Artificial intelligence is making its way into every field. Northeastern has an academic program to help working professionals stay ahead — and tuition is free for university employees.
Northeastern offers a curriculum of post-undergraduate courses devoted to the fundamentals of artificial intelligence. In fall 2024, the university’s Experiential, Digital and Global Education office launched an interdisciplinary graduate-level certificate in AI applications made up of 16 credits to be taken during seven-week, “half-semester” sessions. Applications for the early summer session, which starts May 5, are due on April 14.
“The concept is to help people that may not be exposed to AI and want more experience,” says Jessica Ward, the programming and relationship manager for Experiential, Digital and Global Education. “Generative AI is going to be in everybody’s life, and the focus of the program is not only the different types and applications of AI, but how we ethically engage with it, and how we make sure humans are at the center.”
The only prerequisite is a bachelor’s degree. The program can be completed alone or as part of certain other Northeastern graduate programs; for example, much of the coursework satisfies election requirements for the online MBA offered through the D’Amore McKim School of Business.
As with other academic coursework, it is also free for university employees — eligible for tuition remission through Northeastern’s Human Resources office.
The certificate is made up of four, 4-hour courses taught by faculty across the university. Core classes include “Exploring AI Trends and Tools” (a computer science course), “Responsible AI” (philosophy) and “Human-centered AI” (design). Electives are focused on AI’s applications for either business or health sciences.
Instructors include Prashant Mittal and Dan Feinberg from the Khoury College of Computer Sciences; Steven Geofrey from CAMD; Gene Tunik from the Bouvé College of Health Sciences and Usama Fayed, director of Northeastern’s Institute for Experiential AI.
Students can take one or two courses per seven-week session, and sessions can be nonconsecutive.
Ward says the rigor of the program can come as a surprise, given its short timeframe.
“It’s important to note that these are graduate-level courses, and they come with graduate-level difficulty,” she says. “And Northeastern-level quality. We have outstanding experts and faculty teaching, and it’s going to leave you with a high level of understanding in these areas.”
Complete the program’s Fast App to verify that you have an undergraduate degree and enroll automatically in two core courses; earning a B or higher in both will grant access to the rest of the program. Application cycles occur every eight weeks. If you have trouble applying, email aiapplications@northeastern.edu and a member of Ward’s team will be able to help.
As artificial intelligence makes its way into every industry, demonstrated proficiency with it is going to become vital in both job recruitment and people’s existing careers, Ward notes.
“Many organizations are looking for folks to have this exposure and knowledge, so it can definitely help when looking for that next position,” she says.
At the university level, “everyone is figuring out how this is going to impact their work and what they do,” she continues. “All of the colleges at Northeastern recognize this, and that’s why they collaborated to build this.”