Autonomous and Electric Vehicles

New Career Pathway ~ Free Tuition Option!


De Anza partnered with Nuro, an innovative robotics company specializing in autonomous delivery vehicles, to develop a new career pathway – one of the first in the nation – for students interested in the growing autonomous and electric vehicle industry.


The pathway combines existing Auto Tech and Computer Information Systems courses to prepare students to work in the fast-growing industry of autonomous vehicles. 

The new partnership and the career training pathway were officially launched at an on-campus event on Thursday, Dec. 2, hosted by De Anza President Lloyd Holmes and attended by students, industry representatives and local community leaders.

Nuro R2 autonomous vehicle on a street in the suburbsTo prepare students with the cutting-edge skills to work on such vehicles, the Autonomous and Electric Vehicle Technician pathway combines coursework related to electric vehicle technology and computer programming. The pathway consists of two sets of coursework — Level I and Level II — that are anticipated to be offered as De Anza certificates in the future. 

All courses are available now, and the program also  includes a tuition-free path: Students have the option to complete the Level I coursework by taking free, noncredit versions of the same courses at De Anza, making this an excellent opportunity to sharpen skills and get valuable career training. Students may qualify for paid internships or part-time work opportunities at Nuro while completing the pathway. Students may also have access to part-time and full-time positions at Nuro after completing the Level I coursework.

About Nuro

Nuro's mission is to "better everyday life through robotics." Nuro's autonomous R2 vehicle has been used to make autonomous deliveries to customers of Domino's Pizza and other well-known brands.



Autonomous Vehicle Training Pathway

Autonomous and Electric Vehicle Technician (Level I)

  • AUTO 60: Automotive Electrical Systems (also offered free as noncredit AUTO 360) – offered in fall, winter and spring
  • AUTO 61B: Electronically Controlled Brake Systems (also offered free as noncredit AUTO 361B) – offered in fall
  • AUTO 62A: Automotive Suspension, Steering and Alignment (also offered free as noncredit AUTO 362A) – offered in winter
  • CIS 18A: Introduction to Unix/Linux (also offered free as noncredit CIS 318A) – offered in fall, winter and spring
  • CIS 40: Introduction to Programming in Python (also offered free as noncredit CIS 340) – offered in fall, winter and spring

Autonomous and Electric Vehicle Technician (Level II)

  • AUTO 66: Automotive Air Conditioning – offered in summer
  • AUTO 67A: Hybrid Electric Vehicles – offered in winter
  • AUTO 67B: Plug-In Electric Vehicle Technology – offered in winter
  • CIS 56: Network Security – offered in fall, winter and spring
  • CIS 66: Introduction to Data Communication and Networking – offered in fall, winter and spring

Group of diverse Nuro employees wearing face masks and standing next to Nuro vehicles

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