University of Kansas Lifelong & Professional Education: Find Top Courses & Training Locations

Through hands-on training, students will develop an in-depth portfolio demonstrating their skills and knowledge. They will have access to career support services such as one-on-one coaching and portfolio reviews.

The constitution of the new state of Kansas made provision for a state university. The University of Kansas opened its doors in 1866 and the first class graduated in 1873. The University’s principal campus was (and is) located in Lawrence, although there are satellite campuses and medical centers scattered across the state. Among those is the Edwards Campus, located in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City. Established in 1993, the Edwards Campus was designed to afford adults a chance to complete undergraduate degrees and pursue further educational goals. Attendance at the Edwards Campus is around 2000 students, with an average age of 31.

The KU Bootcamps are conducted by the Edwards Campus, as part of the University’s Lifelong and Professional Education division. The bootcamps are provided in tandem with Trilogy Education, a company with extensive experience in the adult education field that seeks to upskill its students in the topics most in demand by recruiters. Trilogy even adjusts its curricula to market demands to make sure that its graduates are employer-competitive by the time they finish their programs.

School Locations

The KU Edwards Campus is located approximately 13 miles from downtown Kansas City, MO in Overland Park, the second-largest city in Kansas. Overland Park has been rated by online business journals as one of the best places in the country to raise a family, as well as being one of the best cities for millennials.

The KU bootcamps are all conducted online, using Trilogy Education’s well-tested virtual classrooms. Classes are nonetheless conducted live online, meaning that teachers and TAs appear in real-time and can be asked questions as the class sessions unfold.

Subjects Taught at KU Bootcamps

KU teaches a wide range of bootcamps, including coding, data science, cybersecurity, digital marketing, and technology product management. All the programs are part-time, meeting two weeknights a week and Saturdays during the day. Coding, data science, and cybersecurity run for 24 weeks, while digital marketing and project management run for 18 weeks.

To find out how the KU bootcamps measure up to the other available options, please consult Noble Dekstop’s Classes Near Me tool. It provides extensive information on coding, data science, cybersecurity, digital marketing, and technology project management bootcamps available locally and online.

What Classes Are Available?

The KU coding bootcamp teaches students how to be web developers. It begins at the beginning, by showing students how to build a web page using CSS. HTML and JavaScript. The class then moves on to technical back end matters, including writing Node.js server code and querying large datasets using My SQL and then NoSQL. Students then learn how to optimize the applications they’ve created. Although that completes the 24-week course, graduates have the option to extend the program into crash courses in such useful programming languages as Python and C#, or in navigating the intricacies of Amazon Web Services.

As for the data science bootcamp, it begins with a crash course in Microsoft Excel before moving on to extensive work in learning Python, one of the most in-demand programming languages. The course next tackles databases and the languages most often used in conjunction with them, SQL, MySQL, NoSQL, and MongoDB. The bootcamp’s next unit turns to data visualization, to which end students are taught the use of CSS, HTML, and JavaScript to make data intelligible to the lay eye. The class also includes instruction in advanced topics such as Hadoop and Tableau, plus an introduction to the fascinating world of machine learning. The bootcamp culminates in a group project in which students are challenged to come up with a new and original data visualization application.

Students who take on the cybersecurity bootcamp will first be introduced to the fundamentals of security: risk analysis and mitigation, governance, compliance, and how security controls can impact an organization and its employees. The next teaching module covers Linux and Windows server configuration, along with network architecture, operations, and security. That is followed by instruction in cryptography and encryption, as well as cloud security and the safe management of virtualization. The class then delves into defensive and offensive security techniques. The bootcamp concludes by preparing students for the CEH and Security+ certification exams and with a final group project.

Digital marketing is a catch-all phrase that can mean a lot of things. In the KU digital marketing bootcamp, students are exposed to most of the concepts usually associated with the term, beginning with brand building and strategy. The bootcamp next covers the creation of an optimized website by teaching students the use of WordPress, link-building, SEO and conversion tracking. The course concludes with a deep dive into multichannel campaigns and such things as paid content and search advertising, remarketing, and customer relationship management.

The technology project management bootcamp teaches students this particular application of the relatively new and fascinating field of the scientific management of projects. The course first teaches students the life cycle of a software application, then goes into traditional project management techniques, including the fundamentals of the PMBOK (Project Management Book of Knowledge). The class then moves to Agile project framework and scrum methodologies before tackling hybrid project management and the use of project management skills in a company’s operations. The class concludes with preparation for the Scrum Master Level 1 examination.

Class Formats

Classes at the KU Bootcamps are conducted entirely online, with live teachers and TAs.

All class materials are available online; there is no need to purchase additional textbooks or workbooks.

Admissions Process

Although the KU Bootcamps are not open enrollment, the only actual prerequisites are being at least 18 years of age and having a high school diploma or GED. The admissions process includes a thirty-minute interview with an admissions counselor, which is followed by a problem-solving and critical thinking assessment. Successful completion of both will result in admission to the program.

The admissions process is designed to select the candidates who are most likely to excel in what is an arduous program. Although much is to be gained from attending a tech bootcamp, they are not for everybody.

Pricing & Payment Options

Tuition for both the coding and data science bootcamps is $10,495. The cybersecurity program is priced at $12,995, the digital marketing program at $8,245, and the tech project management at $7,995.

Payment plans are available, as are early registration discounts.

University of Kansas alumni are eligible for a $500 scholarship to the bootcamp of their choice.

Career Support Services

Extensive career support services are included with all the bootcamps. The goal of this type of education isn’t only knowledge for knowledge’s sake, but also achieving practical and tangible results on the job market. To this end, all students work with a materials advisor, who is responsible for optimizing students’ resumes, portfolios, and LinkedIn profiles. Students also work with a career services team that will assist with job searches, provide referrals, and coach students on interview skills. Various career-oriented events are offered during the bootcamp as well, and the Career Engagement Network remains available to graduates throughout their careers.

Alumni Outcomes

The University of Kansas Lifelong and Professional Education division and Trilogy Education do not publish data or statistics as to how many students complete their bootcamp programs or find jobs upon graduation. Nevertheless, the Bootcamps’ blog states: “many of today’s leading employers are beginning to embrace new models of education, including online learning.” The blog goes on to observe: “proceeding through the accelerated pace of an online boot camp tells an employer that you’re ready for a rapidly moving, demanding career.”

Although local averages can only provide a ballpark idea of what you can expect to earn following completion of a bootcamp, coding specialists in Kansas City are making an average annual salary of approximately $62,000. Data analysts earn approximately $68,000, and IT security specialists bring home a salary in the vicinity of $71,000 a year.

What Do Students Say?

One student in the coding bootcamp wrote on the review site Course Report: “I am amazed at how my skills have developed in the last six months. I can now do things that I didn’t even know were possible to learn so quickly.” She went on to write: “Would I recommend this class? Well, you have to be able to really push yourself, participate, keep a positive attitude and do everything the instructors tell you to do to reap the full benefits. If that sounds like you, you should definitely sign up. You will be so amazed at what you can learn. If you aren't willing to do those things, this class isn’t for you.”

Another student mentioned the workload as well and singled out the quality of teaching: “The instructors in this course are knowledgeable about the subject and the TAs are extremely helpful and always willing to make things work out for me. [...] The advisor and the TAs are very supportive and encouraging throughout making it easier to get through the course.”

A further enthusiastic bootcamp student wrote: “I’ve told individuals on countless occasions that I learned more in that seven-month stretch than I learned in my four-year undergraduate degree. It was well worth the investment in myself as I started a new full-time job as a pricing analyst just weeks after graduating, and quickly found that I was well prepared for the challenge that comes with a new role.”

Key Takeaways

KU bootcamps offer challenging curricula that inspire students
Part of the programs’ strengths are supportive instructors and TAs
There are tutoring sessions available with every bootcamp

KU bootcamps come with a very heavy workload with upwards of 20 hours’ homework per week which may be too much for some students
The bootcamps are only available online; no in-person learning opportunities available

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Featured Classes from Noble Desktop

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Featured Classes from Noble Desktop

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Featured Classes from Noble Desktop

Top Certificate Programs

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University of Kansas Lifelong & Professional Education

School Locations

Subjects Taught at KU Bootcamps

What Classes Are Available?

Class Formats

Admissions Process

Pricing & Payment Options

Career Support Services

Alumni Outcomes

What Do Students Say?

Key Takeaways

Top Courses at University of Kansas Lifelong & Professional Education

Coding Boot Camp

Data Analytics Boot Camp

Cybersecurity Boot Camp

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Subjects Taught at University of Kansas Lifelong & Professional Education

Coding

Data Analytics

Cybersecurity

Digital Marketing

Map of University of Kansas Lifelong & Professional Education Locations