Creating a Revolutionary Academic Program

THE UNIQUE BLEND of quality education, research, entrepreneurship, and economic development embodied in the operational model of academic institutions in the U.S. is unparalleled in the world. This unique model has been powered by the intellectual commitment and academic freedom of the faculty. Therein lies the rub for creating new and revolutionary academic programs. This article chronicles the creation of the Georgia Tech (GT) Online Master's in Computer Science (OMSCS) program, which is based on massive open online course (MOOC) technology. By relating our experiences-discussing the creative solutions we came up with as well as how we overcame the challenges we faced-we hope we can help colleagues and peers embarking on similar endeavors.