NOVA is partnering with AWS on a new course of study for the US Marine Corps

Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) on a new course of study for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC).

NOVA and AWS Educate are working to form a set of courses in data intelligence focused on cloud computing, data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence for Marines, a press release states. The courses are set to be offered starting in the fall, when Marines will complete courses as part of their military occupational specialty, intelligence data engineering. The remainder of their military-specific components of their specialty will be offered by the USMC.

“By creating this cutting-edge curriculum, including pathways into artificial intelligence and machine learning, and leveraging AWS Educate’s hands-on environment for real-world practice, these institutions are preparing their students for a future in cloud computing,” Ken Eisner, director of Worldwide Education Programs at AWS, said in a statement.

There’s 31 credits in the data intelligence course of study, and the news release states it will include the first ML and AI-focused courses developed with the Virginia Community College System.

Through the program, Marines will enroll in AWS Educate and complete NOVA’s first cloud computing course there, which is designed to prepare them for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Certification. Marines will also leverage AWS Educate for NOVA’s advanced coursework in ML and AI.

Though Marines will attend classes at NOVA in a cohort, the courses will also be open to civilian NOVA students.

“The Marine Corps Intelligence Schools’ partnership with Northern Virginia Community College represents an exciting new approach to training Marines in highly technical skills,” Colonel Randy Pugh said in a statement. “This expertise is going to be built using a foundation of NOVA’s accredited academic courses which means the Marines will be able to continue their education at NOVA or any other college or university, sustaining what they’ve learned as the field evolves and enhancing their skills as they progress to positions of increasing responsibility.”

NOVA and USMC also said in the news release that they are exploring other IT and cyber-related occupational fields to integrate this approach with.