More colleges are partnering with boot camps to tap demand for short-term programs

Higher Ed Dive

Natalie Schwartz
February 1, 2021

Institutions are lending their credibility to outside education providers as they seek help keeping pace with fast-changing technical fields.

Coding boot camps have long been viewed as the antithesis of traditional higher education. They focus more heavily on technical training. Their programs usually last weeks instead of years. And they are mostly free from the heavy regulation that pervades the rest of the sector.
But recently, more of them have been joining forces with colleges and universities. This month, for instance, Flatiron School announced it is working with the University of Cambridge, in the U.K., to launch a 10-week data science program through the college’s continuing education department.
It’s one of several coding schools looking to collaborate more with colleges. Course Report, a coding boot camp review site, added 138 schools last year to its directory, said Liz Eggleston, its co-founder and editor. Around one-third were offered through universities.
“That’s not trivial,” Eggleston said.
Other data also points to a growing trend. Universities worldwide forged at least 73 partnerships with boot camps from January through September of last year, according to findings from market research firm HolonIQ. That’s up from 49 in all of 2019.

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