Etched into the landscape of Richmond, VCU Engineering gives students access to a culturally vibrant and diverse city full of potential. Whether you study online or on campus, we focus on developing close partnerships with public institutions and private businesses in order to give you access to unique learning and job opportunities.

Master’s program students also have access to benefits like:

• Learning AI from first principles to deployment, starting with the math and statistical foundations behind modern ML, then implementing the algorithms, validating them on real datasets, and shipping an applied solution through a client or lab project
• Connecting classroom knowledge to real-world problems through multi-disciplinary research collaboration with the VCU School of the Arts and the VCU School of Medicine
• Working on leading edge AI projects through access to VCU’s state-of-the-art computational resources
• Dedicated Career Services department that supports internship and employment opportunities
• Interdisciplinary education that teaches collaboration with engineering practitioners outside your field of study

Reference the VCU Bulletin for a full list of chemical and life science engineering classes. Master’s program courses are 500 level and above (for example, CMSC 516). Below are a few signature courses from the program:

• Advanced Natural Language Processing (CMSC 516): You'll develop an understanding of recent advances in natural language processing and apply NLP algorithms and techniques for processing unstructured text. Specific topics include rule-based and statistical methods for creating computer programs that analyze, generate and understand human language.
• Introduction to Machine Learning (CMSC 606): Understand basic concepts and techniques in machine learning, as well as mathematical foundations of these concepts and techniques, and methods to analyze their theoretical properties. Topics covered will include probabilistic and optimization-based view of machine learning, linear models, deep nonlinear models, deep networks for specific domains such as large language models and generative models for images.
• Neural Networks & Deep Learning (CMSC 636): Topics ranging from fundamental learning rules, functional, cascade correlational, recurrent and gradient descent networks, to neocognitron, softmax, deep convolutional networks, autoencoders and pretrained deep learning (restricted Boltzmann machines).

A graduate concentration in artificial intelligence can facilitate career advancement in a number of industries like:

• Advanced manufacturing
• Healthcare and biomedical technology
• Defense and national security
• Robotics and automation
• Software and cloud engineering
• Autonomous vehicles and intelligent transportation
• Energy and smart infrastructure
• Research institutions and advanced technology labs

Consider possibilities like:

• Machine Learning Engineer: Develops, trains and deploys machine learning models for real-world applications. Responsibilities include data preprocessing, model optimization, algorithm selection and collaborating with engineering teams to integrate AI solutions into production systems.
• Data Scientist: Extracts actionable insights from complex and large-scale datasets. Responsibilities include statistical analysis, predictive modeling, data visualization and communicating technical findings to inform strategic and operational decisions.
• AI Solutions Architect: Designs and oversees scalable AI systems that align with organizational objectives. Responsibilities include selecting model frameworks, guiding system integration, ensuring performance and reliability and leading cross-functional implementation efforts.
• Robotics and Autonomous Systems Engineer: Builds intelligent control systems for automation, robotics and autonomous platforms. Responsibilities include sensor integration, computer vision implementation, real-time decision algorithms and system performance optimization.

With the help of our Career Services team, VCU College of Engineering graduates have many opportunities to network with alumni and industry professionals. Our students work at companies like:

• Black Knight Technology Inc.
• Blue River Technology
• Brightspot
• CACI
• Capital One
• CoStar Group
• Cotiviti
• Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
• Genworth
• HP
• Micron Technology Inc.
• Microsoft
• MITRE Corporation
• NT Concepts
• UST