Artificial intelligence has increasingly crept into everyday life. It powers digital assistants like Siri and Alexa, helps compose emails, summarizes PDFs, and analyzes traffic patterns for navigation apps. The number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices worldwide jumped from 12 billion in 2021 to 16.7 billion in 2023, encompassing everything from smartphones and digital assistants to smart TVs and refrigerators.
People use AI daily for help around the house, on the road, and at work. A survey of C-suite executives found that almost one-fourth use generative AI tools for work, while more than one-fourth of respondents from companies employing AI said generative AI has already made it onto their boards’ agendas. While many fear job losses from AI, the technology should create 97 million new jobs by 2025, according to the World Economic Forum.
That job growth has hit the tech sector in a big way. At a time when global job postings dropped by 13 percent, postings in fields related to tech trends jumped 15 percent from 2021 to 2022. Nearly one million jobs were posted between 2018 and 2022 for applied AI and next-generation software development. Emerging roles such as machine learning engineering have transformed the job market and sparked advances in how colleges and universities teach computer science.
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Advancing Training, Advancing the Field: How Computer Science Programs Help Shape the Future
Schools employ a multi-pronged approach to keep graduate programs relevant, combining scholarly work and academic innovation. “As we embrace this tech-driven economy, universities must change, too, at a pace unfamiliar to higher education,” the World Economic Forum asserts, listing four ways schools are meeting the challenge:
- Fostering entrepreneurship
- Encouraging collaboration with the private sector
- Promoting diversity and inclusion
- Exploring the nexus of technology and society
The explosive growth of AI technology and jobs has spurred colleges and universities to adapt to meet the talent-development needs of today’s workforce. “In the past year, organizations using AI most often hired data engineers, machine learning engineers, and Al data scientists—all roles that respondents commonly reported hiring in the previous survey,” McKinsey reported in 2023. “But a much smaller share of respondents report hiring AI-related-software engineers—the most-hired role last year—than in the previous survey (28 percent in the latest survey, down from 39 percent).”
The University of Tennessee Knoxville has adopted an industry-infused curriculum for its Online MS in Computer Science, including a concentration in Data Mining and Intelligent Systems. Let’s take a closer look at how computer science programs like the one at UT are shaping the future by advancing training and advancing the field.
AI Training: What You’ll Learn in an Online MSCS Program
According to Microsoft’s 2023 Work Trend Index, the top skills business leaders consider essential for the future include:
- AI delegation (prompts)
- Analytical judgment
- Bias detection and handling
- Emotional intelligence
- Flexibility
- Intellectual curiosity
Nurturing those skills involves a deep dive into various topics and industry issues. An MS graduate student in computer science at UT will study:
- Artificial intelligence
- Computer vision
- Cybersecurity
- Data mining and analytics
- Deep learning
- Network security
- Software engineering
Continue reading for a look at UT MSCS classes that explore those topics and issues.
A Closer Look at AI Courses at UT Online
AI plays an increasingly prominent role in many aspects of computer science. Several courses in UT’s Online MSCS program explore AI in depth:
- Machine Learning covers theoretical and practical aspects of machine learning techniques related to pattern recognition
- Artificial intelligence covers theoretical and applied aspects of AI
- Deep Learning covers theoretical and practical aspects of how to build deep networks for representations of high-dimensional data
The Data Mining and Intelligent Systems concentration enables students to develop creative applications of automation and big data by studying the advanced methodologies, models, and tools behind high performance computing (HPC) and AI.
Putting Learning Into Practice: Projects & Case Studies
Top online MSCS programs prepare students with hands-on learning experiences, such as project-based and case study-driven classes. “Practical experience is essential for computer science students to supplement their theoretical knowledge, develop critical skills, and prepare for successful careers in the field,” according to Sourav Sinha Babu.A, who cites five ways practical experience contributes to students’ learning and development:
- Bridging the gap between theory and practice
- Building problem-solving skills
- Fostering collaboration and communication
- Exploring specialized areas of interest
- Enhancing employability and career readiness
UT designed its Online MSCS program with practical experience at the forefront.
Why Choose UT for Your MS in Computer Science
Earning an Online MSCS from UT combines the advantages of distance learning with the benefits of studying at a major research institution, maximizing the impact of a career-focused curriculum. Several members of UT’s industry-defining faculty have affiliations with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a prestigious research facility right in UT’s backyard.
In 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked its graduate engineering program 31st among public universities.
Study With Industry-Defining Faculty
Students earning an Online MSCS from UT have the opportunity to work with leaders in computer science and AI like:
- Jack Dongarra, professor emeritus, an innovator in computational software whose pioneering contributions helped pave the way for the evolution of high-performance computing over the past 40 years. He earned one of computing’s most prestigious honors in 2021, the A. M. Turing Award from the Association of Computing Machinery. Dongarra serves as a distinguished professor of computer science in UT’s Tickle College of Engineering, as well as a distinguished research staff member at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Lynne E. Parker, associate vice chancellor emeritus and director of the AI Tennessee Initiative, which guides statewide AI policy efforts. She has also worked in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, serving as deputy chief technology officer of the United States, founding director of the National AI Initiative Office, and assistant director for AI.
UT’s Tickle College of Engineering, founded in 1838, has served as an incubator and innovative force in scientific research and engineering education for nearly two centuries.
Dive Into a Career-Focused Curriculum
UT regularly updates its Online MSCS curriculum to meet the rapidly evolving requirements of careers today and in the future. Concentrations such as Data Mining and Intelligent Systems deliver the most in-demand skills and knowledge, preparing graduates to take on the challenges of careers in AI and machine learning.
Next Steps: Applying to the UT Computer Science Program
As AI makes steady inroads into our personal and professional lives, the time has never been better to earn an Online MSCS and prepare for an exciting career in a booming field. Contact an admissions advisor to learn more about the program or, if you are ready, start your application.
