MSc Artificial Intelligence

From driverless cars to voice recognition, Artificial Intelligence (AI), is progressing at a rapid rate and has become part of our everyday lives. With the research and development of new technologies, AI is fast becoming an essential part of how businesses and institutions operate. It is also becoming a vital part of the Industry 4.0 vision with the government estimating that AI could contribute £232bn to the UK economy by 2030. 

On our MSc Artificial Intelligence course, you’ll be taught by academics who are experts in the area, many of whom are currently conducting research into the subject as part of our Centre for Advanced Computational Science research group. This ensures that our curriculum is based on research-informed content at the leading edge of this fast-paced field.

This masters course will build on your existing computing knowledge. We aim to equip you with the fundamental principles of AI to be able to critically evaluate the theories, techniques, tools and systems used in the field. And the interdisciplinary applications, allowing you to specialise in this exciting, developing area.

You’ll also complete an in-depth masters project with the support of our academic and technical team. By the time you complete our postgraduate degree in AI, you’ll be well placed to succeed in this high growth industry and ready to tackle the challenges facing businesses.

On our MSc Artificial Intelligence course, you’ll study nine core units covering areas such as advanced machine learning, the ethics of artificial intelligence, knowledge representation and reasoning, and robotics science. You can choose to study the course full-time over one year, or part-time, where you’ll complete the units over two years. You may also choose to take an additional one-year optional industry placement on the full-time route. 

On the course, you will gain an understanding and practical application of data analysis technologies and a range of machine learning paradigms to build models and develop transferable computational and statistical skills for model evaluation. Being focal points of the Industry 4.0 vision, you’ll also explore the design and development of robotics science and systems and how they can meet diverse human needs.

You’ll examine different algorithmic approaches and consider algorithm complexity and efficiency through practical implementation. You’ll also focus on the algorithms which allow computers to ‘learn’ by exploring topics such as neural networks and genetic algorithms.

You will gain an appreciation for human-centred AI through examining legal, social, cultural and ethical issues related to artificial intelligence pipelines - from conceptualisation, data quality and bias assessment, to representativeness of models, implementation and human interaction and training.

In addition to the technical skills you’ll develop, we aim to equip you with key employability skills such as team working, report writing, communication, and negotiation skills along with an insight into the industry.

Finally, you will complete an in-depth, independent research project. With the support of our academic and technical team, you’ll undertake a piece of research on a topic of your choice related to your studies. This will involve designing, implementing and evaluating a substantial piece of software and documenting the research through writing a dissertation. 

What is the length of the course?

• 1 year (full-time)
• 2 years (full-time with placement)