Instruction is delivered by a multi-disciplinary team of staff and industry practitioners with backgrounds in product development, data science, and business innovation. Guest speakers add specialized perspectives.
Yes. The program’s full-time contact-hour load meets visa requirements. International applicants must follow UCSB PaCE’s standard I-20 documentation process.
International Students need to apply to the International Certificate Program before enrolling in classes from this course schedule.
Domestic students may enroll directly in available courses once registration opens. If you plan to earn the Professional Certificate in Applied AI and Innovation, submit the certificate candidacy form so it is associated with your student profile and your program completion is automatically recorded once all four courses are taken concurrently in the same term and passed.
Each lab produces at least one artifact, and the capstone studio culminates in a solution prototype plus a short pitch deck. Graduates leave with multiple work samples that showcase practical AI innovation.
This program is open to anyone interested in learning how to apply AI tools and strategies in a practical, business-focused way. It’s especially well-suited for:
No formal programming experience is needed. If you can work with spreadsheets and are comfortable learning new software tools, you’ll be ready to succeed. The program’s step-by-step, integrated format ensures you can follow along regardless of your technical background.
You should plan for 6–8 hours per week outside of scheduled class sessions. This time includes:
Work is designed to be practical and directly connected to your weekly lecture, lab, and capstone activities, so each task builds toward your final deliverables. Many assignments result in professional artifacts you can showcase to employers.
Yes. Students may enroll in individual courses from the program. However, to take the capstone course and qualify for the Professional Certificate in Applied AI and Innovation, you must enroll in all four required courses concurrently in the same term.
The Applied AI and Innovation Certificate is a single, integrated program delivered over one 11-week quarter. Students complete four required courses in sequence, with all courses taken concurrently as part of a unified learning experience:
Each week centers on a specific theme - such as prompt engineering, generative AI, data storytelling, ethics, or solution delivery - that runs across all program components for that week. The lecture/discussion introduces the concepts, the lab workshop builds hands-on skills, the asynchronous module provides deeper exploration, and the capstone project applies the week’s focus to a real-world team challenge.
The curriculum is grounded in Lean Startup principles, guiding you to frame problems, validate ideas, and iteratively design solutions that create measurable business value. As you progress, you’ll engage with AI topics through the lens of building and refining a viable business solution, moving from opportunity identification to solution delivery.
Over the quarter, you’ll produce portfolio-ready artifacts (dashboards, prompt libraries, executive summaries, prototypes) in labs and apply these tools directly in your collaborative capstone project. The program culminates in a final presentation of your team’s AI-enabled solution, clearly framed in terms of strategy, impact, and responsible innovation.
To earn the certificate, you must enroll in all four courses for the same quarter, actively participate in all components, and achieve a passing grade in each.
Students must bring a personal laptop computer to participate in hands-on activities, complete assignments, and access course materials.
Recommended: A modern operating system (Windows 10+, macOS 11+), reliable internet access, webcam/mic for presentations, and the ability to access browser-based tools or install software if needed.
Note: Most tools used in the program will be web-based or no-code/low-code. Any required software installations (e.g., Python, IDEs, or cloud SDKs) will be guided by instructors during class or lab sessions - no prior installation or technical setup is expected before the course begins.
A UCSB PaCE Professional Certificate in Applied AI and Innovation is awarded upon successful completion of all required courses in the integrated program sequence, totaling 12 units (approximately 120 contact hours of instruction). The program is designed as a single, full-quarter experience. Students must complete all program components concurrently within the same quarter to earn the certificate.
The certificate program is composed of three core courses and one capstone course delivered in an integrated format over 11 weeks, combining live lecture/discussion sessions, weekly lab activities, asynchronous modules, and a team-based capstone project. Each course must be completed with a letter grade of “C” or better.
Students not pursuing the certificate are welcome to enroll in individual courses from the program curriculum, but only students who complete all required courses concurrently will be eligible to receive the certificate. There are no prerequisites, and a bachelor’s degree is not required.
Becoming a Certificate Candidate
Students intending to complete the full program are encouraged to submit the Declaration of Candidacy form. This allows us to provide program updates and ensures the certificate is formally associated with your student profile, enabling automatic awarding once all four courses are successfully completed within the same quarter.