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012 and was acquired by 2U in 2021 for $800 million. It partners with dozens of universities and companies to offer thousands of online courses, professional certificates, boot camps, credit-bearing micro credentials, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in programs that include technology, business, data science, healthcare, science, education, social work, and engineering. It estimates that enrollments in its various courses now top 100 million.