The Graduate Certificate in AI for Organizations is designed for organizational decision-makers wanting to strategically decide when, how, and whether to apply AI to products and organizational problems of practice.

During the three-course sequence taught over nine months (one course per quarter), you will engage in hands-on projects, readings and discussions designed to explore:

• Strategic decision-making: Learn to identify sound use cases, calculate their return on investment and build compelling value propositions for AI initiatives, or justify non-adoption.
• Implementation oversight: Gain the knowledge to evaluate AI capabilities, limitations and organizational risks with confidence
• Comprehensive governance: Master frameworks like NIST AI RMF to navigate regulatory landscapes and apply ethical frameworks to shape policies that ensure responsible AI deployment
• Low-code tools: Translate organizational problems into AI-enabled workflows (no coding experience required)
• Prompt engineering: Optimize generative AI tools through by designing queries that generate high-quality responses
• Creating proofs of concept: Apply your knowledge by scoping and evaluating, designing and implementing AI solutions that meet organizational objectives and incorporate responsible AI principles
• End-to-end implementation: From technical foundations to risk management to actual deployment and iteration — you'll master the complete AI implementation lifecycle, as well as critical skills for justifying non-adoption

Student Experience

Practical, hands-on learning:
Start your graduate certificate experience on the UW Campus with a required in-person Project Kick-Off to network with your colleagues and professors, get oriented to the educational expectations, and get to work on your certificate.

Cohort-based:
You will take all of your classes with the same group of students, who will be your learning partners, teammates and closest advisors throughout the program. Cohort-based learning allows you to build a strong sense of community in the program and grow your professional network at the same time.  

Flexible online format:
Outside of the required in-person Project Kick-Off, the certificate learning experience is entirely online and students can engage in their coursework from anywhere in the U.S. or world. Course concepts will be taught  online through manageable interactive course modules, asynchronous discussions, group projects and one weekly two-hour live discussion class. Students will absorb and learn the materials asynchronously, reflect on those materials through asynchronous discussion boards and assignments, and deepen and articulate that information through live classes. 

Earn your certificate in nine months:
After presenting your culminating experience at the Information School Showcase, celebrate your accomplishment at the Information School’s graduation party alongside other master’s students.

Courses

Over the three-quarter curriculum, you will complete the following courses in sequence:

Artificial Intelligence Foundations (autumn quarter)

Understand generative AI systems, including neural architectures, learning methods and the ethical, moral and societal implications of adoption.

AI Governance and Value Creation: Managing Change, Risk, and Innovation (winter quarter)

Develop expertise in AI risk assessment, governance framework design, and compliance using industry standards and ethical frameworks.

Designing and Implementing Generative AI Systems (spring quarter)

Design, prototype, and manage generative AI applications grounded in responsible AI principles.

Culminating Experience

During Spring quarter, all certificate students will present their final project for Designing and Implementing Generative AI Systems at the annual Information School Showcase. This is an opportunity to display their AI solution to invited organizational leaders, the school’s faculty and students from the other Information School programs.

Computing Requirements

To ensure all students have the technology needed to fulfill the program requirements, you will need to have a computer with the following specifications or better:

• A computer with a modern multi-core processor (Apple Silicon, Intel i5 / AMD Ryzen 5 or equivalent or newer) with at least 16 GB of RAM 
• For remote synchronous participation, a reliable broadband connection, camera, and quality microphone
• Applicants should be comfortable installing, configuring, and troubleshooting software on their devices and have foundational analytical skills such as interpreting data, evaluating evidence, and structuring logical arguments.