Introduction:

Over the next ten years, artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to create new jobs, improve productivity, help tackle climate change and deliver better public services. The UK government are also heavily investing in AI growth through its AI Sector Deal.

In this course, you'll learn how to deploy, manage, and maintain AI technologies within the business value chain. You will gain the skills to work as part of an interdisciplinary team that include AI expert practitioners, who will be tasked with designing and developing systems that meet business requirements.

When you graduate, you will understand AI principles, concepts, techniques and methods to support the integration of fully developed AI technologies into existing information technology systems by adapting the existing systems to interface with the new technologies.

The course puts theory into practice through skills development relevant to the modern world, particularly the industrial application of artificial intelligence. It offers skills development as an integral part of the curriculum and as preparation for the world of work. As well as practical skills necessary for the Computing professional, with emphasis on design and development, students will develop transferable skills which will make them suitable for graduate employment in an ever-changing job market.

This course is available to students with some prior knowledge of quantitative research methods and experience in software engineering practice, for example, graduates of the Q-step Social Sciences with Quantitative Methods undergraduate degree courses who may also have software development experience through previous work.

The year-long paid work placement is an important feature of the course. It is optional, but if chosen, it will give you a distinct advantage in graduating. We have an excellent placements office to support finding a right placement opportunity for each student.

• One year paid work placement option available.
• No prior AI or Computer Science knowledge needed if you have software engineering and quantitative research experience.
• 92.3% of postgraduate computer science graduates who entered employment are in a 'High skilled' role 15 months after finishing their degrees. (Graduate Outcome Survey 2019/20)

Working with industry

Making our courses relevant to industry is at the heart of what we do. We are proud that the technology companies Xilinx and Sundance Microprocessor Technologies support this course and our students, including offering placement opportunities.

Careers and employability

The course has been designed to be industry-fit with active engagement from local and regional commercial partners. It will develop your integral understanding of business processes, statistics, and key computer science concepts for AI and management. This will help students from a diversity of backgrounds to transition to fields where these technologies are already being applied in sectors such as retail, manufacturing, and entertainment, and there is significant potential for further uptake, for example, in pharmaceuticals, education, and transport.

Some graduates venture into other sectors and are equally successful in gaining employment because of the transferable skills gained on the course. Other graduates who enjoyed the extensively applied research element of the course and the work on the MSc project will go on to study for a PhD.

Placement opportunities

NTU is one of the most employment-focused universities. Increasingly, employers want to recruit graduates who have real-world work experience. That’s why all of our courses, across every subject area, offer you a work experience opportunity. Our experts help build and support your future with various career programmes and events.

The school of Science and Technology will work closely with you to help you find a placement and strengthen your CV and interview techniques. You'll be supported and assessed throughout your placement year and will write a reflective report and diary at the end of your placement. When you successfully complete your placement and submit your placement report, you will be eligible to receive an additional Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Practice award.

Please note that placements are not guaranteed and the process is competitive through an application and interview process.

What you’ll study

You will study six 20 credit point (cp) modules and complete a major project. Each module will be delivered over a ten-week period with the maximum of two modules studied at the same time.

Modules

• Foundations of AI (20 cp)
• Software Engineering 1 (20 cp)
• Artificial Cognitive Systems (20 cp)
• Fundamentals of Big Data and Infrastructure (20 cp)
• Applied AI (20 cp)
• Research Methods (20 cp)
• Major Project (60 cp)

* Scholarships available for international students.