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Gone are the days when academic institutions were the sole contributor for people’s education and provided placement opportunities.
Although colleges are still the mainstream option for quality studies, online learning platforms are also playing their parts.
Remote learning platforms offer the necessary edge needed in today’s time and date. People are showing a natural inclination toward these learning environments and for obvious reasons. One of the significant reasons is that you can learn anything you want from anywhere. 😉
No matter if you want to learn a new skill or get career-advancing certifications, you are just a course sign up away. In this UpGrad review we will be rating the platform on the basis of available technical courses, university partners, certifications, career opportunities, learner support, and feedback, along with pros and cons.
UpGrad was founded by Ronnie, Mayank and Phalgun on 23 March 2015. In 2021, UpGrad expanded its operations to various countries in Europe, North America, Middle East and Asia Pacific regions and was worth $1.2 Billion.
The platform curates immersive digital courses with the help of latest technologies and subject expert faculties. UpGrad is Asia’s largest Higher EdTech Platform with over a million registered and verified learners.
The UpGrad platform offers specialized courses in a number of fields which includes MBA, Data Science, Doctorate, Software & Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Marketing, Management, Business Analytics and Law.
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Specialized courses – The platform offers courses created by collaborating with globally renowned academic institutions like Purdue University, University of Maryland, Deakin University, Liverpool John Moores University, Caltech, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, IIIT Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, etc.
UpGrad bridges the skills gap that are often present between industrial requirements and employees. The platform allows you to learn real life skills via industrial projects and engaging in collaborative work with student-mentor interaction.
You can choose any course from the available options where a total of 9 Data Science, 4 MBA & DBA, 6 Machine Learning, 5 Management, 2 Marketing, 6 Software & Technology and 1 Business Analytics course is available.
Career Opportunities – The platform provides all the help necessary for you to score the job you want. They provide feedback on resumes and assist you during the whole process, provide mentorship on interviews, conduct placement drives and so much more.
Reportedly, UpGrad has successfully transitioned over 400 careers with up to 200% salary hikes. Since the courses are designed with industrial needs as the main focus there has been an increase in the number of people enrolling at UpGrad.
By the end of the specified course tenure you are equipped with the precise expertise and industry-specific skills. Some of the organizations that have recruited UpGrad alums are Amazon, IBM, Adidas, PayPal, HSBC, Bank of America, Cognizant, Genpact, etc.
Personalized learning – UpGrad provides high quality academic resources along with the flexibility to learn from anywhere. You are no longer required to drop everything immediately in order to complete and receive an educational degree. 😊
The remote learning platform provides personalized instructors for learners, feedbacks, 360-degree career assistance, placement assistance from top firms, one-on-one with industry mentors and so much more.
You can choose from the four available MBA and DBA courses.
Admission Process – You are required to complete a global MBA admission form for the shortlisting process to begin. The candidates will be selected on the basis of their profile and factors like professional experience and academic scores. Once you receive the offer letter, you can block your seat by paying $200 in advance before transferring the entire sum.
Eligibility Criteria – You should have a Bachelor’s Degree with minimum of 50% marks along with 2 years of full-time work experience at the time of starting your second year with LBS.
The specialization is 18 months long with over 20 industrial projects and more than 40 live sessions. The total payable amount for the given course is $9,999. You will be awarded an MBA degree from the leading UK B-School and IMT Ghaziabad.
The course curriculum includes business communication & economics, sales, distribution management, marketing, finance, operations & supply chain, HR, business strategies, analytics, digital innovation, sustainable future, enterprise & risk management, research methodology, Harvard case studies, six industry relevant specializations, etc.
The key aspects of the course are 1:1 mentorship from industry leaders, live sessions with global experts, MBA Degree and alumni status by Liverpool Business School.
There are 9 available courses for you to select from. Let us discuss one of the certification programs in a little detail.
Prerequisites – Either of the following would do; Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum of 50% from an accredited college or university recognized by the University of Arizona, 4 year accredited Bachelor’s, 3 year accredited Bachelor’s + Master’s, 3 year accredited Bachelor’s + Post Graduate Diploma, undergraduate level mathematics and programming knowledge. 😍
Application Process – You are required to take English Proficiency and Eligibility Test. Following that you will have to submit your SOP. Your application will be reviewed and upon approval an offer letter will be sent to you after which you can block your seat. The total payable amount for this course is $11,000.
The Master’s degree is a 24-month online program designed for working professionals to help them develop practical knowledge and skills by completing several industry-relevant projects while also maintaining a professional network.
The course curriculum includes over 25 industry driven case studies, 10 weeks of capstone projects and more than 30 live sessions. The syllabus covers data analysis & visualization, data mining & discovery, introduction to ML, database development and management, data warehousing and analytics in the cloud, neural networks, digital information environment management and ethical issues.
You get access to 9+ Programming Tools & Languages, Career Essential Soft Skills Program, High-performance Coaching, Industry Readiness Assessments, Just-in-time Interviews, 24/7 academic support, Master of Science in Data Science degree and Arizona alumni status.
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You have six available course options from established institutions like LJMU, IIT Madras and IIIT Banglore. We will be discussing in detail the program designed by IITM.
The certification program is created in collaboration with IIT Madras and costs $3,499.
Selection Process – You will have to undergo a profile evaluation along with a selection test to check and analyze your mathematical, aptitude and programming abilities.
The program is 12 months long and is specifically curated for professionals who want to build skills in advanced concepts like Machine Learning, Cloud, Big Data Processing, Deployment of Machine Learning Models, Data Warehousing and Data Management.
After the successful completion of the course, you will be rewarded an Advanced Certification in Machine Learning and Cloud from IIT Madras.
The curriculum consists of over 500 hours of educational content, more than 20 case studies and projects, live sessions, coding assignments, appropriate tools and softwares.
The syllabus includes Data Warehousing and Data Management, Big Data Processing using Spark, ML Algorithms, Deep Learning, NLP, Computer Vision and Deployment.
You can choose from the six available programs and in this guide we will be looking at the one provided by Duke CE in detail.
Over 3,000 learners have enrolled in this course from more than 85 countries. The certification programs will last for about 6 months with recommended 8 to 10 hours per week.
After the completion of this course, you will be rewarded with a certificate issued by Duke Corporate Education certifying you as a Product Manager. It’ll cost you around $3,200.
Admission Criteria – You should have an undergraduate degree as a minimum educational qualification .
The program consists of over 150 learning hours, more than 10 case studies, assignments, multiple live sessions, 3 years of unlimited content access and personalized industry coaching. It is suitable for people who started off as a product manager or want to become one.
The curriculum includes Building a Product Strategy, Designing, Prototyping, Planning, Launch Strategies, Analytics, Engagement and Capstone Project along with a three weeks long team work project.
You’ve got two choices for the marketing course and we’ll be discussing one designed by Emory University Goizueta Business School.
Eligibility Criteria – You should have working proficiency in English with no minimum work experience requirement. The certification program costs $3499 and has a completion duration of 4 months. The course is suitable for all people who want to build a career in digital marketing, brand management, category management or P&L management. 😇
The curriculum includes Data Visualization for Marketing Analytics, Segmentation and Targeting, Customer & Content Analytics, Measuring Marketing Effectiveness, Capstone projects, etc.
Even though the refunds depend on the selected course, the following details are for the general idea.
Programs with/without prep-session component – Refunds will be processed within 30 working days from the date of receipt and is subjected to deduction of $150 processing charges as per the conversion rate applicable.
UpGrad is definitely worth all the hype that surrounds it. The platform provides industry level education designed by collaborating with the finest academic institutions. 😚
You have access to live sessions, projects, assignments, 24/7 learner support, industrial experts, dedicated mentor feedback, career opportunities at globally renowned organizations and so much more. However, you can always look for alternatives if you cannot afford the program fees.
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