CS Master's AI/ML Track

 

While AI is revolutionizing industries worldwide, creating impactful systems takes deeper expertise than simply applying algorithms. Brown University’s Master’s in Computer Science—specializing in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning—trains students to master AI end-to-end, covering everything from system hardware and infrastructure to machine learning, deep neural networks, real-world deployment, and the human considerations of intelligent software.

Designed specifically for technically adept students and industry practitioners wanting to sharpen their AI capabilities, this specialized track offers complete flexibility with online and in-person options. Regardless of learning format, every student completes the same demanding curriculum, learns directly from distinguished Brown professors, and earns the exact same Master of Science degree.

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 1411 Foundations of AI and Machine Learning
  • CSCI 1310 Fundamentals of Computer Systems
  • CSCI 1420 Machine Learning
  • CSCI 1470 Deep Learning

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).

Two Foundational courses can be taken as electives to support advanced study in AI/ML:

  • CSCI???? Foundations of AI
  • CSCI???? Fundamentals of Computer Systems

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.