North Campus Launches Florida’s First Bachelor’s Program In Applied AI
Artificial intelligence is transforming reality.
Robotic arms are being used in manufacturing. Virtual assistants are being implemented in hospitals to detect illness. AI facial recognition is being used to identify criminals.
This month, EnTec, the School of Engineering, Technology and Design at Miami Dade College is joining the AI trend, launching Florida’s first bachelor’s of science degree in applied artificial intelligence at North Campus.
“AI is going to be embedded in everything we do, so we [need to] make sure students know how to think critically, use it in an ethical manner and that we’re able to have education programs that teach it,” said College President Madeline Pumariega during last month’s Board of Trustees meeting.
The 120-credit program, which costs approximately $15,500, aims to teach students how artificial intelligence can be applied to the real-world and meet the increasing demand for jobs in the emerging industry.
According to Salary.com, artificial intelligence developers earn between $85,000 to $133,000 annually and approximately 97 million new jobs in AI will be created by 2025, World Economic Forum reports.
Courses, which will be in-person and blended, include: Machine Intelligence, Applied Decision and Optimization Theory, AI and Ethics, and an AI Capstone.
Students will learn about natural language processing—technology that allows computers to interpret and manipulate human language—the social repercussions of AI through lectures, hands-on projects and internship opportunities.
“AI touches everything,” said Manny Perez, dean of EnTec & Design. “It can be used for good or bad, but it’s important to understand how to use it and how to apply it. That’s what our program is.”
Applicants must have completed an associate’s degree and prerequisite courses—AI Thinking, Machine Learning Foundations, Introduction to Natural Language Processing and Introduction to Python Programming—and have at least a 2.5 GPA.
Students who have earned the AI Awareness and AI Practitioner college credit certificates can apply credits obtained toward the bachelor’s program.
Those with financial need may qualify for aid such as the Javier Coto Scholarship, City of Miami Residents Scholarship, FPL Tech Scholarship and the Rebooting Through Emerging Technology Program—which awards 20 students with $10,000 toward annual tuition.
“We don’t want people to be afraid of [AI]. We want to show how [it] can truly enhance life and make things a lot easier,” said Anselm Knights, chairperson of EnTec & Design department at North Campus. “Why not have a machine do [mundane tasks] for you while you…put your time and effort into something more meaningful versus doing a task that—no pun intended—has you looking like a robot.”
To schedule an appointment with an adviser contact BS-AI@mdc.edu.
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