AI/ML Track Requirements

To be awarded the degree of Master’s of Science (ScM) in Computer Science (CS) and have a notation in the transcript that the AI/ML track was successfully completed, students in our program must complete, typically within 2 years, a structured study plan of eight (8) graduate-level elective courses that have been taken for a grade with an average grade of B or higher and that have been approved by the student’s Program Advisor as well as our program’s Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). The AI/ML track is offered in both online and on-campus formats. Many details of each format are the same and any differences are noted.

Formally described in a Master’s Contract, study plans are divided into a four-course Core Component, and a four-course Elective Component described below. The optional Professional Track includes the additional requirement of an internship to gain industry experience and is only available to on-campus students.

Core Component

The four (4) courses in the Core Component are required for all students:

  • CSCI 1420 Machine Learning
  • CSCI 1470 Deep Learning
  • CSCI 24xx Systems for AI and AI for Systems
  • CSCI 24yy AI and Society

Elective Component

The Elective Component consists of four (4) graduate-level (i.e., 1000- or 2000-level) CS or CS-related courses, which must be selected so all conditions below are satisfied:

  • At least two (2) courses must be 1000- or 2000-level AI-related CS courses (i.e., offered by our department under a CSCI code)
  • Upon DGS approval, up to 2 courses may be 1000- or 2000-level non-CS courses (i.e., offered by other departments), as long as they relate to CS
  • Upon DGS approval, one (1) such non-CS course may be a transfer (i.e., non-Brown) course, taken either
    • Concurrently at RISD or Harvard through Brown's cross-registration agreements with these universities, as long as it is a graduate-level course;
    • Or previously at another institution, as part of a graduate program (i.e., post the Bachelor's degree) but without being used towards any degree, as long as it is equivalent to a graduate-level Brown course.
  • Upon DGS approval, no more than one (1) course can be an arts/humanities/policy course
  • Include no more than three (3) instances of CSCI 2980 (on-campus only).

The following foundational courses are AI-related and can be taken as electives to support advanced study in AI/ML:

  • CSCI 1310 Fundamentals of Computer Systems
  • CSCI 1411 Foundations of AI and Machine Learning

Course Schedule and Completion

The eight (8) courses must be taken:

  • At the graduate level (i.e., 1000-level or 2000-level courses) and for a grade, and receive a C or higher (i.e., S’s or NC’s may not be used) for a total average grade of B, or higher (i.e., any C must be countered by an A); and 
  • For online students, in a specified sequence; or
  • For on-campus students, in any order, either in a 2/2/2/2 schedule (2 courses per semester for a total duration of studies of 2 years) or in a 2/3/3 schedule (2 in the 1st semester and 3 in the 2nd & 3rd semesters, for a total duration of studies of 1.5 years); and

Professional Track (On-campus only)

The Professional Track is an optional requirement that allows on-campus students to gain extra-curriculum professional experience by engaging in off-campus employment opportunities via one or more full-time internships of total length 1 to 5 months. Plrease refer to the Internships page for more information.

Master's Contract

Each student creates and maintains a Master’s Contract that describes their individual plan to complete the degree requirements. At all times during the studies in our program, a student’s individual study plan must be accurately recorded in their Master’s Contract, which must be:

  • Updated at the beginning of each semester, as needed, to accurately reflect the student’s transcript and planned course enrollments; and

  • Approved by the student’s Program Advisor and the DGS after any update.

 

Note to 5th-Year students: The above program requirements apply to all program versions, subject to a key difference in our 5th-year Master’s program: 5th-year students may have (up to) two (2) of their undergraduate courses (completed with a grade A or B) also count towards their Master’s degree requirements, where each such undergraduate course can be transferred into the Master's program as a course of either component, Core or Elective, subject to course eligibility as explained above. Therefore, 5th-year students can complete the program by taking (at least) six (6) courses, for instance, in a 3/3 schedule (3 per semester, for a total duration of studies of 1 year). Because such undergraduate courses count as transfer courses, 5th-year students who make use of this benefit are not eligible to take a transfer course via cross registration.