If you are, or know, a Montana student interested in studying computer science in college, I have good news for you! Now participants in CodeMontana can earn college credit within the Montana University system, putting them that much closer to a degree in a computer science field.
CodeMontana is partnering with Montana Tech to offer these college credits to Montana’s young programmers. The added opportunity the program now gives to its participants is incredible considering that this online program may transfer as an entry-level programming course for incoming freshman at any Montana University. Though the course is administered by Montana Tech, the credits are transferrable to other universities in Montana, and those nationwide that accept them.
Juniors and seniors in high school have the opportunity to apply for the 3-credit course for a small tuition fee. The course will be offered in the fall and spring semesters at Montana Tech, and is an online course using the CodeMontana curriculum while utilizing a Montana Tech instructor for help and to grade the exercises. To sign up for the course, register for CodeMontana at www.CodeMontana.org, which provides 90 days of access for free, then complete the 2014-2015 Jump Start form at http://institute.mtech.edu/jump-start/ and register as an early “college-credit-only” course. More specific information can be found at that site.
When you combine this news with the existing scholarship opportunities for CodeMontana participants at Montana Tech, and the increased enrollment at Montana Tech in CS students (their CS applications have tripled in one year, in part due to CodeMontana), you can see that we are definitely moving in the right direction for filling, and creating, high-tech jobs in Montana. And Montana Tech isn’t the only university in our state seeing change. At MSU, the number of CS majors has almost doubled in the past five years, and over the past four years bachelor degrees awarded in CS has increased by more than 250%! We are well on our way to creating better jobs for our future, and a stronger economy for our state.
