Preparing Leaders for the New World of Artificial Intelligence

AI is poised to impact nearly every domain, including research, business, media, the arts, and even governments. It’s already being used to open up new avenues of discovery, develop novel methods of market analysis, and create innovative products, music, books, images, and more. In 2023, McKinsey & Company estimated the economic potential of generative AI alone could be as much as $4.4 trillion annually.

Yet technology alone will not realize this enormous potential. Businesses need to invest in talent capable of developing, applying, and managing these technologies and the products and services that use them.

To equip students to navigate and meet the challenges of this new frontier with confidence, Northwestern Engineering offers a trio of master’s degree programs. Each aims to ground tomorrow’s leaders in the technology from three unique perspectives—data scientists/machine learning engineers, AI application developers, and AI executive leadership—as well as prepare them to use it wisely as they assume positions of influence and power in the world.

MS in Machine Learning and Data Science

Leveraging the Full Value of Data

Enterprise AI applications that use complex data to drive mission critical business processes rely on the development of rigorous models. The engineers who build these models must have the technical depth, skill, and experience to ensure their accuracy and relevance.

Launched in 2011, the Master of Science in Machine Learning and Data Science (MLDS)—formerly Master of Science in Analytics—teaches students how to use complex data, maximize its value, and develop and deploy enterprise machine learning and AI applications to advance goals and meet the needs of the technology’s users. Students also learn how to design creative solutions, communicate effectively with a variety of audiences, and lead teams and projects successfully.

Students who make the most of their time here are going to investigate industries they didn’t think they were personally interested in.Diego Klabjan Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, MLDS Director

“We hear from our industry advisory board, from project partners, and from internship sponsors about the various ways the program addresses technological changes coming down the pike before they happen,” says Diego Klabjan, professor of industrial engineering and management sciences and MLDS director. “What MLDS does very well is prepare students for such changes so they can enter an internship or the job market able to take on the challenges that happen in real time.”

MLDS is housed within the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences. The program’s students, who come from a variety of backgrounds, learn how to apply data from practitioners in multiple industries including healthcare, sports, retail, and entertainment. With only 55 or so students admitted into each cohort, MLDS creates strong bonds among participants as they progress through the program together and graduate into positions as software engineers, data scientists, and analysts.

“Students who make the most of their time here are going to investigate industries they didn’t think they were personally interested in,” Klabjan says. “It helps them take that broad view that generalists have and then go out into the world able to speak to any number of industries using the content they’ve acquired while in the program.”

Prior to entering the MLDS program, Jason Summer (MLDS ’22) worked in data science and advanced analytics. Fueled by an internship with Nike where he developed a learning model to predict customer purchases, Summer landed a full-time position as a solution innovation architect at Snowflake, a cloud computing and AI company.

“A couple classes did a wonderful job portraying how data science can be operationalized appropriately and effectively at organizations,” Summer says. “These classes helped me better grasp how to engineer AI/ML solutions at scale while successfully communicating and advocating for their success.”

While MLDS focuses on technical skills, the program also works to hone the soft skills like communication and translation that graduates will need in the business world.

“We’re not training students to work in individual silos. That’s not how they’re going to function when they graduate. They’re going to graduate into team-based roles, so coursework and projects really simulate that environment,” says MLDS associate director Stephen Dowling. “The ability not only to function collegially on a team, but also to lead a team and understand the nontechnical aspects of data science that can often make or break a team is something we focus on.”

Summer and students like him put their lessons into practice not only in class or internships, but also in their capstone projects. Such an opportunity proved valuable for Summer, providing him firsthand experience in places he had none before.

“MLDS allowed me to assist a biomedical startup in its game-changing research to identify maternal and fetal risk during pregnancies,” Summer says. “It also provided an opportunity to collaboratively develop ML with classmates in a fast-paced environment with multiple interdependent pieces.”

Sharika Mahadevan (MLDS ’23), now an analytics engineer at Netflix, was impacted in similar ways.

“The program helped me build a strong foundation of skills and knowledge needed to start a career in the data science field,” she says. “What’s really important to improve yourself is the opportunity to apply this knowledge. I feel that I had that through the practicum and capstone projects. The program also kept up with the latest trends in the industry. This is very important in a field such as data science that is constantly evolving.”

MS in Artificial Intelligence

Leading AI Development through Tech, Business, and Human Perspectives

AI provides new ways of engaging systems using language and reasoning but can be imprecise and risky. Employing these capabilities requires an understanding of how these technologies work and an ability to reap the potential benefits while avoiding myriad potential risks and pitfalls.

Launched in 2018, the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSAI) program was created to meet the demand from industry for individuals who understand AI systems and the problems they can solve. The program equips students with the skills to create powerful AI systems that integrate with workflows, business applications, and human interactions.

“AI has been involved in transforming a lot of fields,” says Kristian Hammond, Bill and Cathy Osborn Professor of Computer Science and MSAI director. “It is incumbent upon us to make sure that our students can lead as opposed to going into organizations and just following along.”

For students interested in defining how AI can be used in businesses across domains, MSAI offers a unique educational path. All core courses are AI-focused, starting with classes that establish a baseline of understanding before moving onto advanced topics such as knowledge representation and commonsense reasoning. The program’s final three quarters prepare students to work in industry through experiential activities, including a practicum where they work on projects proposed by researchers in other Northwestern schools, and a capstone comprising a collaboration with students from the MBAi program to engage in a project posed by a leading company partner.

“The electives also played a significant role in enhancing our knowledge base,” Simon Zouki (MSAI ’23) says. “This flexibility allowed us to tailor our education by selecting courses aligned with our career goals and aspirations, which was crucial to understanding the concepts thoroughly.”

Priyanka Aryal (MSAI ’23), now a full-time research assistant at Northwestern’s Center for Advancing Safety of Machine Intelligence (CASMI), partnered with EY for her capstone project to develop a tool designed to streamline portfolio analysis and determine the need for divestiture, employing various prompt engineering techniques and closely integrated large language models (LLMs) and generative AI into the project.

“Collaborating with EY alongside students from Kellogg provided a unique experience that could be possible only through this program,” Aryal says. “Exploring emerging technologies and witnessing how companies adapt and evolve with the implementation of new generative AI technologies were fascinating aspects of the project.”

Students also learn from Department of Computer Science faculty members, many of whom have extensive industry experience developing enterprise-grade solutions.

“Before enrolling, I didn’t have a comprehensive grasp of AI concepts, algorithms, and techniques,” Aryal says. “But through the coursework, I developed proficiency in areas like machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, and computer vision. The emphasis on practical application was invaluable. Collaborating with industry partners on capstone and practicum projects allowed me to implement my knowledge in real-world scenarios.”

Today, one of the most pressing needs in industry is solutions that can navigate and harness the power of LLMs, such as ChatGPT. That’s an area where MSAI is ahead of the game.

“It’s not just language. It’s not just a picture. It’s several modalities of AI, including audio and video, and they need to be integrated to make impactful and safe systems,” says Mohammed Alam, the program’s deputy director. “Putting things together is a special skill; you have to know how to do it. That’s what we’re pushing our students to learn, how to use LLMs and other modalities of AI efficiently, safely, and ethically.”

The MBAI Program

Developing Technology-Literate Leaders for the AI Age

Founded in 2021, this AI-focused MBA program offered jointly with the Kellogg School of Management responds to the growing global need for technically deep executive leaders. The intent of the MBAi program is to develop technical product managers and technology strategists who are as effective engaging a team of data scientists as they are the C-suite—a group that can often be misinformed about the precise capabilities of AI.

Even in the relatively short span of its existence, the program has adapted to the changing AI landscape.

“I reminded our most recent graduating class that at the time they enrolled in the program, ChatGPT hadn’t come out yet,” says Andrew Fano, clinical professor of computer science and director of the MBAi program. “It was also over the time they were here that LLMs gained real popularity. The proliferation of LLMs has changed everything, including more emphasis in the coursework and the capstone. That reflects the interest shown by companies.”

While technology captures the public’s interest, MBAi’s cohort of 40 to 50 students develops skills in business and technology. MBAi students take the same core MBA courses as Kellogg’s standard two-year program, with some courses tailored to emphasize AI and technical topics. Students also take technical courses from the McCormick School of Engineering that accelerate their fluency in analytics and complex technologies. This includes programming in Python, understanding data structures, and techniques for business problem translation, management, applications, and scale.

As a result, there is a greater applied focus, with attention paid to the organizational and business implications of technical choices.

“The program broadened my knowledge of organizational and industry dynamics. It also deepened my knowledge of how data and AI can be leveraged to solve complex problems,” says Nolan Hartwick (MBAi ’22), now a digital aircraft strategy manager for United Airlines. “Broadening and deepening my knowledge base has allowed me to be more creative and effective in problem-solving.”

While the MBAi curriculum can open career paths for graduates in industries such as financial services or consulting, it also makes them attractive to a wider range of employers. This is accomplished, in part, through MBAi’s joint capstone with the MSAI program. In 2023, 17 teams of MBAi and MSAI students worked on projects posed by 15 businesses ranging from Fortune 100 companies to startups. Topics included brand-aligned generative AI content and driving sales effectiveness with AI. The experience culminated in the MBAi + MSAI Capstone Showcase held in December.

“We bring in strengths from the business school, and we understand how to manage teams and how to build a business case, and the other teammates from MSAI, those guys bring in all the technical expertise,” says Ameen Shaik (MBAi ’23). “Those guys are the brains behind what we built.”

Two years ago, one of the program’s top capstone projects was for farming-giant John Deere. Several program alumni now work for the company.

“Before coming here, most of our students probably never had a chance to think about problems in agriculture,” Fano says. “There are a lot of companies like John Deere that are doing very interesting work not readily visible to students because it’s not a business-to-consumer segment.”

The proliferation of LLMs has changed everything, including more emphasis in the coursework and the capstone. That reflects the interest shown by companies.Andrew FanoClinical Professor of Computer Science, MBAi Director

Hartwick saw that too. His capstone project helped a large business-to-business technology retailer increase its search-to-cart rates by using language models to better categorize and understand the intent of user searches.

“It was a busy 10 weeks, but our team was able to scope the problem, build a solution, quantify the impact, and recommend next steps, ” Hartwick says. “Our corporate sponsors were highly engaged with us throughout the whole project, and we were even able to make on-site presentations to a number of executives, including the chief technical officer.”

“Each of these three programs prepares students for distinct but related career paths,” Fano says. “The collaboration across programs, and between Northwestern Engineering and Kellogg, is a testament to Northwestern’s spirit of breaking boundaries and focusing on students and their opportunities.”