Udacity’s origin story begins with a pair of Stanford instructors who published their full Intro to Artificial Intelligence course curriculum online for anyone to learn from. The course catalog has now expanded to include over 50 educational offerings – called ‘Nanodegree Programs’. These are similar to other bootcamps in their technical intensiveness and focus on career readiness. However, all Udacity programs are self-paced rather than instructor-led, meaning there’s no set amount of time to complete a course. As soon as you sign up, you gain access to all course materials – videos, quizzes, project briefs, career support, and technical mentor support. It’s then up to you to set your own schedule to complete the material. When you’ve gotten through the full curriculum and met Udacity’s standards, you’ll receive a credential in your area of study.

Udacity splits their courses into six specialty schools, much like the structure of leading universities. These specialty schools are Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Systems, Business, Data Science, Programming, and Cloud Computing. Udacity also offers a library of free content for any user to learn from. However, you won’t receive a credential for completing only the free coursework.