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College of Engineering and Computing

  • Dr. Jamshidi works with two grad students at a whiteboard

Artificial Intelligence Certificate

The University of South Carolina is a leader in advancing artificial intelligence. The Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence will prepare you to apply AI techniques in any field.

Why study artificial intelligence?

With applications in nearly every industry sector, the next generation of AI systems have the potential to transform how we interact every day. In the future, lifelong personal assistants will help elderly people live independently, AI health coaches will provide life advice, customized AI tutors will broaden education, and AI scientific assistants will accelerate breakthroughs. As these systems touch more of our lives, it is imperative that these new AI systems are fair, trustworthy and ethical.

As a graduate of the Artificial Intelligence Graduate Certificate program, you’ll gain a basic understanding of AI systems, including their capabilities and implications. You’ll be challenged to develop and deploy AI systems that solve problems in a variety of fields and to realize their full potential. The limitless areas of application make the AI Certificate a valuable addition to any course of graduate study.

Program of Study

Taught by faculty in both the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Department of Integrated Information Technology, the program includes a core course, followed by the opportunity to select a concentration. Example concentrations include knowledge representation and reasoning, computer vision, natural language processing, reasoning under uncertainty, and machine learning.

The Artificial Intelligence Graduate Certificate is a 12-credit hour program comprised of core and elective courses. Up to six hours of appropriate courses may be taken from other departments and/or by transfer credit. Major subjects include:

  • Big Data Analytics
  • Robotics Systems
  • Machine Learning
  • Data Mining and Warehousing
  • Bayesian Networks and Decision Graphs
  • Computer Processing and Natural Language
  • Pattern Recognition and Classification

The Artificial Intelligence Graduate Certificate may be pursued independently or concurrently with other graduate programs. Qualified undergraduates may also enroll through the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Graduate plan.

Visit Graduate Handbooks and Curricula for additional detail.


Graduate Admissions

All applications must be submitted to the Graduate School of the University of South Carolina. The Graduate School provides helpful information on the admissions application process and even lets you know what to do before you apply. The following guidelines are generally expected, but not necessarily sufficient, for admission.

  • An undergraduate degree from a college or university of recognized standing, with a B average or better for all work completed.
  • A strong background in Computer Science or Computer Engineering.
  • GRE Quantitative scores of 160 or higher and GRE Verbal scores of 145 or higher.
  • For international applicants, a TOEFL score of 80 or higher, or an IELTS score of 6.5 or higher.

Because admission is competitive, not all candidates satisfying these minimal standards can be admitted. Each application is evaluated by a departmental admissions committee, which makes an official recommendation to the Graduate School. The Graduate School makes the final decision and notifies the applicant of the decision.


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