Overview

Every Epicodus track starts with Introduction to Programming, and includes an advanced JavaScript course, a backend language-specific course, and a React course. During the classroom learning, you also learn job application skills, including resume- and cover letter-writing, technical and non-technical interviewing, and creating a portfolio. You’ll round out the in-class portion of the program with a capstone course focused on a unique capstone project and job readiness. You’ll finish your studies with an internship. If you haven't yet found a paying job, your advisor will provide additional job-search support for up to a year after graduating.

760 hours

CLASSROOM LEARNING

360 hours

capstone + Job PREP

150 hours

INTERNSHIP Learning

As a graduate of our program, you'll be awarded a Certificate in Web and Mobile Development or Data Engineering. Most of our graduates go on to work in positions like Junior Developer, Quality Assurance Engineer, and Project Manager.

Our full-time and part-time classes cover the same material in the same format with the same number of hours, just on a different schedule.

Note that if you decide to pursue further education, most educational institutions will not accept Epicodus coursework as transfer credits.

Full-Time Schedule

Our full-time program starts with 28 weeks of class from 8am-5pm Pacific weekdays and finishes with 5 weeks in an internship with a participating tech company.

PART-TIME Schedule

Our part-time program starts with 56 weeks of class from 8am-noon Pacific Monday through Thursday, plus an average of 4 hours of classwork you can do on your own schedule. Afterwards, we’ll support you in preparing for and securing yourself an internship; you'll put in 80 hours of preparation and at least 150 hours at your internship, on a schedule of your choosing. Students in the part-time program have the option to join a full-time internship.

PART-TIME Intro Course

Epicodus offers a part-time version of the Introduction to Programming course. This course covers the fundamentals of web design and development. After completing the course, you may continue to the rest of the program if you wish. This course is not a prerequisite to attend the full-time or part-time programs.


A Typical Week at Epicodus

Epicodus is nothing like traditional school: it's 100% hands-on, building projects and writing code all day, every day. There are no lectures, breakout sessions, lightning talks, or anything like that. The best way to learn coding is to code, and that's what we spend our classes doing.

Homework

For the full-time program, homework is typically 60 minutes of lessons each night and weekend from our curriculum at www.learnhowtoprogram.com. These lessons introduce new concepts by explaining the principles and then showing examples of how to apply them in code.

For the part-time program, homework is typically 30-60 minutes of lessons per week.

Coursework

Here's what a typical day looks like at Epicodus:

"Pair programming is awesome! I learned so much just by watching others write code and problem solve."

- Brentwood, former student

  • Pair up with another student, check in, get ready for the day’s project

  • Announcements

  • Write code with your pair

  • Working on career prep

  • Class debrief

  • Day ends

There will be some additional live instruction during the announcements portion of the day for students in the data engineering program.

Pair Programming

Most class days, you'll practice pair programming: two people working on the same code at the same time, taking turns who is typing. In person, you'll share a computer with your pair; online, you'll connect to each other's computers and talk on an audio stream. By working together, you catch each other's mistakes, teach each other new skills, and come up with ideas together that neither of you would have had alone. Pairing is increasingly used by tech companies (like Facebook and Square), and we've found that pair programming helps you learn programming concepts faster, too.

Independent Projects

At the end of each week for full-time and every 2-3 weeks for part-time classes, you'll work alone on a project for 8 hours that teachers provide feedback on. There will also be a number of career services related projects that your advisor will provide feedback on. For evening courses, you'll complete these projects on a schedule of your choosing before their due date.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are core parts of Epicodus's mission statement to "focus on serving people who, by birth or circumstance, don't have easy access to learning the skills they need to get great jobs." When you enroll at Epicodus you are choosing to be a part of that mission.

Your participation in our DEI mission starts with making our classroom a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone. To that end, we include a DEI curriculum alongside our technical and career services lessons.

Most weeks you will have a DEI reading assignment as part of your homework on a topic that is relevant to our school or to the tech industry as a whole. Each reading will end with a reflective writing assignment. We also set time aside in class for workshops where staff members will facilitate more in-depth discussions.

Lunch speakers

Often on Wednesdays, we bring in a lunch speaker from a local tech company so that you hear the perspective of real people working in the programming industry.


Staff

"The instructors have the uncanny ability of revealing just enough of the solution when asked for help to not rob you of those great moments of discovery when coding."

- John, former student

Teachers

The Epicodus philosophy is to help students build teamwork skills and self-reliance. Our coding instructors are mostly there to help you when you're stuck or don't understand something.

When you have a question, you'll start by working with your pair to figure out the answer. If the two of you can't figure out the answer, you'll ask another pair of students, as answering each other’s questions is one of the best ways to learn. If you still can't figure out the answer, our teachers are always there to help and explain.

Since our teachers are Epicodus alumni themselves, they've experienced the same struggles you will, and know how best to help you through them. We have approximately 1 teacher for every 30 students.

ADvisors

Each cohort has an advisor who supports students from enrollment all the way through finding their first job in the industry. Your advisor will support you in a variety of ways throughout the program. 

Advisors will give a presentation on various topics relevant to setting yourself up for success after you graduate. Throughout the program, they’ll be your resource for the career services curriculum. Once you graduate, they’ll check in with you regularly to help you pursue your first role in the tech industry. You will have access to your advisor up to a year after your graduation date.


In-Person Facilities

Our classroom is a big, open space with lots of windows and our own kitchen. We provide giant 27" iMac computers for students to work on in class, and height-adjustable sit-stand desks. We're very close to light rail and major bus lines; there's bike parking inside; and plenty of parking lots nearby.

Our office is wheelchair accessible, and while we haven't been formally audited for accessibility, we have informally been told that they are very accessible.

We are welcoming of gender diversity at Epicodus and have a policy of inclusivity in our restroom facilities.

Please let us know if you have any concerns about our physical space or classroom environment.


After Graduation

Career Services

Epicodus's mission is to help people learn the skills they need to get great jobs, and that continues even after you finish your internship. Your advisor will continue to support you after you graduate and you’ll be expected to check in with them on a weekly basis. Job searching can be tough, so they’ll help you set and stick to job searching goals, continue coding, and cheer you on when you need it.