Why Four-Year Universities Are Introducing Amazon-Powered Cloud Computing Degree Programs

Hassan Asqiriba, a computer science student from Mexico, dreams of working at Amazon Web Services or helping businesses adopt cloud computing after completing his master's degree at California State University Channel Islands. To that end, he plans to take one of several cloud computing courses the university is offering this winter—courses launched with assistance from Amazon's cloud division. Asqiriba said, "I see it as a stepping stone." He added that the course will help students prepare for AWS certification.

California State University Channel Islands is one of the expanding member institutions of the AWS Academy program. The program consists primarily of colleges and universities, each of which must select at least one instructor to be authorized by the cloud computing giant to teach its courses to students.

AWS has been laying the groundwork for years to influence how cloud computing is taught globally. According to an analysis of its public list by Education Dive, in the United States alone, 84 two-year institutions, school districts, or systems (including Maricopa Community Colleges in Arizona) and 67 four-year universities have taught at least one of its courses. All of these schools are members of AWS Academy.

Community colleges are accustomed to developing curricula in partnership with employers, including AWS. But for four-year universities, such collaborations are less common because they often value academic freedom over corporate influence.

However, the rising demand for cloud computing skills has made these partnerships more attractive to four-year universities, and many schools are leveraging AWS to enhance their curricula and degree programs. University officials who have worked with the technology provider say these collaborations establish clear connections to the job market and familiarize students with the world's leading cloud computing platform.

Pat Phelan, vice president of market research at software company Rimini Street, noted that workers trained on one platform can transition to another. "Skills don't transfer one-to-one, but the learning gap is much smaller compared to practitioners who have never been exposed to cloud computing."

Nevertheless, partnerships can also have drawbacks. Phelan said there is a "small risk" that a university bets on a vendor that may not ultimately become a major player in the cloud market. "The market space is large, and everyone seems to be doing well."

A chess game for market share?

Industry reports show that while AWS holds the largest share of the cloud computing market, Microsoft and Google are close behind. Educational outreach may be one of AWS's ways to fend off competitors.

House Democrats recently released a sweeping report arguing that Amazon and several other tech companies hold monopoly power and should face further regulation and restrictions. The report found that multiple employers told investigators that "the availability of AWS-trained engineers" was one reason they chose AWS over other cloud vendors, and it was also cited as a barrier to switching platforms or using multiple vendors. Amazon comprehensively rebutted the report's conclusions in a lengthy blog post.

When Education Dive asked whether AWS's educational outreach aims to increase the number of businesses using its cloud infrastructure, Ken Eisner, AWS's director of global education programs, emphasized that its work with institutions is intended to "bridge the gap between education and employment."

The cloud services market is vast and growing. Businesses are migrating to the cloud on a large scale—storing information on demand via the internet rather than relying on on-premises servers they must maintain themselves. In a recent survey of more than 300 chief information officers and senior technology executives, a majority said their companies would adopt some form of cloud computing moderately or extensively by 2020. Demand for cost savings and business continuity may have accelerated these initiatives. Companies already face talent shortages in technology roles, and large-scale cloud adoption is expected to make hiring for these roles even more difficult.

Against this backdrop, AWS steps in. Students can schedule AWS certification exams through its website and find exam-preparation courses at numerous community colleges across the country and increasingly within degree programs at universities.

Microsoft and Google also offer cloud computing certifications, but some sources interviewed by Education Dive said AWS has been a leader in partnering with higher education institutions. Google provides university faculty with access to cloud resources and offers materials that can be embedded into courses, and it has partnered with the City College of New York to provide students with hands-on training in cloud technology. Microsoft also offers similar resources for students and faculty.

Universities see a broad market for cloud computing education and have begun establishing four-year degree programs in the field. Two of the largest online universities—Western Governors University and Purdue University Global—have launched related programs in the past few years, and other institutions have followed suit.

Some universities work closely with AWS or other cloud vendors to develop curricula, including embedding certification content. These partnerships may also help schools attract students who might otherwise turn to alternative educational providers to enter the industry.

Katie Bullard, president of cloud computing education platform A Cloud Guru, said, "Today, having a certification from organizations like AWS or Microsoft Azure often impresses hiring managers more than a degree."

Although higher education experts point out that partnerships with businesses can benefit students and universities, they also caution against potential pitfalls. Elizabeth Popp Berman, a professor and author of Creating the Market University, said, "Criticism will focus on whether universities are... truly acting in students' long-term interests." She argued that while universities need to be responsive to industry, they should also control their own curricula and decide what students most need to learn, rather than "essentially providing pre-employment training for companies that don't want to bear the cost of training themselves."

AWS partnership in practice

Western Governors University partnered with AWS earlier this year to update its cloud computing curriculum. Together, they developed new learning objectives and hands-on projects, including simulations and labs. The university views this partnership as a way to meet employer needs. Andy Igonor, associate dean of its College of Information Technology, said, "We believe it's very important to help students truly understand the largest cloud computing provider." Although Western Governors University had previously embedded an AWS certification into its curriculum, the new partnership allows it to use the vendor's full suite of courses.

Faculty at Western Governors University receive free training from AWS to obtain AWS certification, and the university covers the cost of their certification exams. AWS provides free training to Academy members and offers a 50% discount on exam fees. For certain intermediate courses, faculty must also complete a technical verification, including giving a demonstration.

Michael Soltys, chair of the computer science department at California State University Channel Islands, recently obtained AWS certification to teach several courses. He is also an AWS Educate Cloud Ambassador, joining a group of about 750 students and faculty in outreach efforts. The university incorporates course content provided by AWS into various classes, often in the form of hands-on projects or case studies. Soltys said faculty are free to choose which content to include. He believes that even if students are only familiar with AWS, they can transition smoothly to other vendors' platforms. "Learn one, and you can learn the other. Just pick one technology and dive deep."

However, A Cloud Guru's Bullard believes the platforms are sufficiently different that if employees plan to use another vendor's products, they typically still need to obtain the corresponding certification. A Cloud Guru offers training on all three leading platforms and has a partnership with AWS.

Western Governors University is preparing to launch another cloud computing degree next year with an AWS specialization. Igonor hopes to bring in other vendors in the future, eventually adding specializations for Microsoft and Google products. He envisions students choosing specializations as needed: "If your industry primarily uses Google, you can complete the general courses and add a Google certification; if your company is an AWS user, the same applies."

Michael Horn, senior strategist at Guild Education, said institutions that primarily serve working adult learners, such as Western Governors University, are more open to developing curricula with businesses. Regional comprehensive universities, whose programs sit between vocational training and traditional education, may also become partners. Horn believes other universities may want to keep pace with the rapidly changing job market by joining forces with businesses.

Morgan State University, a historically Black university in Maryland, launched a cloud computing program this year, partly to get more graduates into this high-paying field. An industry report estimated that cloud computing skills commanded an average annual salary of about $111,500 in 2019. Paul Wang, chair of the university's computer science department, said, "Not everyone enters computer science to pursue a Ph.D.; most people do it for employment." Morgan State has also incorporated some AWS content into its curriculum, with some labs using the cloud platform for hands-on work. However, the school also covers other vendors such as Microsoft. Wang said the university consulted industry and academic voices when developing the curriculum to ensure students have both practical skills and creative problem-solving abilities. A university spokesperson said AWS representatives reached out to Morgan State's president last year, but no formal partnership was formed.

AWS's Eisner said the company reaches out to institutions, and institutions also seek its services. "Some of the criteria we look at include the institution's ability to move quickly, the enthusiasm of educators and academic teams, and the needs of the community it serves."

Jobs, jobs, jobs

Not all universities seek AWS or other tech companies to help develop cloud computing degrees, but many still look to industry. Purdue University Global partnered in 2018 with ManTech, a large government contractor focused on cybersecurity and data analytics, to launch a four-year cloud computing degree. About a quarter of the program's students come from the company, which subsidizes their tuition. Tina Burton, associate dean of the university's School of Business and Information Technology, said, "They want cloud computing skills within their organization and prioritized finding the right academic fit." Burton added that ManTech primarily uses AWS and Azure, so the degree focuses on those two cloud providers. Students can also earn college credit for completing specific certifications on either platform, though neither vendor was involved in developing the curriculum.

However, offering training on multiple platforms is costly. Burton said cloud platform usage is typically billed by the hour, and students can easily accumulate large amounts of usage time on projects. Vendors usually provide students with a limited amount of free credits. Purdue University Global instead subscribes to third-party provider A Cloud Guru, which offers test environments for AWS and Azure at a more economical rate than paying separately. More than 120 universities use A Cloud Guru, which provides resources needed to build cloud computing courses.

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"Learn one, and you can learn the other. Just pick one technology and dive deep."

Michael Soltys

Chair, Department of Computer Science, California State University Channel Islands

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Marymount University's accelerated cloud computing program in Virginia is similarly designed to align with industry needs. The program is aimed at students who have completed or are pursuing a bachelor's degree. While the curriculum covers information about multiple vendors, hands-on learning experiences focus primarily on AWS and Azure. Northern Virginia is home to Amazon's second headquarters, which is expected to eventually employ about 25,000 people. The surrounding Washington, D.C., suburbs are also dotted with AWS data centers and government contractors. The region has one of the world's highest concentrations of data centers, and cloud computing jobs are expected to grow. AWS plans to build a large data center campus in the area, and Microsoft and Google also plan to expand their regional presence.

Local businesses influenced the structure of the cloud computing program Marymount University launched last year. Diane Murphy, dean of the university's College of Technology and Innovation, said, "We recognized that cloud is a significant employment area in our region." Murphy said the university took advantage of AWS's offer allowing students free access to its platform, calling the company "the elephant in the room." The program also incorporates Azure because many government contractors prefer that platform. The U.S. Department of Defense awarded a $10 billion cloud computing contract to Microsoft last year, but a federal judge has suspended the contract's execution because Amazon challenged the Pentagon's decision in court.

However, Murphy also offered a simpler reason why the university currently limits the scope of hands-on platforms: "There are only so many hours in a day."