Practicum provides beginner-friendly training bootcamps that are 100% online and part time. All programs give students the skills they need to succeed in their future careers — whether those careers are in data analytics, software engineering, or data science. Each course takes less than a year to complete and can be done alongside a full-time job, which means anyone can meet their career goals without quitting their current position.
To make their bootcamps more accessible, Practicum offers various payment plans and a job placement guarantee. Although paying the total amount of tuition upfront is the best deal, students can opt for monthly installments or a “deferred tuition” plan if needed. The option to defer payments means that students only need to pay the enrollment fee upfront and don’t need to pay a penny more until they find a job that meets salary expectations. Although this option is considerably more expensive in the long run, it might be the best choice for some students because it makes earning an education possible as they work toward a higher-paying career. In addition, students who do not find a job postgraduation are eligible for a full tuition refund — however, with a job placement rate of over 80%, Practicum students can feel confident that new careers are in their futures.
Practicum Bootcamp Overview Table
| Website | www.practicum.com |
| Courses Offered | |
| Course Delivery Method | Fully remote — self-paced prerecorded lessons on an interactive platform with live feedback from tech professionals |
| Length of Courses | Three to nine weeks |
| Time Commitment | At least 20 hours per week
Students work in “sprints” — a two- to three-week planned work period that moves students toward a tangible outcome. The first week focuses on theory and practice. Students work on a portfolio project in the second week to demonstrate applied skills. |
| Tuition Policy | Pay in full for the best deal or pay in monthly installments. Loans are also available through Practicum’s financial partners.
Qualifying students can pay only the enrollment fee upfront and defer the rest of their tuition until they find a job that meets salary expectations. |
| Tuition |
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| Job Placement | Job placement is guaranteed, with over 87% of graduates getting hired within 180 days. If a graduate isn’t hired within six months, Practicum refunds 100% of their tuition. |
| Certificates Offered | Practicum certificates in data analytics, software engineering, and data science |
How Signing Up For a Bootcamp With Practicum Bootcamp Works
Signing up for a bootcamp with Practicum is a process designed to ensure you land in the best program for you. First, you will take their Career Orientation quiz to determine which program would be most appropriate for you: Data Analytics, Software Engineering, Data Science, or Quality Assurance. This quiz assesses your response to different scenarios to determine your core values, strengths, and interests.
After taking the quiz, you’ll book a call with an advisor to discuss the suggested program of interest. The advisor will discuss the enrollment process in detail and answer any questions.
Practicum Bootcamp Tuition Overview
The tuition for Practicum bootcamps varies, depending on program length and complexity. Those who pay their tuition in full before the program begins receive the best deal, whereas anyone opting for monthly installments or deferred tuition will pay a higher rate over time.
The Data Analytics bootcamp takes just seven months to complete and is the least challenging of the three, with tuition totaling $8,000 if you pay upfront and in full. Monthly installments are $1,500, totaling $10,500 for the whole program. The Success-based Plan (deferred tuition) allows you to pay only the enrollment fee, $1,600, upfront and the remainder after you have found a job that meets salary expectations. This payment plan is the most convenient but has the highest cost overall at $12,000.
| DATA ANALYTICS BOOTCAMP | One-time payment | Monthly | Success-based Plan |
| Pay now | $8,000 | $1,500 (for seven months) | $1,600 (enrollment fee) |
| Total | $8,000 | $10,500 | $12,000 |
The Software Engineering bootcamp takes 10 months to complete and is moderately challenging, with tuition totaling $10,000 for those who pay upfront and in full. Monthly installments are $1,300, totaling $13,000 for the complete program. The Success-based Plan requires just the $1,600 enrollment fee upfront but costs $15,000 in the end, making this option the most expensive in the long term.
| SOFTWARE ENGINEERING BOOTCAMP | One-time payment | Monthly | Success-based Plan |
| Pay now | $10,000 | $1,300 (for 10 months) | $1,600 (enrollment fee) |
| Total | $10,000 | $13,000 | $15,000 |
The Data Science bootcamp takes nine months to complete and is the most challenging, with tuition totaling $12,500 if you pay upfront and in full. Monthly payments are $1,800 per month, totaling $16,200 for the entire program. In addition, the Success-based Plan requires an enrollment fee of $1,600 upfront and ends up costing $18,750.
| DATA SCIENCE BOOTCAMP | One-time payment | Monthly | Success-based Plan |
| Pay now | $12,500 | $1,800 (for nine months) | $1,600 (enrollment fee) |
| Total | $12,500 | $16,200 | $18,750 |
Lastly, the Quality Assurance (QA) Engineering is a five-month program for beginners who want to test software and help develop fixes for bugs. Tuition is $4,200 if paid in full upfront. Students can also pay in monthly installments of $1,100, totaling $5,500. Practicum also offer their Success-Based payment plan, in which students pay a one-time enrollment fee of $1,600, followed by 20 monthly payments of $235, totaling $6,300.
| QUALITY ASSURANCE BOOTCAMP | One-time payment | Monthly | Success-based Plan |
| Pay now | $4,200 | $1,100 | $1,600 (enrollment fee) |
| Total | $4,200 | $5,500 | $6,300 |
Bootcamp Courses Available
Data Analytics
$8,000 | Online | Part-time | 20 hours a week | 7 Months | March 30, 2023
Practicum’s Data Analytics bootcamp takes seven months to complete and covers Google Sheets, SQL, Python, Tableau, pandas, scikit-learn, and Matplotlib. To give students a complete skill set, this program also teaches business analytics, machine learning, and A/B testing. Upon completion, graduates receive a Data Analytics certificate from Practicum.
- Placement Test Required? No
- Interview Required? No
- Skill Level Required? Basic computer skills
Software Engineering
$10,000 | Online | Part-time | 20 hours a week | 10 Months | March 30, 2023
Practicum’s Software Engineering bootcamp is 10 months long and teaches various software tools that will assist students in their future careers — these include JavaScript, React.js, HTML5, Git, GitHub, NPM, Webpack, Babel, Rest API, Node.js, CSS3, Google Cloud, and MongoDB. When students graduate, they receive a Software Engineering certificate from Practicum.
- Placement Test Required? No
- Interview Required? No
- Skill Level Required? Basic computer skills
Data Science
$12,500 | Online | Part-time | 20 hours a week | 9 Months | March 30, 2023
Practicum’s Data Science bootcamp is nine months long and covers probability theory and statistics, linear algebra, algorithms and numerical methods, preprocessing data, exploratory data analysis, data storage, data labeling, times series analysis, and more. In addition, students learn about several software tools, including Python, NumPy, pandas, and Matplotlib. Upon graduation, students are awarded a Data Science certificate from Practicum.
- Placement Test Required? No
- Interview Required? No
- Skill Level Required? Basic computer skills and an aptitude for math, IT-inclined
Quality Assurance
$4,200 | Online | Part-time | 15 hours a week | 5 Months | March 30, 2023
For students who are interested in testing software and helping developers fix bugs, Practicum’s Quality Assurance bootcamp may be an ideal fit. This five-month program covers the basics of quality assurance engineering, including QA fundamentals, documentation, testing web and mobile applications, understanding databases, automation, and more. By the end of the program, students will have a portfolio of five completed projects to demonstrate their skills to potential employers.
- Placement Test Required? No
- Interview Required? No
- Skill Level Required? Basic computer skills
A Typical Week at Practicum Bootcamp
At Practicum, learning happens in “sprints” — a two- to three-week period where students study relevant theories and complete work-based projects to apply their new skills. Because Practicum has its own coding platform, all lessons are completed on one interface — including concepts, data sets, and tasks.
Industry experts provide line-by-line feedback on all student coding assignments. This level of interaction helps learners instantly digest their mistakes to ensure they are getting what they need to grow and develop in their respective fields.
Each unit focuses on project-based learning, which enables students to continuously work on assignments to further develop their portfolios. All three bootcamps will help all students build an eye-catching portfolio that will help them stand out to future employers.
What We Like About Practicum Bootcamp
Interactive Learning Platform
Practicum’s focus on interactive learning is designed to simulate a typical workplace experience so students can get a feel of a typical workday while they’re still studying. Because Practicum has its own coding interface, there’s no need to toggle between multiple screens while you work — you’ll never have to worry about being interrupted while you’re in your flow.
Externships
Externships allow Practicum students to complete real-world projects for actual companies. Externships help boost your LinkedIn profile and your resume with relevant projects from industry leaders and may lead to door-opening networking opportunities. Considering that the job market is increasingly competitive, completing externships might make all the difference in landing the perfect job.
Career Support
Practicum offers a full roster of career services that are designed to help students feel confident in and take advantage of their job prospects. Practicum has a hiring rate of over 80% and a job-placement guarantee, which bolsters the benefits of the services they provide. In addition, each student receives free career coaching, a career prep course, and four or more mock interviews.
What We Don’t Like About Practicum Bootcamp
Higher Costs for Monthly Installments or Deferred Tuition
Although Practicum tuition is relatively affordable if paid upfront, students will incur a higher rate if they choose to pay through monthly installments or deferred tuition. For all three programs, the difference can be several thousand dollars. Considering that monthly installments and deferred tuition are designed to make most programs more affordable, this significantly higher cost might make earning a certificate through Practicum challenging for some students.
However, Practicum does offer a job placement guarantee, which means that if graduates don’t find a job within six months that meets salary expectations, they will receive a full tuition refund. This might help some students commit to the program, even if they can’t afford upfront tuition.
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