“A Smart Way to Skip College in Pursuit of a Job” is the subhead on this NYTimes article.
This concept sounds like it could really be something, especially since it has corporate backing. This seems to answer the perplexing accreditation problem.
AT&T has helped design this “Nano Degree” program and they say they will accept it as qualification credentials for employment in the subject field. At $200 per month it is certainly a low cost way into a decent paying entry level job/career.