Udacity Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree Review 2026

Written by Mo Mullah, OnlineCourseing contributor. First published December 2022. Updated and fact-checked by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. See our review methodology.

Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you enroll through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change our verdict, and several of the alternatives we name pay us nothing.

Last updated: 13 October 2026 (full refresh; syllabus, projects, prerequisites, ratings and prices re-checked on Udacity’s nd032 program page that day).

Udacity’s Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree (nd032) is a 41-hour program for people who already know basic JavaScript. It covers object-oriented JavaScript, functional programming and asynchronous programming in three courses, each with a reviewed project. On 13 October 2026 it was rated 4.4 from 140 reviews on Udacity’s page and cost $249 a month.

QUICK VERDICT

See the Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree →

Reviews from graduates of Udacity Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree

These LinkedIn posts were collected when this review was first written in 2021 and 2022.

Thanks, Udacity! I really enjoyed the learning experience!
Daniel Von Rohr, full stack web developer, via LinkedIn

Just got my Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree from Udacity after about 3 months of training! This was definitely a personal skills upgrade of overall JavaScript to 2021 and beyond.
Peter M., senior software developer at publicplan GmbH, via LinkedIn

Just finished Udacity Intermediate JavaScript NanoDegree and totally recommend it to anyone who doesn’t have a lot of depth in the language as a whole. Some of the stuff was new stuff I wasn’t familiar with, like how the call and apply worked compared to bind and a pretty in-depth look into async calls.
Olaf Minkowicz, full stack engineer and former Microsoft software engineer, via LinkedIn

Olaf’s point is the best summary of who this program helps: developers who use JavaScript every day but never learned how this, bind, prototypes and asynchronous code really work.

Overview

JavaScript runs in every web browser and, through Node.js, on servers. Most people learn enough to make a page interactive and then hit a wall: code that works until it involves objects, callbacks or data from an API. This Nanodegree targets exactly that wall. It does not teach a framework, and the previous version of this page overstated it when it said the program prepares you for desktop and server-side roles.

Source: Udacity’s nd032 program page, read 13 October 2026.

About the Udacity Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree

The program has three courses, each ending in a project a reviewer grades against a rubric. Lessons combine short videos, reading and quizzes.

What changed since this review was first written

For the bigger picture of how Udacity works, see our Udacity Nanodegree review.

Job Scenario

JavaScript is the most widely used programming language among professional developers: 66% of respondents to Stack Overflow’s 2025 Developer Survey reported using it. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a May 2025 median of $99,520 for web developers and digital designers and $135,980 for software developers. The previous version of this page quoted an unsourced $111,100 average for “JavaScript developers”; BLS does not track that title.

An intermediate JavaScript certificate will not get you hired on its own. What helps is being able to explain closures, prototypes and asynchronous code in an interview and showing projects that use them, which is what this program practices. Pair it with a framework (React or Vue) and a portfolio.

Cost and Duration of the Udacity Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree

Udacity sells access by subscription. On 13 October 2026 the nd032 page listed $249 a month, a four-month bundle at $212 a month ($846 in total), or $999 to buy just this program outright. The page also showed a 40% discount banner for new users; check the terms at checkout because promotions change often.

Because the program is short, a focused month is the cheapest way through it. Plan the three projects before you subscribe.

A four-week plan at 10 to 12 hours a week

1. Week 1: Object-Oriented JavaScript. Work through objects in depth, functions at runtime and classes, then start the Dinosaurs project.
2. Week 2: finish and submit Dinosaurs; begin Functional Programming while the review comes back.
3. Week 3: functional syntax and patterns, then build the Mars Dashboard against NASA’s API.
4. Week 4: callbacks, Promises and async/await; build and submit UdaciRacer Simulator.

Check the current nd032 price →

Prerequisites of the Udacity Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree

This is not a beginner program. Udacity lists basic JavaScript, DOM events and DOM manipulation as prerequisites.

Quick self-check

• Can you write a function that loops over an array and returns a filtered copy?
• Can you select an element with querySelector, change its text and add a click handler?
• Do you know the difference between let, const and var?

If not, start with Udacity’s free Intro to JavaScript course or freeCodeCamp’s JavaScript curriculum, or take the full Front End Web Developer Nanodegree first. You can read how the server side of JavaScript fits in on MDN’s server-side introduction.

Syllabus of the Udacity Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree

Course 1: Object-Oriented JavaScript (13 hours)

Lessons: Objects in Depth, Functions at Runtime, Classes and Objects, and Object-Oriented Design Patterns. Skills include object methods, scope, immediately invoked function expressions (IIFEs) and creational design patterns. The course ends in the Dinosaurs project, where you apply these object patterns; Udacity’s page lists the project by name only, without a description.

Course 2: Functional Programming (15.5 hours)

Lessons: an introduction to functional programming, functional JavaScript syntax, functional programming in JavaScript, and going further with functional JavaScript. Skills include immutable data, higher-order array methods and the ideas behind state libraries such as Redux. The Mars Dashboard project asks you to build a dashboard that consumes the NASA API using only the functional patterns from the course.

Course 3: Asynchronous Programming with JavaScript (11.3 hours)

Lessons: an introduction to asynchronous programming, synchronous concepts and asynchronous callbacks, sequencing events with Promises, and sequencing events with async/await. The previous version of this page listed C++ memory topics under this course by mistake. In the UdaciRacer Simulator project you build a racing game using callbacks, Promises and async/await.

Why these three topics matter

Each course maps to a kind of bug that self-taught developers meet early. Object-oriented JavaScript explains why this points somewhere unexpected inside a callback and how prototypes share methods between objects. Functional programming explains why changing an array in place breaks a user interface that expected a new copy, which is the idea behind React state and Redux. Asynchronous programming explains why a value fetched from an API is undefined when you log it, and how Promises and async/await fix the order of events.

If you can already explain all three in an interview, this program will mostly be review. If you cannot, it is a structured way to learn them.

View the full nd032 syllabus →

Pros and Cons

Here is how the current program weighs up, updated for 2026.

Pros of the Udacity Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree:

• Targets the hard parts. Prototypes, this, design patterns, immutability and async code are what most self-taught developers skip.
• Good projects. A NASA API dashboard and a racing game exercise the course’s ideas well and are small enough to finish.
• Short. 41 hours is about a month of focused study.
• Reviewed work. Each project gets rubric-based feedback.

Cons of the Udacity Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree:

• Narrow for the price. $249 a month for three topics; a $20 Udemy course covers these and more.
• No framework. You still need React or another framework before most front-end jobs.
• Thin recent feedback. The newest reviews on Udacity’s page are from 2022 and 2023.
• Requires prior JavaScript. Beginners will struggle from the first lesson.

The sharpest criticism of Udacity in general comes from Reddit, where a widely read January 2022 r/learnprogramming post warned that some Nanodegree projects asked for much more than the lessons taught. We found no recent thread about this program specifically.

Udacity Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree Certificate

When all three projects pass, Udacity issues a Nanodegree certificate. It is not accredited by any university. Add it to LinkedIn, but lead with the projects on GitHub: an interviewer will learn more from your UdaciRacer code than from the certificate.

Advance features of Udacity

On 13 October 2026 Udacity’s plan card listed four items with every subscription:

• Unlimited access to Udacity’s catalog while you subscribe
• Hands-on projects with expert feedback
• Personalized career coaching and interview prep
• Program certificates

The “top class mentorship” described in the earlier version of this page is not on today’s plan card, so treat project reviews as the main form of expert help.

Cheaper and free alternatives

Udemy rating checked on 13 October 2026; Zero To Mastery details from its course page the same day.

About Instructors

Udacity lists four instructors: Richard Kalehoff (software engineer at Udacity), Rachel Manning (full stack developer), Alyssa Hope and Andrew Wong (software engineer). The same names appeared when this review was first written, which suggests the core lessons have not been re-recorded, even though Udacity marks the program as updated in August 2026.

Must see: our Udacity React Nanodegree review, the natural next step, and the Full Stack JavaScript Developer Nanodegree review if you want the server side too. For another language, see the Java Web Developer Nanodegree review.

Conclusion

3.5 out of 5. The Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree teaches the right things, the parts of JavaScript that separate someone who copies snippets from someone who understands them, and its three projects are worth building. It is short enough to finish in a month. Against it: the price is high for a narrow program, the newest learner reviews are three years old, and you will still need a framework afterwards.

Take it if graded projects are what keep you working and you can finish in a month. Otherwise, Jonas Schmedtmann’s Udemy course covers the same ground for far less, and Zero To Mastery’s advanced course goes deeper. Compare the rest of the catalog in our best Udacity courses guide or the Udacity hub.

Start Intermediate JavaScript at Udacity →

FAQ’s of Udacity Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree

Is the Udacity Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree worth it?

It is worth it for someone who already knows basic JavaScript and the DOM and wants a reviewed path through object-oriented, functional and asynchronous JavaScript, with three projects. At 41 hours it usually costs one or two months of subscription, $249 to $498. It is poor value if you want a broad course, because cheaper courses such as Jonas Schmedtmann’s on Udemy cover the same topics and more.

How long does the Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree take?

Udacity estimates 41 hours across three main courses and 15 lessons. At 10 hours a week that is about four to five weeks, plus a few days for each of the three project reviews. The older estimate of three months at 10 hours a week no longer applies.

What are the prerequisites?

Udacity lists basic JavaScript, DOM events and DOM manipulation. You should be able to write functions, loops and conditionals, select page elements, and respond to clicks before you start.

What projects are in the program?

Three: Dinosaurs (applying object-oriented JavaScript), Mars Dashboard (a dashboard that consumes NASA’s API using functional programming), and UdaciRacer Simulator (a racing game built with callbacks, Promises and async/await).

Does it teach React, Angular or Vue?

No. It teaches the JavaScript underneath those frameworks: objects and prototypes, classes, design patterns, functional programming with immutable data, and asynchronous code. Learn a framework next; Udacity’s React Nanodegree is the direct follow-on.

How much does it cost?

On 13 October 2026 Udacity charged $249 a month, $846 for four months (about $212 a month) or $999 to buy the program outright, and showed a 40% discount banner for new users. Because the program is 41 hours, the monthly plan is usually cheapest.

Is the program still updated?

Udacity listed it as updated on 10 August 2026. The newest learner reviews on the program page date from 2022 and 2023, so recent first-hand feedback is thin. The topics it covers are stable parts of the language, which limits the risk.

Can I get a refund?

Udacity’s Terms of Use (updated January 16, 2026) give seven days from your first purchase to cancel for a full refund. After that, fees are not refunded, and canceling a monthly plan keeps access until the end of the month you paid for.

I don’t have the prerequisites. What should I do?

Start with Udacity’s free Intro to JavaScript course or freeCodeCamp’s JavaScript curriculum. If you want a full, reviewed path, Udacity’s Front End Web Developer Nanodegree covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript and the DOM first.

Related Udacity guides: Intro to Programming review · Front End Web Developer review · Every Udacity Nanodegree in 2026 (Hub)