Nanodegrees are at the other end of the scale from the traditional university degree. For a degree, you spend three years gaining all the skills you need from a broad area. Nanodegrees are focused on what skills you need to learn for a very specific task.

纳米学位与传统的大学学位是一个天平的两端。念个大学学位，你需要花3年时间获得一个广泛领域的所有技能。而纳米学位集中传授一个具体任务所需的技能。

Nanodegree courses are fast gaining popularity among students as they look to avoid the heavy debt burden that usually accompanies a degree program.

纳米学位课程在学生中迅速流行开来，因为他们不想承受读大学学位要面对的沉重的学生贷款负担。

For example:

Focusing on entry-level software skills, Udacity says its new “NanoDegree” will be offered online, involve less than a year of coursework, and cost about $200 per month. AT&T in turn will offer paid internships to some NanoDegree graduates.

在线教育网站Udacity表示，新的教授入门级软件技能的“纳米学位”将在网上授课，学期不到一年，每月费用约200美元。美国电话电报公司会为一些“纳米学位”的毕业生提供带薪实习职位。