Georgia Tech Massively Online Master’s
Degree in Computer Science
This document describes a new online degree offered by Georgia Tech in
partnership with Udacity, Inc. and AT&T. This program re-defines a number of
cornerstones of traditional higher education: access, admissions, costs, delivery, and
path to employment. It will serve as a new, highly accessible pathway for highly
skilled students, and provide those students with high-quality contemporary
education.
This new program leverages recent innovations known as “MOOCs,” or Massively
Open Online Courses. These technologies and associated services are bringing scale
to education, not dissimilar to the ways Henry Ford brought scale to manufacturing
a century ago. As a result, this program radically re-defines quality, access, and costs
of higher education.
1. Project Summary
A. The Mission of this project is to bring affordable high quality post-graduate
computer science education to everyone with digital network access. Today’s
leading institutes of higher education are highly inaccessible: they only admit
small numbers of students, they require students to locate near a physical
campus, and the cost of tuition renders their programs out of reach for most
willing learners. This project seeks to fundamentally change this. Our vision
is to make high-quality post-graduate computer science education available
to everyone, and to provide entirely new pathways to certification and
employment. This program will be the world’s first affordable and open
degree program, offered by a top ten-computer science department.
B. Market size: At present, around 160,000 Master’s degrees are bestowed in
the US every year, in computer science and related subject disciplines; the
world-wide market is approximately four times as large. We conjecture that
the present structure is vastly underserving the market. At top US
institutions such as Georgia Tech, the fees for these programs are north of
$40,000. Strict admissions requirements limit the number of applicants that
can be considered. In contrast, recent online offerings by Udacity and others
routinely attract over 100,000 students into computer science courses;
however, completion rates for free courses tend to be very low. We
conjecture that the world-wide market for certified graduate-level computer
science education is at least 2M students, with a potential to grow to 50M
students. We will conduct market research in the first year to check these
estimates and help target our course offerings.
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C. Value proposition: This program enables Georgia Tech, Udacity and AT&T to
define a new era in education, by increasing reach by a factor of 1,000 or
more (when compared to on-campus initiatives). All three organizations
have a commitment to accessible education, thought leadership, and
innovation. This program will provide new pathways to identify and educate
future and present employees. Georgia Tech and Udacity will make available
to our corporate partners like AT&T the names and contact information of
top-performing students, with those students’ consent. The program,
through its technological delivery and quality standards, is seen as a
stimulant to revolutionize education at all grade levels throughout the
country.
2. Project Description
D. Program Name: The name of the program is the “Georgia Tech Massively
Online Master’s Degree in Computer Science.” Udacity will be Georgia Tech’s
partner in production, delivery, and student services for the degree, and
AT&T will be the corporate partner, providing underwriting, technology
access and products at inception as well as evolving platform service
support, and being a source for content, marketing and possible employment.
E. Distinctive Position in the Market Place: The program will be unique in its
access and costs. Relative to competing offerings by peer institutions, the
tuition cost to the student will be about 10% of today’s best practice. Further,
by removing the ceiling on the number of students who can be
accommodated, and basing admission on performance in classes rather than
on standardized tests, we can welcome students who would not otherwise be
admitted, and give them an opportunity to earn a master’s degree. These
unique features suggest a strong differentiation to existing programs. (We
note that Udacity’s open online computer science programs have hitherto
attracted over 500,000 students, largely from developing countries, even in
the absence of a credible certificate and a new career path.)
F. Degrees: We intend to offer a Master’s degree in computer science for a
selected group of students who are successfully admitted and meet all
requirements of this program. The basic content will also be available free of
charge but not for Georgia Tech credit (as a MOOC – or massively open online
course).
G. Certificates: Students who do not meet the requirements (pre-requisites) for
admission into the formal degree plan may still apply for admission into the
program. The courses would also be about 10% of today’s costs. Upon
successful completion of each course, the student would be awarded a
Certificate of Course Completion by Udacity/Georgia Tech. If all courses are
completed, a Certificate of Curriculum Completion would be awarded.
Adding this option of certification of course completion from paying students
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not meeting pre-requisites would be a significant stimulant to the talent
pipeline. Top tier students from 2-year colleges, or careered students could
gain computer science mastery and be eligible for additional employment
options. If program capacity restricts this in the initial offering, it could be
signaled in the announcement and offered at a later time as noted below in
point S.d.]
H. Traditional MOOC: Students who do not want to pursue a degree or a course
completion certificate may choose to take courses free of charge. Some
students may not be after a certificate but only want some additional
computer science education without course expense. This option will
provide that opportunity. However, a student may not request retroactive
credit for those courses should they decide to seek a degree later.
I. Time to completion: The time to complete the 12-course on-campus degree is
18 months, assuming full time enrollment. Students in Georgia Tech College
of Computing Distance Learning MS programs generally take classes half
time, so the typical time to completion for students in this new plan would
probably be 36 months. The program can be completed over a longer time
period for working students — up to 6 years — who need greater flexibility.
The courses are usually three credits and last 15 weeks. Enrollment may
start at multiple times during the year.
J. Prerequisites and Eligibility: Formal admission into the Master’s program
will require a BSc degree in computer science from an accredited institution;
or a related BSc degree with a possible need to take and pass remedial
courses. Formal admission will also require the selection through a graduate
admission committee that will meet periodically.
K. Faculty governance: A committee of Georgia Tech College of Computing
faculty will oversee the quality of the program and advise on the course
offerings. The chair of this committee will report to the Dean. The Dean will
have ultimate responsibility for all program decisions.
L. Financial requirements: Our goal is that tuition for the Master’s degree will
be around $4,000 for the entire program. We are currently conducting a
financial analysis to arrive at the tuition. The cost per course may vary based
on the level of instructor involvement. The purchase of text books may be
required, although every effort will be made to make for-pay textbooks
optional.
M. IT Requirements: Students need access to broadband-accessible devices
(smart phones, tablets, PCs) and a contemporary browser. Most browsers are
supported.
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N. Relationship between Georgia Tech and Udacity: Both institutions create the
program as partners; it will be co-branded using both names with equal
prominence. Georgia Tech provides academic oversight, instructors,
curriculum, instruction, exams, certification, and degrees. Udacity provides
the underlying technology, assists in the creation of the online instructions,
and provides student services (helpline, grading support, proctored exams).
Revenue will be split between both institutions.
O. Relationship of AT&T to program: AT&T will be the founding corporate
partner, underwriting the majority of funding required for program launch.
AT&T will provide students for the course as detailed separately in this
document, covering their expense under a separate employee tuition
program. AT&T also will 1) help design and offer a corporate project for
credit, and be a source from which to draw curriculum content and guest
instructors (all subject to GT curriculum committee approval), 2) provide
communications connectivity, hosting products and other technical
capabilities in concert with the partners, 3) provide program marketing
counsel, 4) have the opportunity to interview select graduates for possible
employment. AT&T brand/credit will appear along with brands of the other
partners on appropriate program materials available to the student
population as well to the external market and media.
P. Pilot size: Initially the program will be limited to 300 students; with up to
150 slots assigned to AT&T in this initial period. The size of enrollment and
slots assigned to AT&T may be increased as the program is being developed.
Q. Number of courses: This degree requires 12 three-credit courses; and
instructors have been identified. The objective is to build up the number of
courses to about 20, to offer student choice in different specialization
pathways.
R. AT&T Content: The inclusion of AT&T content has to be coordinated with
individual instructors, and requires further conversations. AT&T is free to
work with Udacity on courses that address specific workforce needs (as
Udacity already works with several leading tech companies, such as Google
and Microsoft). The inclusion of such courses into the program will require
approval by the Georgia Tech curriculum committee and may place
additional requirements on these courses.
S. Student Application Process: Admissions into the Master’s program will take
on a periodic basis, and students have to furnish materials commonly
required for graduate admissions (prior degrees, transcripts, etc.). The
admission application need not include scores on standardized tests.
However, Georgia Tech will admit successful applicants with special/nondegree-seeking standing and will ask them to pass designated courses in this
program prior to being granted degree-seeking standing.
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T. Acceptance and Rejections: Students who are accepted into the actual
Master’s program are notified and given directions on how to enroll.
U. Other ideas under consideration: We are exploring the possibilities of (a)
creating 1-hour courses that take as few as 5 weeks, including courses of
professional or practical interest, shorter than our standard 3-hour courses
that last 15 weeks; (b) making a project option available to corporate
sponsors, allowing their employees to complete a project — equivalent to 3
courses and reducing the course load by that amount — under the
supervision of a Georgia Tech College of Computing faculty member, possibly
with the co-supervision of a manager from the corporate sponsor; (c)
reducing the total number of courses required from 12 to 10, both for this
program and the on-campus program if we find that 10 courses is the
benchmark for our peer programs (this would require approval of the
faculty, Georgia Tech, and the Board of Regents); a cost per course of $400,
which would make the cost of a 10-course degree $4,000; (d) the creation
and appropriate labeling of a lesser credential for students who enter the
program and successfully complete some courses but do not wish to
complete the full degree.
3. Timeline and Milestones
Phase 0: Public announcement, pilot admissions
 Milestone 0a (April 2013): Public announcement and pilot sign-up
 Milestone 0b (April 2013): Program executive director hired at GaTech
 Milestone 0b (June 2013): Admissions decisions for initial pilot
Phase I: Initial Program Development (March -- September 2013).
 Development of 4 to 6 Courses in Computer Science:
- These courses represent some of the breadth of the specializations in
Georgia Tech’s MS in Computer Science. Students will be asked to choose
and pass two of these courses before admission: advanced operating
systems, networking, machine learning, software development process,
theory/algorithms
- Artificial Intelligence (equivalent to Georgia Tech’s CS 6601) with Georgia
Tech College of Computing adjunct professor Sebastian Thrun
 Recruitment of independent evaluator for quality control
 Milestone Ia (September 2013): 6 courses fully developed and ready for
launch; evaluator recruited
 Milestone Ib (September 2013): Program launch
Phase II: Continued Program Development (October 2013 – April 2014)
 Development of 4 to 6 additional Courses
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
- Possibilities: computational journalism, computer vision, data and visual
analytics, high-performance computing, multi-robot systems, network
security
Milestone II (April 2013): Program development complete
Phase III: Open Enrollment and Rolling Admissions
 Milestone III (date tbd, may be in 2013): Open enrollment
4. Project Outcomes
The primary outcome of this project is the development of a degree program by
which students acquire proficiency and competency in computer science that equals
the level of achievement for present-day on campus Master’s students. When
graduates enter the workforce, they should have the knowledge and competency
typical for a top-notch Master’s student in computer science.
For students who enter the program and pass some classes but do not wish to
complete the degree, we will explore the creation of a credential that shows they
have acquired some subset of knowledge that may advance them in their
professional careers.
One important outcome will be the identification of new talent. This will be done
through monitoring student progress in the program. The College of Computing
assessment office will establish learning outcomes and criteria for assessing
students that will include traditional measures (e.g., exam performance) but also an
assessment of collaborative skills and “soft skills” (e.g., ability to work in teams;
ability to communicate). We will share the assessment data with the program
advisory board, and, with students’ consent, we will connect talented students to the
program sponsors.
5. Publicity and Marketing Plan
The initial publicity event is Milestone 0a (Section 3). All three partners (Georgia
Tech, Udacity, and AT&T) will hold a press conference at Georgia Tech, and invite
appropriate journalists (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and others). The
conference will be organized by the Outcast Agency in San Francisco, in
collaboration with AT&T’s and Georgia Tech’s media arms. The objective is to make
this program known and give it an aspiring spin, emphasizing innovation and access
of this new program, as well as the potential for revolutionizing education at all
levels throughout the nation. We would expect that the news will be carried on the
front page of the New York Times (or similar).
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The next publicity even will coincide with Milestone III. When the program opens up
for open enrollment, international media will be invited to another press
conference, location tbd.
Leading up to Milestone III will be a targeted marketing campaign to alert key
distribution channels to this new program (e.g., major colleges in India and the
Middle East). The main marketing campaign will follow immediately after Milestone
III. This campaign will be international, and attempt to reach hundreds of millions of
young students in the world. The details and cost remain to be worked out.
Although international reach is key, the impact of international students on the U.S.
talent pipeline is limited due to immigration constraints. Thus, in order to better
infuse the U.S. talent pipeline, a significant domestic marketing plan is critical. With
the new access this program offers, there is significant opportunity to not just
attract top tier students already in the CS tract from other universities, but to widen
the pipeline of CS talent by reaching students who would have never had the
financial means to complete a degree. Marketing program should capitalize on the
overall outcry for more U.S. STEM talent to fill the skills gap in Corporate America,
with a secondary emphasis on attracting more females into the discipline.
6. Financial Sustainability Plan
The project will be losing $3.4M in the time preceding open enrollment (Phases 0-II)
Beginning with Phase III, and assuming an enrollment of 3,000 (First year after
opening enrollment) increasing to 10,000; assuming a $4,800 tuition rate for the
entire program; assuming 4 hours of personalized mentoring time per student per
course; and assuming a 33% turnover of teaching materials every year, the program
will generate $1.9M in profits in Year 3, up to $12M profits in Year 3. Profits will be
larger with larger student enrollment. Also, secondary revenue (e.g., tuition for
students attending campus; referral fees) are not considered.
7. Project Financial Needs (Phase 0-II, limited enrollment)
V. Amount of request: Phase 0-II (1 Year): $2M. Georgia Tech and Udacity will
provide additional financing at the amount of $1.4M, for a total of $3.4M. The
details of the budget can be found in attached budget sheet, and is
summarized here:

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Content Creation (12 courses):
Instructor salary:
Student services:
Registrar, proctoring, etc:
Third party evaluation
Tuition income (300 students):
$ 2,000k
$ 1,500k
$ 540k
$ 220k
$ 100k
$-1,440k
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
TOTAL
$ 2,920k
No funds are requested for Phase III of this project, as it should be selffunded through tuition income at that time.
(Notwithstanding, AT&T may decide to fund the Udacity development of
supplemental courses that it sees fit for its own employment needs)
W. Operating Cost Percentage: Phase 0-II: 84% Fixed costs, 16% variable costs.
Phase III: 7% fixed costs with an enrollment of 10,000 students.
8. Population Served
At this point, this is difficult to predict. We anticipate that 2/3 of the students will be
international. We anticipate that 75% will be male – although we will make very
active attempts to improve gender balance. Udacity has a strong relationship with
inner-city schools in California, with high degrees of ethnic students. In our present
pilot, we believe over 50% of the students are of non-Caucasian background.
Udacity will leverage these relationships and actively recruit minorities into this
program. However, as a word of caution: a computer science degree tends to cater
more to male than female students. Together with Udacity and AT&T, the Georgia
Tech College of Computing will also develop a recruitment plan that leverages our
experience in recruiting women and underrepresented minorities.
9. Third-Party Evaluation
Georgia Tech will establish assessment criteria for students and courses and will
share them with the advisory board.
10. Board Of Directors
The Executive Director of this program will form an advisory board, on which AT&T
will get a seat. This board has a strictly advisory role to the Dean.
11. Tax ID and Status
Tax ID: 58-6002023, Non-Profit Agency of the State of Georgia, Tax-Exempt.
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