Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree program

Student Handbook & Syllabus

Last Updated: 9 November 2015

I. Introduction

II. Anatomy of a Nanodegree program

Projects and Courses

Deadlines

Community

Time Commitment

III. Nanodegree Roadmap

Enrollment Requirements

Project Submission and Graduation

How do I maintain good standing in the program?

Honor Code

Nanodegree Program

Project Submissions

Community Guidelines

IV. Nanodegree Program Support System

Community Forum

Webcasts
 V. Payment Policy and Cancellations

Free Trials

Cancellations and Refunds

Pausing a Nanodegree Program

More Questions?

I. Introduction
Welcome to Udacity’s Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree program! After reading this
document, you should understand the requirements and policies of the program, where completing
the program will take you, and how to get support when you need it.

Please read this whole document carefully before you begin, and if you still have questions at the
end, feel free to contact us in the forum or at ​
[email protected]​ .

Once again, welcome, and we can’t wait to see what you achieve!

Happy learning,
The Udacity Team

II. Anatomy of a Nanodegree program

A Nanodegree program consists of a series of courses and projects designed to help you develop
job-relevant skills and build a portfolio to show prospective employers. Udacity designed the
Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree curriculum through close work with industry partners and
experts alike.

The Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree program will equip students with key skills, including
data analysis and artificial intelligence, which will prepare them to fill roles with companies seeking
machine learning experts (or to introduce machine learning techniques to their organizations).
Many experts in this field go on to create new businesses as well, leveraging the vast capabilities of
machine learning.

Projects and Courses

The bulk of the Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree program consists of completing a series of
projects​
, accompanied by ​courses​. These courses are designed to help you prepare to work on
your projects, but they are not mandatory (unless otherwise noted). More information is provided in
Section III: Nanodegree Roadmap​ . You can see a list of these projects and courses in your ​
Udacity
Home​ .

Deadlines
To help you pace yourself, each project has its own ​deadline ​
--​
a date by which the project must be
​
submitted -- that you’ll need to reach in order to keep the same projected completion date. You’ll
find your deadlines in your ​
Udacity Home.​

Community
One of the biggest benefits of the Nanodegree experience is being part of a c​
ommunity ​ and
completing the program with hundreds of other students from around the world. Though not all
students may move through the curriculum at exactly the same pace, your Nanodegree community
will be your strongest resource and support system. We expect you to be active in your community,
as outlined in the ​
Honor Code.​

Time Commitment
We designed this Nanodegree so that you can graduate in ​
10-12 months​ , assuming you devote at
least ​
10 hours per week​
to learning and working on the required projects.

III. Nanodegree Roadmap

Enrollment Requirements
This Nanodegree has several important criteria that you should have met before enrolling in the
program. Please make sure you have already done each of the following:

1. Fulfilled all ​
prerequisites,​
as listed on the Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree overview
page.
2. Made sure your system satisfies Udacity’s ​ Technology Requirements.​

If you have not done all of these things, please do them right away. If you realize you are not
prepared to begin the program at this time, please ​ unsubscribe from the Nanodegree​ before​
​ your
free trial ends. You will be able to re-enroll with a later cohort after you have fulfilled the
prerequisites. We cannot guarantee a refund for students on account of unpreparedness.

If you currently have little to no programming experience, we recommend taking a look at the
courseware for ​ Intro to Computer Science​and ​Programming Foundations with Python​ for a
thorough understanding of foundational computer science concepts and the Python language
before you begin this Nanodegree program.

Program Timeline and Project Portfolio

Graduating from the Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree program requires that you submit
work that meets Udacity’s specifications for the particular projects. ​
You can find your timeline, as
well as a roadmap for what you’ll work on in the program, in your ​ Udacity Home.​

If you are not able to meet a deadline, you will automatically be given a different timeline based on
your progress and activity in the Nanodegree program.

Project Submission and Graduation

You will submit each project you complete using your ​ Udacity Home​ . Detailed submission
instructions for each project are listed in its project info sections, accessible by clicking the project’s
name in your Udacity Home.

You can submit projects as soon as your first payment has been received. Once we’ve received and
begun to process your project submission, you will receive a confirmation email. Due to the high
volume of submissions and the time it takes our team to give personalized feedback, the
turnaround period for project evaluations is currently ​
1 week​. While waiting for the evaluation to
be returned, you are encouraged to start working on your next project.

Once your project has met the specifications of its rubric (which can also be found in the project
information section), your project will be checked off in your Udacity Home. You may be asked to
do a verification interview with a Udacity Coach at any time to verify that the project in question
represents your own work and/or correctly cites all sources and reasons for using others’ code in
any part of your submission. ​For verification purposes, your name on your Udacity account
should match the government-issued ID you show us during your verification interview.

How do I maintain good standing in the program?

To maintain good standing and stay in the program, students are expected to meet the following
criteria:

● Abide by the ​Udacity Honor Code,​ the T

​erms of Service,​
and the terms outlined in this
Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree Student Handbook
● If asked, schedule an exit interview within 7 days to have the projects verified over video
chat

The requirements above are designed to help students graduate from the Machine Learning
Engineer Nanodegree program within 10-12 months of enrollment or earlier. Students who do not
maintain good standing will be asked to leave the program.

Honor Code
Nanodegree Program
● I will abide by the ​
Terms of Service​
, Student Handbook guidelines, and all components of
the Honor Code set for Udacity Nanodegree participants.
 ● I will conduct myself with honor as part of the Udacity community.

● I understand that all decisions regarding participation, graduation, and awarding of verified
certificates will be made by Udacity at its sole discretion.

Project Submissions
● I hereby confirm that all project submissions consist of my own work. Accordingly, I will
document and cite the origins of any part(s) of my project submissions that were taken from
websites, books, forums, blog posts, github repositories, or any other source and explain
why I used them for any part of my submission. I understand that I may be asked to explain
my work in a video call with a Udacity Coach before my Nanodegree is conferred.

Community Guidelines
● I will help cultivate a positive, supportive learning environment.

● I will communicate respectfully and considerately with all other Nanodegree participants,
Udacity Coaches, and Udacity representatives.

● I will not share any content that is obscene, illicit, threatening, or discriminatory.

● I will contribute constructively to discussions with fellow students.

● I will notify a Udacity Coach immediately if I become aware of cheating or plagiarism by any
Nanodegree student.

IV. Nanodegree Program Support System

Community Forum
Each Nanodegree program has its own U ​dacity Discussions forum​ where students can ask and
answer each other’s questions about the projects, program logistics, and course material. Udacity
Coaches moderate posts, answer student questions, and publicize important program information
in this forum. Coaches do their best to ensure all content-related questions have answers within
twenty-four hours. As a student, it’s highly recommended that you also take time to answer posts
to further your own learning.

Please note, due to the number of advanced open-ended projects that we will be offering in the
Nanodegree the forum categories dedicated to the program’s final project concentrations will not
be coach-moderated.

To access the forum, click the ​

Discussions​link from any classroom page in your program. Then click
the “Log In” button in the upper right hand corner to be automatically signed in.
Webcasts
Webcasts are live broadcast sessions in which Udacity instructors present on topics relevant to the
Nanodegree program and answer questions from students. These sessions will be announced on
the forum and over email, and recorded versions will be available for view afterward.

V. Payment Policy and Cancellations

Free Trials
All Nanodegree programs start with a free trial, during which time you will have full access to all
Nanodegree features.

You are required to enter your credit card information at the time of enrollment but will not be
billed until after your free trial expires. After this, you will automatically be charged a fee of​
$200
per month​ for your Nanodegree subscription.

Cancellations and Refunds

If you opt to cancel your enrollment within the Free Trial window, you will not be charged,
regardless of how far you have come in the program. ​ Again, we strongly recommend that you
read over the ​ prerequisites and requirements​ to make sure that the program is a good fit for
you.

Students who cancel will no longer be charged the monthly subscription fee, effective the next
billing cycle from the date of cancellation. Students who wish to cancel after the Free Trial expires
will not be granted a refund for past month’s subscription fees.

Pausing a Nanodegree Program

Due to the open nature of our courses combined with the pacing of the Nanodegree program,
Udacity cannot pause active subscriptions. However, we understand that our students are very
busy and that life can take unexpected turns, which may not always leave enough time to continue
the Nanodegree program at the required pace.

As you move through your program, all of your progress is automatically saved. Thus, if you feel
that you need to take a break from the program at any point, you are welcome to cancel your
subscription and then re-enroll during a future open registration period when you are ready to
return. You’ll be able to pick up right where you left off! Based on your overall progress in a
Nanodegree program, you may also be moved to an earlier cohort upon request after you re-enroll.
More Questions?
We are actively working on ways to improve the Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree program.
Please be aware that we may make adjustments throughout your time in the program based on
student and industry feedback. We will notify active Nanodegree students about any impact this
may have on their experience or program requirements. If you have any unanswered questions,
please email ​
[email protected]​ !