Miami Dade College AI program rolls skyrocketing

The Miami Dade College School of Engineering and Technology’s three college-level artificial intelligence (AI) programs’ enrollment numbers have skyrocketed since their initial fall term launch.

Around 300 students are currently taking AI courses, said Antonio Delgado, MDC’s vice president of innovation and technology partnerships. College credit certificates, associate and bachelor’s AI degrees are now being offered at the college, which are the first of their kind in the state.

“This is incredible for a brand-new program,” he said. “When you start a new program, you usually start with 20 (enrolled students), maybe a maximum of 30, but we are starting with over 300 people taking classes now, and that speaks volumes on the need for AI. And this is just the beginning. It is only going to increase from here.”

Usually in colleges, the average age of students is around 26, Mr. Delgado added. “What is incredible for me is the age distribution of those who are taking the classes. About 70% of students are actually above 26 years old, and what is more incredible is that 30% of the total students are above 41 years old. This is a non-traditional crowd that is actually looking for more skills in AI. People are really trying to understand AI, and that’s what we’re seeing with working professionals or people trying to learn new skills.”

As approved by the Florida Department of Education, MDC was the first in the US to offer an associate degree in science in applied artificial intelligence. Using the AI centers in Wolfson and North campuses as hubs, the AI degree is preparing students to fill the rising demand for professionals with technical expertise, such as AI developers or AI specialists.

The program also provides students with an understanding of AI’s lifecycle management and the ethical considerations relevant to its design and implementation. Students also learn machine learning, data collection, classification, natural language processing, the functions of AI virtual assistants, and techniques used in AI for computer vision as domains to build AI solutions, among other concepts and popular tools.

In an effort to make AI education more accessible and affordable for local residents, MDC’s School of Engineering and Technology is still offering scholarships for all new AI courses.

“We just launched the degree and we are already updating the curriculum because AI is constantly changing,” Mr. Delgado said “Miami Dade College is committed to staying up-to-date with a program that really helps people understand the latest on AI that is useful for a workforce environment and to land good high-paying jobs.”