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Major 01

AI-Assisted Software Development

Replaces → CS Degree

20M+ developers use GitHub Copilot. Cursor just hit a $29B valuation. 84% of developers use AI tools daily. Learn to be the best among them — architecture, testing, deployment, plus enough CS fundamentals to catch AI's mistakes.

Two layers. One developer who ships.

Every student completes the Foundations core plus domain-specific courses. You don't just learn to code — you learn to build with AI as a daily tool.

Development Environment, Toolchain, and AI-Assisted Workflows

IDE setup, version managers, Docker, AI coding assistants (Copilot/Cursor/Claude Code), CI/CD pipelines, monitoring tools, scaffolding tools (V0/Bolt.new).

  • IDE configuration and AI coding assistant setup
  • Version managers, package managers, and Docker
  • CI/CD pipeline configuration with GitHub Actions
  • Scaffolding tools: V0, Bolt.new, and rapid prototyping

Software Engineering Practice — Debugging, Testing, and Code Review

Reading unfamiliar codebases, debugging, Git workflow, test infrastructure, web app architecture patterns.

  • Reading and navigating unfamiliar codebases
  • Debugging strategies and systematic troubleshooting
  • Git workflow, branching, and code review
  • Test infrastructure and web app architecture patterns

Feature Development — From Design Doc to Production

End-to-end feature ownership, technical design documents, effort estimation, database migrations, performance diagnosis.

  • End-to-end feature ownership and delivery
  • Technical design documents and effort estimation
  • Database migrations and schema evolution
  • Performance diagnosis and optimization

Deployment, Infrastructure, and Production Reliability

Production deployment, on-call practices, monitoring and alerting, build-vs-buy decisions, technical debt management.

  • Production deployment pipelines and strategies
  • On-call practices, monitoring, and alerting
  • Build-vs-buy decisions and vendor evaluation
  • Technical debt management and prioritization

Application Architecture & Programming Patterns

Frontend/API/database request tracing, processing patterns, concurrency, API patterns, architecture decisions, database modeling.

  • Frontend/API/database request tracing
  • Processing patterns and concurrency
  • API patterns and architecture decisions
  • Database modeling and query optimization

Freelance Software Development Business

Client pipeline, scoping and pricing, client communication, self-review practices, freelance business operations.

  • Building a client pipeline and landing projects
  • Scoping, pricing, and contract negotiation
  • Client communication and expectation management
  • Self-review practices and freelance business operations

Startup Engineering

Shipping under pressure, wearing multiple hats, rapid technology decisions, direct customer interaction, product direction.

  • Shipping under pressure and wearing multiple hats
  • Rapid technology decisions and trade-offs
  • Direct customer interaction and feedback loops
  • Product direction and technical leadership

Professional Practice in Software Development

Agile ceremonies, code review culture, technical writing, architecture discussions, mentoring, career development.

  • Agile ceremonies and team collaboration
  • Code review culture and technical writing
  • Architecture discussions and decision-making
  • Mentoring and career development

Where this major takes you.

AI-proficient developers command a 21–43% salary premium. BLS projects 15% job growth through 2034 — "much faster than average." Every path here includes the AI fluency that traditional CS graduates don't have.

Software Developer

Build applications for companies of any size. Entry: $78K–$95K. Mid-career: $118K–$145K. Senior: $155K–$200K+. AI-augmented productivity makes you 2–3x more effective than a traditional junior dev.

AI Uni edge You ship projects in months, not years. Employers get a developer who already builds with Cursor and Copilot daily — no ramp-up needed. BLS median: $133K.

Full-Stack Engineer

Frontend, backend, database, deployment — the complete picture. Entry: $78K–$95K. Mid-career: $118K–$145K. Senior: $155K–$200K+. AI tools make it practical for one person to cover the full stack.

AI Uni edge Traditional CS teaches theory in silos. You learn the full stack as an integrated workflow, with Bolt.new and Lovable for rapid prototyping and Claude Code for production refinement.

Indie SaaS Founder

Build and launch your own software product. AI tools have collapsed the cost — Lovable hit $20M ARR in 2 months, built by a small team. One person with AI fluency can build what used to require a funded startup.

AI Uni edge The curriculum includes shipping and deployment, not just coding. You graduate having actually launched something — with Vercel, Stripe, and production monitoring in place.

DevOps / Platform Engineer

Infrastructure, CI/CD, cloud architecture, and reliability. Entry: $75K–$95K. Mid-career: $95K–$135K. Senior: $135K–$250K+. Average platform engineer salary: $172K.

AI Uni edge You learn Docker, GitHub Actions, and cloud deployment as part of every project — not as an afterthought. AIOps (AI-assisted monitoring and self-healing pipelines) is built into your workflow.

What you'll build.

Not homework. Portfolio-worthy projects that demonstrate real capability to employers or customers.

Project 01

Dev Environment & AI Workflow Audit

Development environment setup documentation and AI-assisted workflow audit. Configure your complete toolchain, document your setup, and audit how AI coding assistants integrate into your daily workflow.

Project 02

End-to-End Feature Delivery

End-to-end feature: design doc → implementation → deployment → monitoring. Take a feature from technical design through production deployment with full observability.

Project 03

Full-Stack Application

Full-stack application with CI/CD, testing, and production monitoring. Build a complete application with automated pipelines, comprehensive test coverage, and production-grade observability.

Capstone

Ship a Real Product to Real Users

Your capstone: ship a real product to real users. This is the project you walk into interviews with — proof that you can build, deploy, and operate software in production.

The curriculum adapts to you.

Intensive

~6 months · Full-time

For students who can commit full-time. Get career-ready as fast as your skills allow.

Months 1–2 Foundations + Dev Environment + Software Engineering Practice
Months 3–5 Feature Development + Deployment + Application Architecture
Months 6–8 Freelance + Startup Engineering + Portfolio projects
Months 9–12 Professional Practice + Capstone

Steady

~12–24 months · Part-time

For people working while learning. Same depth, flexible scheduling.

Months 1–4 Foundations + Dev Environment + Software Engineering Practice
Months 5–10 Feature Development + Deployment + Application Architecture
Months 11–16 Freelance + Startup Engineering + Portfolio projects
Months 17–24 Professional Practice + Capstone

Is this major right for you?

This is for you if

  • You want to build software, not study theory for 4 years
  • You're self-directed and motivated to learn by doing
  • You want to ship real products, not just complete assignments
  • You're comfortable with AI as a daily tool, not a threat
  • You care about practical skills that translate directly to a $133K+ median career

This is NOT for you if

  • You need a CS degree on your resume for FAANG hiring pipelines
  • You're interested in academic research or pursuing a PhD in CS
  • You want deep algorithms and systems theory (OS internals, compilers)
  • You want to be an AI/ML researcher building foundational models → you need a graduate degree
  • You need an accredited credential for visa sponsorship

Ready to start building?

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