Source: sandiego.edu
New graduate engineering programs in applied data science and applied artificial intelligence are attracting strong interest from professionals looking to expand their skills during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have seen a tremendous amount of interest in our online master’s degree programs in the last few months, both in terms of enrollments and consideration for future term starts,” said Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering Dean Chell Roberts.
“The pandemic has sent working people all over the world into tailspins in their professions, but the response we’ve seen in applicants pursuing online master’s degrees during this time is indicative of their focus of turning their current disadvantaged situations into positive ones in the future,” he added.
“In particular, our new MS in Applied Data Science and MS in Applied Artificial Intelligence programs through USD’s Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering have a special appeal given the high labor demand in the fields of data science and artificial intelligence.”
The first cohort of the Applied Data Science program, for example, is expected to have nearly 40 students when it begins in the Fall of 2020.
“The Masters’ programs offered by USD’s Shiley Marcos School of Engineering are differentiated in two principal ways,” explained Associate Dean of Graduate Programs Venkat Shastri. “First, they have been designed in close collaboration with senior professionals from the industry who have deep technical knowledge and often serve as hiring managers in global companies. Further, courses are taught by Professors of Practice with significant experience in the application of complex theoretical and computational tools to real world problems.”
Both the Applied Data Sciences and Applied Artificial Intelligence programs are offered in partnership with USD’s Division of Professional and Continuing Education and are designed to be completed in 20 months over five semesters. USD also continues to offer a master’s degree In CyberSecurity Engineering. The Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering is also working with the School of Business on an online program in innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.
“With a growing need for qualified engineers in Cyber Security, Applied Data Science and Applied Artificial Intelligence, graduates from these programs will not only be highly sought after but also have the foundational skills to become the Changemakers of tomorrow,” Shastri said.
