The undergraduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence prepares students of the College of Arts & Sciences to engage critically and responsibly with AI as a defining challenge of our time. But unlike technical programs focused on building AI systems, this certificate is grounded in a liberal arts approach, equipping students to understand AI’s technical foundations, evaluate its societal implications, and deploy it responsibly within their disciplinary contexts.
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The certificate requires students to complete three courses, selecting one from each of three domains: The Problem of AI (examining ethical/social/political dimensions), The Science of AI (understanding how systems actually work, along with their capabilities and limitations), and The Applications of AI (developing practical fluency and reflective practice). This structure ensures students can bridge technical and humanistic discourse, distinguishing between what AI can do and what institutions choose to do with it.
The desired result is to produce informed citizens, ethical decision-makers, and critical analysts of their professions, prepared not only to use AI tools but also to shape AI’s role in society through inquiry, ethical reasoning, and service to the common good.
Curriculum
The 9-credit certificate consists of three courses, one from each of the following areas:
- The Problem of AI: the ethical, social, political, and humanistic dimensions of AI, including questions of governance and regulation, bias and fairness, power and accountability, and AI’s implications for human identity, creativity, and flourishing.
- The Science of AI: how AI systems actually work, including their technical foundations, capabilities, and limitations. The course covers core machine learning concepts including state-of-the-art deep learning technologies, together with the mathematical and computational substrates that form the foundation of modern AI systems.
- The Applications of AI: the practical use of AI tools in disciplinary and professional contexts. This includes developing fluency with AI systems, learning to verify and evaluate outputs, making principled decisions about use and non-use, and integrating AI into workflows responsibly.
While students are encouraged to draw connections between the certificate coursework and their major/minor curriculum — particularly through the “Applications of AI” requirement — doing so is not required. The certificate requirements may freely double-count toward major, minor, and core requirements as appropriate.
Courses will be tagged (via course attributes) as fulfilling one of the three requirements. Some courses may fit more than one category. Students may begin completing coursework toward the certificate in Fall of 2026.
Student Eligibility
The Certificate in Artificial Intelligence is open only to students in the College of Arts & Sciences. If you would like to declare the Certificate in Artificial Intelligence, submit this form. Note that while seniors are eligible to enroll in the Certificate, completing all three courses in one year may not be possible.
If you have any questions about planning for the Certificate’s completion, please consult your Advising Dean.
NOTE FOR INSTRUCTORS: Instructors from any department within the College of Arts & Sciences may propose their courses for inclusion in the curriculum of the Certificate in Artificial Intelligence. If you would like to apply to have your course included in the curriculum of the Certificate, please send an email to michael.parker@georgetown.edu.