Udacity Rolls Out Virtual Reality ‘Nanodegree’

Online school Udacity, created by the founder of Google X, Sebastian Thrun, has introduced a “nanodgree” that will teach students to design virtual reality applications, TechCrunch reported. 

The course was developed by Christian Plagemann, the co-founder of the VR division at Google, and attracted the attention of HTC Vive, Google VR and other corporations. It claims to teach students with zero experience in programming how to create VR applications on several platforms, the source noted. 

The ultimate goal of the course is to help students find jobs in virtual reality, a field that has taken off in recent years and is set to grow even bigger as technology advances. 

Udacity courses are typically taught through videos and written content, however, the new VR nanodgree program will be taught entirely in a VR environment, according to TechCrunch. 

“There’s almost infinite demand on the company side for talent in VR, and there’s also very high demand for people who simply want to learn this,” said Plagemann in an interview with the source. 

Though some VR devices are available currently or are set to soon launch, including those from Oculus Rift and Playstation, the market is forecast to expand significantly. CCS Insight predicted that the total sales of VR devices will grow from 2.5 million, as of last year, to 24 million by 2018, The Motley Fool reported. 

Online school Udacity has introduced a