Digital Skills Academy has launched the world’s first online degree in integrated digital technology, business and design. The International BSc (Honours) in Digital Technology, Design and Innovation commences in October 2015 with international participants from North and Latin Americas, Africa, the UK and Ireland.
While a handful of similarly pioneering ‘on campus’ degrees exist – including the much heralded USC Jimmy Lovine and Andrew Young Academy for the Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation in Los Angeles – the Digital Skills Academy programme is the first of its kind to employ Online eLearning delivery, making it globally available. The aim of the International BSc is to combine digital business acumen with digital technology expertise, a hybrid skillset increasingly sought after by leading tech players worldwide, as well as by multiple sectors, including banking, insurance, telecoms, media, aviation and retail.
The one year, part-time and online course is accredited by Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and facilitates work in international teams on real world projects via virtual platforms. With an emphasis on multidisciplinary teaching by respected industry leaders, participants have the opportunity to acquire a comprehensive understanding of modern digital business and in-demand digital technology skills.
The degree programmes are primarily aimed at corporates who want to up-skill staff, people currently employed in other fields looking to secure positions in the digital technology sector, and graduates who are looking to improve their career prospects. Digital Skills Academy works with a number of international industry partners to give students cutting edge experience of working in international teams to develop digital products and services, while allowing partner businesses to work in new and innovative ways and identify talent. Industry partners are central to the BSc Degree, ranging from startups and SMEs to global corporations like Allianz, Oracle, Ernst & Young, Telefonica and BT.
Paul Dunne, CEO and founder of the Digital Skills Academy, said: “By employing the latest developments in online learning and online team working technologies, our degrees are offered across the world, opening up a unique opportunity for the exchange of ideas on a global scale.”
“Our format is proving highly effective for working professionals who must continually up-skill in line with changing technologies and market demands, and real life applications run through everything we do.”
New York, San Francisco, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Johannesburg, Cape Town, London, Edinburgh and Dublin are the main target cities for the 2015/2016 degree.