Over the last few years, AI has become the pillar of every technology and business industry, resulting in a massive demand for AI professionals worldwide. If you’re looking for a way to join the movement and be a part of the AI success and development, then an AI certificate is for you.
There’s no shortage of online and in-person certificate courses to certify your skills in AI, but they’re not all created equal. Some are vague in their approach, while others are highly specific. To help guide you on your journey, we’ve compiled 13 AI certificate programs to help you advance your career.
What Is an AI Certificate?
An AI certificate authenticates a set of skills you claim to have. AI certifications are digital badges, proving you have the skills to design, program, and oversee AI models.
A standard AI certificate tests your skills in various programming languages, such as Java and Python programming. It also validates your expertise in linear algebra and basic statistical knowledge. Depending on the subspecialty of the degree, a certificate program may test you in the various signal processing techniques and neural network architectures.
The Best AI Certificates To Boost Your Tech Career
1. Springboard Machine Learning Career Track
Springboard’s Machine Learning Career Track teaches you the fundamentals of machine learning and deep learning concepts. By the end of the track, you’ll have had hands-on experience in developing machine learning algorithms and capstone projects to fill your portfolio.
This is a good program for people with solid backgrounds in software engineering or degrees in STEM fields, such as math and physics. During the six-month program, you’ll learn:
- Linear and logistical regression
- Anomaly detection
- Cleaning and transforming big data skills.
The program star rating is 4.7 out of 5. It costs just over $13,000, and you can pay the tuition using a variety of plans. The application process only takes five minutes to complete.
2. Artificial Intelligence: Course from Kellogg School
Northwestern Kellogg School of Management’s Artificial Intelligence course is for individuals looking to learn AI when solving business problems. By the end of the course, you’ll become the AI advocate for your business and craft the right apps and software.
The course gears to experienced business executives, managers, and consultants, so it requires a solid background in business. The program is divided into eight modules and provides the following:
- Goes over the impact of AI in different industries
- Discusses how to develop efficient solutions using AI
- Explains the various tools, applications, and trends in business-AI.
This is a two-month online program and will cost you $2,600 with flexible payment options available. You can preview the program and preregister to save a seat.
3. Master the Fundamentals of AI and Machine Learning: Learning Path from LinkedIn Learning—Lynda
This LinkedIn Learning path is a self-paced series of short classes introducing you to AI fundamentals and machine learning. This learning path is for individuals with limited backgrounds and taking their first steps into AI and ML.
The learning path will teach you how various industries and companies use AI and machine learning to solve business issues. By the end, you’ll be able to create basic AI apps and obtain a deep understanding of the various machine learning approaches.
The LinkedIn Learning path is just under 12 hours long, with professors, fortune 500 experts, and directors in AI teaching the material. A monthly or annual subscription at $29.99 gives you access to the course directly on the LinkedIn Learning platform.
4. Azure AI Engineer Associate: Certificate from Microsoft
Microsoft offers the Azure AI Engineer Associate certificate to anyone who passes their standardized exam. Certified Microsoft AI Engineering Associate are experts in building, managing, and deploying AI solutions on the Azure cloud and Azure Cognitive Services.
To get the most out of it, you will need to be proficient in C# or Python. You also have to know how to use REST-based APIs and SDKs to build basic AL and ML applications such as computer vision, natural language processing, and knowledge mining. The course will:
- Teach AI engineering on the Azure platform,
- Show how to process and translate text with Azure AI
- Demonstrate how to create in-depth language understanding solutions.
The course is free and available in multiple languages if you take it online as “self-learning” material. However, the final exam for the certificate costs $165 and needs to be scheduled beforehand.
5. Post-Graduate Program in AI and Machine Learning: Certificate from Purdue University—IBM
This course is a collaboration between IBM and Purdue University with over 25 hands-on AI projects. It’s aimed at graduate students with solid knowledge and experience in AI, ML, and tech in general. In addition, completing this program will provide you with Purdue Alumni Association membership and access to Simplilearn’s job-finding assistance program.
The program covers all skills needed in AI, from statistics and neural networks to programming languages, libraries, and machine learning approaches. The course’s star rating is high (4.5 out of 5) and lasts for 12 months at five to ten hours per week. Tuition is $4,500 and covers all charges and programs. You can apply for flexible financing options.
6. Machine Learning: Course from Stanford University (Coursera)
Andrew Ng is the AI and ML expert that leads the foundation of Google’s deep learning research unit. He created this course to introduce you to the core structures of ML and build your knowledge from the ground up.
With 60 hours of learning content and a 4.9 out of a 5-star rating, Stanford’s ML course covers various topics, ranging from mathematics to supervised and unsupervised learning techniques. You can also expect to learn the various real-world applications of ML in a scientific and business setting. The course is completely free to take online on the Coursera platform.
7. eCornell Machine Learning Program: Certificate from Cornell University
Cornell University (eCornell) developed this online professional certificate program to teach you how to implement machine learning algorithms using Python and Python libraries. It goes over problem identification, deep learning, and solving skills—everything you need to construct a problem-solving map.
This is an entry-level certificate program, and you don’t need previous machine learning experience to take it. However, Cornell recommends that you be familiar with linear algebra as well as Python and Python libraries. You’ll learn how to:
- Problem-solve using ML
- Create decision trees and model selection
- Building kernel machines
- Develop convolutional neural networks
- Debug and improve existing ML models
The course is three and a half months of online studying. It costs $3,600, which can be paid monthly at $565.
8. Introduction to TensorFlow for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning: Professional Certificate from DeepLearning.AI (Coursera)
This program focuses on TensorFlow specialization for software developers who have a background in AI and ML. It’ll teach you how to use the TensorFlow Python library to build AI and ML models that interact with and solve real-life problems. It’ll also allow you to develop a deeper understanding of neural networks and deep learning models.
The TensorFlow course is free at approximately 31 hours of content with a Coursera monthly subscription of $49.99. It’s available in multiple languages and has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Coursera.
9. Machine Learning: Fundamentals and Algorithms: Certificate of Completion from Carnegie Mellon University
This is an advanced certificate program intended to enhance your preexisting skills in AI and ML, requiring an intermediate knowledge of Python. By the end of the course, you’ll have all the technical and analytics knowledge you need to train AI and ML models.
Among the course’s many essential concepts focus are:
- Creating decision trees
- K-nearest neighbor
- Binary logistic regression
- Regularization
- Artificial neural networks
With a 4.6 out of a 5-star rating, this ten-week program is available for online learning with an admission fee of $2,500.
10. Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy: Certification Program from MIT
MIT developed the AI for Business Strategy certification program with business professionals in mind. It’ll provide you with a solid foundation in the business applications of AI. The course is for advanced learners, aimed at professionals with over 15 years of experience in their field.
The ten-week curriculum covers six business applications of AI, such as robotics, NLP, machine learning, and natural language processing.
The whole course is $3,200 and has a solid 4.5 out of 5-star rating. You can contact GetSmarter for more information and to enroll in the course.
11. Designing and Building AI Products and Services: Course for MITxPRO
This course is an introduction to AI-based product design. It combines the expertise required for product design and distribution with AI. The program primarily targets technical product leaders, technology professionals and consultants, and entrepreneurs with a background in tech and programming.
The course focuses on the fundamentals of:
- Machine learning and deep learning
- Developing intelligent Human-Computer Interactions (HCI)
- Designing smart machines for problem-solving
- Understand the basics of market research
At $2,600, the eight-week program has a 4.6 out of 5-star rating and can be taken entirely online. You can preview the curriculum or register early to save a spot.
12. Artificial Intelligence: Business Strategies and Applications: Certificate of Completion from Berkeley University (ExecEd)
This course is an introduction to AI-based apps in a business setting. While it’s an introduction to AI in business, the course isn’t beginner-friendly. Instead, it’s aimed at senior tech leaders, business managers, and data scientists with a reliable background in tech.
You can expect the course to introduce you to various concepts, such as machine learning, advanced AI strategy, key applications, and neural networks. With a 4.6 out of a 5-star rating, the certification takes two months to complete and can be taken entirely online. The course admission fees are $2,800, with flexible payment options available. The Berkely ExecEd platform will take direct enrolment requests.
Why Do You Need an AI Certificate?
Unlike other subfields in tech, AI isn’t a degree you obtain and then work for the next 30 years. AI education requires being a forever student and constantly sharpening your skills. The best way to keep your skillset and expertise up-to-date is by obtaining certificates relevant to the type of work you wish to do.
Find Work in Almost Any Sector
Specializing in AI is perfect if you’re considering a career change soon. And that’s due to AI having applications in numerous industries, from education and business to natural sciences and consumer goods. Whatever industry you have in mind, chances are, they currently use AI in their operations.
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Higher Salaries and Career Opportunities
We’re at a point when having a college degree in your field is nothing special—it’s the minimum in most areas. However, by having a couple of AI certificates under the belt, you’ll be able to offer more to the table than the competition and increase your chances of a successful interview and promotions later on.
AI Experts Are in High Demand
The AI global market expects to have a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 33.6% between 2021 and 2028. This growth spurt is likely to attract investors and funding for major projects in a variety of industries. By the way, your AI certificate will ensure that you’re always employable.
Are AI Certificates Worth It?
The AI certificate markets have recently become saturated, and it’s hard to tell a beneficial certification program from an empty promise. To determine whether a certification program is right for you, make sure it checks off the following elements and prospects:
- Course reputation. Avoid courses from no-name institutions with no international recognition. Even if you learn a lot from it, the course is unlikely to help get you hired for your dream job.
- Course support. You shouldn’t opt for a course that throws a bunch of reading and video resources at your to prepare for the final exam. A good certification course must have reliable guidance and communication between teachers and students, in addition to in-class collaboration between students.
- Future job needs. Just because AI is increasing in demand, it doesn’t mean all AI knowledge is in high demand. Make sure your certification course doesn’t teach outdated AI concepts and techniques, like old versions of programming languages and ecosystems.
- Earning power. AI isn’t a standing stone. Different branches have different earning potentials. So make sure your certification course teaches concepts that are in high demand, such as neural networks, robotics, machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision.
FAQs About AI Certificates
Will an AI Certificate Get You a Job?
AI certificates are in high demand in many industries because they guarantee highly concentrated, specialized knowledge in a specific field—something which a traditional bachelor’s degree doesn’t offer.
Is AI for Freshers?
AI is the result of combined knowledge and expertise from various fields. To work in AI, you’re going to need a reliable reservoir of expertise, ranging from programming languages, mathematical logic, the ability to write algorithms, and a background in traditional science. However, even for freshers, AI is doable.
Is Artificial Intelligence Really Hard To Learn?
Learning AI is a never-ending process that requires even the most seasoned professional to touch up on their skills. While learning AI from scratch is not easy, having a background in computer science, data science, logic mathematics, calculus, or programming languages can make it easier. Depending on your current level of skills, you should expect learning AI to take you anywhere from one to five years of continuous studying.
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