Taught course

Artificial Intelligence

Institution
Birmingham City University · School of Computing and Digital Technology
Qualifications
MSc

Entry requirements

  • AI pathway: A 2:2 honours degree in any discipline or three years of professional work experience in a role which has required you to work and interact with a range of people requiring a regular element of problem-solving.

OR

  • Fintech pathway: A 2:2 honours degree in addition to a background in finance (e.g. an undergraduate degree in a finance-related subject such as Accountancy, Finance, Economics or Business Management) or three years of professional work experience in a finance role.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This course will equip you with a sound understanding of the theory and practice of applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems through pathways. Streams include core AI and Fintech pathways which have been designed to meet industry needs.

As a computing conversion course, it is assumed that you are starting fresh with no experience of computer programming and little experience of using mathematics or statistics in your undergraduate courses or in work.

What's covered in the course?

The course begins by creating a foundation in programming and mathematics, upon which you will build the expertise in several key areas of AI oriented to the pathway, going from first Python code and basic algebra, right through to Deep Learning. The core applied areas of the MSc AI include:

  • Image Analysis - machine learning has shown incredible results recently in understanding the themes of images and video which are being applied in a range of commercial settings; from security and driverless cars, to online clothes shopping.
  • Natural Language Processing - being able to understand speech and text is one of the cornerstones of AI systems. Chatbots built on AI are appearing all over the internet, but more than this, technology giants are searching for ways that machines can have detailed conversations with one another, and read and understand text documents.
  • Time Series - dealing with dynamic data is vital to AI systems in finance, healthcare and defence; whether predicting system vulnerabilities, future stock prices or even predicting patient outcomes in ICU, and how a virus outbreak will permeate through a population.

The Fintech pathway complements learners with a finance background by applying AI techniques to risk management and portfolio analysis, giving graduates a competitive edge in the field. Core AI pathway learners will cover data visualisation with editorial design and AI pipelines and impact evaluation.

A strong focus on technology monitoring and ethics will be taught in a way to suit learners from all backgrounds; rather than through specific case studies which only suit certain types of learners. Ethics and horizon scanning frameworks are introduced to apply to any industry. The Master's project will have an industrial route, should you wish to work on an applied project with a corporate partner, and there will be a route on graduation to undertake a professional placement or go on to a doctoral research programme.

Information for international students

Visit website for details

Fees and funding

Learn more about postgraduate fees and funding.

Qualification, course duration and attendance options

  • MSc
    full time
    12 months
    • Campus-based learningis available for this qualification

Full-time with professional placement: 18 months

Course contact details

Name
Iain Rice
Email
msc-ai@bcu.ac.uk
Phone
+44 (0)121 331 5000