Full Sail University's approach to technology degrees is one that focuses on the future, on where the technology industry is going, and how their grads can meet it as prepared, confident candidates. And as the market for artificial intelligence and machine learning jobs continues to grow, Full Sail has developed a degree offering to meet that need.

The Computer Science bachelor's degree with an Artificial Intelligence concentration is a specialized program that teaches students to design, develop, and implement software-based AI solutions. It's a hands-on, career-oriented degree focused on how this emerging technology functions in the real world.

A Rapidly Growing AI Job Market

Fueled by a need for operational efficiency, faster data analysis, improved customer service, and constant innovation, companies are adopting artificial intelligence as a new reality of doing business. In fact, in 2019, LinkedIn put artificial intelligence at the top of their list of top 10 emerging jobs in the United States.

Because of it's wide-ranging application, artificial intelligence has made strides across a massive amount of industries. For example, AI has found a home in areas like healthcare, transportation, supply chain management, education, and cybersecurity, to name a few. Some AI careers on the rise include robotics engineers, computer vision engineers, data scientists, and machine learning engineers (demand for which has more than tripled from 2015 to 2019).

Artificial Intelligence Taught by the Pros

With such a vast world of opportunity in the field of artificial intelligence, Full Sail developed a program that emphasizes real-world experience and hands-on learning. Each program emphasizes developing and refining a professional presence and portfolio, and instructors are industry professionals with at least six years of experience in their field.

Program Director Dr. Rebecca Leis is also a course director and department chair for Computer Science and Game Development at Full Sail. With a Ph.D. in Modeling and Simulation from the University of Central Florida, she brings a wealth of knowledge and research about how technology affects its users.

“The purpose of Artificial Intelligence is to build computer programs that mimic human intelligence, which includes learning, reasoning, and problem solving,” says Dr. Leis. “This is often done on a smaller scale, by looking at specific tasks. The process of offloading learning and reasoning from subject matter experts to machines is such an interesting procedure. It requires us to first investigate our current understanding of a task, the known processes we undergo, and the tacit knowledge we take for granted. Then, we must take that information and build a program that allows the machine to mimic it in a repeatable, reliable, and efficient manner.”

A Specialized Artificial Intelligence Degree

This degree program starts with a strong foundation in computer science. Students learn basic data structures and system requirements as well as how to engineer and design software applications. Problem solving is at the heart of each course, encouraging students to use critical thinking and creativity to develop software solutions.

The Artificial Intelligence specialized track covers some of the most in-demand aspects of a career in AI. Some specialized courses include:

Security in Artificial Intelligence: This course examines the principles of information and software development security using AI-based tools to identify and respond to threats. It covers security architecture, engineering, and operations. You'll learn to secure AI algorithms against malicious use as well as how machine learning can be used for security purposes.

Deep Learning: This course builds a foundation in Neural Networks with a deep dive into how to create Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN), and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). You'll learn which neural network is ideal for different applications like computer vision, image detection, image generation, and speech detection.

Computer Vision: This course explores techniques and algorithms for image recognition, image analysis, image enhancement, and image production. You'll learn to design and implement your own computer vision system that can complete tasks like detecting colors, shapes, and faces.

Artificial intelligence is opening new frontiers in the world of science and technology, Dr. Leis explains. “This is a wonderful time for us to think logically and philosophically about how and why we do things in a specific way.” If you're interested in exploring them, the Computer Science Bachelor's with a concentration in Artificial Intelligence might be right for you. Fill out the form on this page for more information.