Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is a core discipline within Computer Science; however, it has applications in almost every industry sector including, but not limited to, Health, Financial Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, Media, Energy, Civic Society and Public Policy.



The UK will need a larger workforce with deep AI expertise, and more development of lower level skills to work within the domain. This specialist programme has been developed in response to evidence of demand from industry and business for upskilling of staff in the area of AI and addresses a clear gap in the marketplace for postgraduate study.



The course will cover all core areas including preparing participants for a career with knowledge and problem-solving skills in AI and with an appreciation of how it can be used in a range of applications.



The course content has been informed by internationally leading research being conducted in the School and by our strong industry partnerships.



There are also opportunities for graduates from the PgCert Artificial Intelligence to embark on further research by enrolling for PhD study affiliated with the research centres within the School of Computing.



The School of Computing at Ulster University holds Athena Swan Bronze Award since 2016 and is committed to promote and advance gender equality in Higher Education. We particularly welcome female applicants, as they are under-represented within the School at postgraduate taught courses.



Work placement / study abroad

There is no placement as part of the course, however, there are opportunities in the course for you to participate in research and industry related projects through our two Innovation centres BTIIC, CHIC and ARC.



BTIIC is the BT Ireland Innovation Centre (BTIIC) in collaboration with Ulster University and BT. The centre aims to invent new ways of using data analytics, artificial intelligence and the IoT, through two work streams of Intelligent System and IoT.



CHIC is the Connected Health Innovation Centre is funded by Invest NI to support business led research in the area of connected health, with focus on data analytics and IoT. The centre currently has over 30 national and international member companies with both technical expertise and clinical experience.



Advanced Research Centre (ARC) is a joint centre with PWC, Ulster and Queens University Belfast. ARC brings together researchers, engineers and business executives, combining expertise from academia and industry within one R&D centre and aims to downstream innovative research into commercial applications. Three technical work streams are established at Ulster on Digital Transparency, Digital Transformation and Digital Empowerment.

The Postgraduate Certificate award consists of three compulsory taught modules (totaling 60 credits)



Students will study the following modules;

• Data Science and Machine Learning

• Knowledge Engineering

• Emerging and Advanced Topics in AI

Applicants must:



(a) have gained



(i) a second class honours degree or better, in the subject areas of Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or closely related discipline, from a university of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or from a recognised national awarding body, or from an institution of another country which has been recognised as being of an equivalent standard; or



(ii) an equivalent standard (normally 50%) in a Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate, Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma or an approved alternative qualification excluding Conversion courses; and the qualification must be in the subject areas of Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or closely related discipline.



and



(b) provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English (GCSE grade C or equivalent). For applicants whose first language is not English the minimum English language requirement is an Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5, Trinity ISE: Pass at level III or equivalent English language tests comparable to IELTS equivalent score.



In exceptional circumstances, as an alternative to (a) (i) or (a) (ii) and/or (b), where an individual has substantial and significant experiential learning, a portfolio of written evidence demonstrating the meeting of graduate qualities (including subject-specific outcomes, as determined by the Course Committee) may be considered as an alternative entrance route. Evidence used to demonstrate graduate qualities may not be used for exemption against modules within the programme.



English Language Requirements

English language requirements for international applicants

The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.



Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.

Part-time. Typically 5-10 timetabled on campus hours per week Monday – Friday.

Start dates: September 2025

Career options

The UK will need a larger workforce with deep AI expertise, and more development of lower level skills to work within the domain. On successful completion of the programme, students can continue on to our full MSc in Artificial Intelligence.