Artificial intelligence is in its golden age. Consumer platforms like ChatGPT, DALL-E and Lensa’s AI-generated photos have revolutionized how people interact with AI systems and provided significant advancements in the field. Now, as many companies look to continue advancing AI tech, the University of Texas at Austin is launching an online AI master’s program to train the next generation of tech talent.
According to the university, this is the first large-scale degree program of its kind. Students enrolled in the program will learn about machine learning, natural language processing, deep learning and more. Tuition for the online program, which will begin during the spring 2024 semester, is set at $10,000.
According to The New York Times, UT Austin will enroll more than 2,000 graduate students in the AI-focused program each year.
“The fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning have seen unprecedented growth over the last 10 years,” Adam Klivans, a UT Austin professor of computer science and director of the Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning, said in a statement. “Our goal is to ensure that every qualified student can access a premier education in AI, one that is keeping pace with this rapidly evolving field.”
The renewed interest in AI has also led to an uptick in funding in the sector. The largest and most talked about round so far has been Microsoft’s $10 billion investment into OpenAI, but that is only the tip of the iceberg regarding AI funding.
According to Crunchbase News, funding for AI companies has grown over the past 10 years with businesses in the sector raising a record $68.5 billion in 2021. When the article was published in late November, investors had already pumped $37.9 billion into the AI industry in 2022, which is still higher than the amount raised in the years leading up to 2021.
With the amount of money poured into AI and recent tech layoffs, many people may advance their knowledge of artificial intelligence to break into the exciting new field. Several AI courses are already available online and at other schools, however, UT Austin states that its new program will cost less than other programs and will cover two years’ worth of coursework learned at the student’s own pace.
“It’s not just an ‘online degree.’ It’s an immersive and connected community of learners and a credential from UT Austin that opens doors,” Eric Busch, director of the computer and data science online program at UT Austin, said in a statement.
The National Science Foundation provided funding to launch the new program. In 2020, the foundation awarded UT Austin a five-year, $20 million grant to create an AI institute in machine learning.
