Northeastern University has received funding from Pivotal Ventures, the executive office of Melinda Gates, to expand it Program alignment. Align focuses on closing the diversity gap in technology by providing students from any academic background with the opportunity to earn a master's degree in computer science. The funding will pay for the first semester of study for women and underrepresented minority students—a critical step toward ensuring degree completion.
A primary barrier to diversity in tech is that women and minorities have traditionally self-selected to try computer science as undergraduates. Providing first-semester scholarships removes the financial barrier for diverse students to try computer science.
“First semester scholarships are an incredibly effective way to recruit people who might not otherwise try computer science,” said Carla Brodley, Northeastern's dean. College of Computer Science and Information Technology. “For students who choose to continue into the second semester, the completion rate is 95 percent to date.”
By 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there will be more than 1 million jobs that will not be filled by the current student pipeline.
First semester scholarships are an incredibly effective way to recruit people who might not otherwise try computer science.
Carla Brodley, Dean, College of Computer Science and Information Technology;
“There is a surprising lack of women and underrepresented minorities pursuing jobs in the technology fields,” Brodley added.
Developed in part with funding from the National Science Foundation, the Align program has a unique structure in which students begin with a bridge of computer science courses designed to prepare them for graduate-level study. Students also complete a paid work experience that lasts six to eight months and is integrated into their classroom studies. Northeastern has a global network of more than 3,000 employers, including more than 500 technology companies.
“We've proven that the model makes sense, that it works, and now we're ready to scale it to solve a workforce development problem — but more importantly, a social equity and inclusion problem,” Brodley said.
Align is more like a medical or law degree than a traditional CS graduate program—it's designed for people who have completed an undergraduate degree in any field.
Northeastern plans to graduate 1,000 students a year from the Align program by 2022. Half of those graduates will be women and a quarter will be underrepresented minority students.
The Align program maintains a diverse group of employer partners. Providence St. Joseph Health, a not-for-profit health system that operates 50 hospitals and more than 800 clinics in the Western United States. Dell Inc., part of Dell Technologies, provides customers with a broad, innovative technology portfolio. Clean Harbors, a leading provider of environmental, energy and industrial services in North America. Wayfair, one of the world's largest online home destinations. Worldpay, one of the world's largest debit and credit card transaction processors. and Akamai Technologies, the world's largest and most trusted cloud delivery platform, are also among the companies investing in the Align program in computer science.
“Employers love diversity of thought, and the Align MS in Computer Science allows people to combine their previous backgrounds with computer science to become technology leaders,” Brodley said. “They also love the experiential learning format, which allows them to see our students in action even before they finish earning their degrees.”
Align alumni include a student who studied chemistry as an undergraduate and after earning her master's in computer science, now works for a major pharmaceutical company. Another majored in English, completed the program, and was offered a technical writing job at a top tech company. A woman who studied philosophy before enrolling in the Align MS program now works at a non-profit institute conducting artificial intelligence research.
The Align program was piloted at Northeastern's Seattle Campus but now also available for students to enroll in Boston, Charlotteand Silicon Valley university campuses. The program is designed to be completed in two and a half years by professional professionals, since classes are offered in the evenings throughout the year. Looking to the future, Northeastern plans to scale the program and encourage other computer science departments and colleges to start such a program of their own.
