2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

We have created a new innovative one-year (fall, spring, summer) graduate certificate degree program in computing for students with a bachelor's (or higher) degree and no background in computing. Technology is among the world's fastest-growing economic sectors, with some of the highest-paying jobs. Many groups (e.g., women, African-American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and people with disabilities) have historically been excluded from this opportunity. Our graduate certificate fills this opportunity gap by leveraging students' unique backgrounds and experiences to broaden the participation of computing professionals.

Our bridging program is fully online and employs a cohort-based learning model that provides students with a supportive community of engaged peers who meet at synchronous set times. The year-long 20-credit hour curriculum consists of eight classes on programming, data structures, and algorithms. Our program does not require programming experience or math beyond college algebra. Instead of prior STEM experience, knowledge of Calculus, and strong grades, our holistic application process requires students to respond to short essay questions concerning their motivation, professional goals, time commitment, prior academic performance, and working with people with different backgrounds.

The first cohort started with seven students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Fall 2020. Overall, we have had five cohorts where the latest cohort (Fall 20204) of 27 students will graduate starting in August 2025. The program has served over 100 students. For the 2022-2023 academic year, we had a retention rate of 91%. Of our program's 108 total students, 41% identify as female, 42% identify as a race/ethnicity that has been historically underrepresented in computing, and 57% come from an academic field other than STEM. Agewise, 54% of our students are in their 20s, 28% in their 30s, and 18% are 40+.

Within three semesters, our graduate certificate in computing program prepares students to successfully transition to the Master's in Computer Science (MCS) program at our university. 90% of our computing fundamentals graduates who apply to the MCS program at our university are admitted. The MCS program at our university is top-ranked and highly competitive. Among our 44 computing certificate graduates, 26 are currently enrolled in the MCS, and 9 have graduated with their MCS degree. Certificate computing graduates who enroll in the MCS represent a diverse cross-section across gender, race/ethnicity, and age.

Our new graduate certificate in computing is the first of its kind in our state from a large Midwestern public university. It provides a high-quality credential from a top-ranked computer science department.