Seven Years In: Evolving to Meet the Needs of Future Tech Professionals
Elisabeth Stade, Faculty Director
The Computer Science Post-Baccalaureate program at CU Boulder launched in 2018, and in the seven years since, we’ve learned a great deal about supporting adult learners. This year, we took the opportunity to refine key aspects of the program to better align with students’ career goals and enhance the overall experience. Beginning this fall, we are making important updates to course pathways, our academic calendar, billing processes and the learning management system—all designed to support students’ success in the years ahead.
New course pathways
We are introducing five new course pathways to help students select the courses that best match their educational and professional goals. Each pathway consists of four courses that work together to help students pursue outcomes such as gaining an internship, preparing for graduate school or acquiring specialized skills in data science or artificial intelligence.
Program administrative move
Our program administration recently moved to the Division of Continuing Education, CU Boulder’s centralized hub for online learning. While this change won’t affect most aspects of the student experience, tuition will now be billed through CU Boulder Online and Continuing Education. Program courses will also appear in the CU Class Search with “Continuing Education” as the listed campus.
Updated academic calendar
Since the program’s inception, we have followed CU Boulder’s traditional semester calendar. However, the shorter summer term and limited breaks between semesters have made it difficult for students to maintain consistent pacing and balance their personal responsibilities.
To better support our learning community, we are introducing a 13-week semester format beginning in fall 2025. All semesters—including summer—will follow this new schedule. This change will help us dive deeper into essential learning goals, align with the on-campus curriculum, streamline content and reduce student burnout by creating more space between terms.
Transition to Canvas
We are also transitioning from Moodle to Canvas, CU Boulder’s official learning management system. This transition began with six to eight courses in summer 2025 and will be fully implemented by fall. Canvas offers a more modern, accessible and user-friendly platform for students. A Canvas orientation is available to help students make a smooth transition. Please contact the program manager, Devon Johnson, for more information.
Rooted in quality, ready for what’s next
Despite these changes, what remains unchanged is the quality and prestige of the program, which is and will continue to be run by the Department of Computer Science within the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado Boulder.
We’re excited for what’s ahead and honored to support our students’ journey into computing. Whether they’re just beginning or nearing the finish line, we thank our students for being part of this vibrant learning community.