Look Who’s Talking

Insights from Students of the First MS in Artificial Intelligence Graduating Class

Michael Cantu, MSAI 2018 Inaugural Cohort
Class of Winter 2020

“The MSAI program has done an amazing job of informing me how to best utilize the most powerful tools in Computer Science today. To help prepare me with a brand new skill set, the program incorporates access to industry by hosting weekly Industry Night presentations. Visits by company representatives were very beneficial to my transition into the tech industry. Each week, a company comes in to present and talk about how they are implementing AI into their business, or how they see machine learning and artificial intelligence helping to inform future growth and innovation. Industry Nights are a value-added benefit that helps to shape your mindset of how powerful AI is and where it will go into the future. It also allows students to make industry connections that creates opportunities.” 


Quincia Hu PhD, MSAI 2018 Inaugural Cohort
Class of Fall 2019

“The MS in Artificial Intelligence program at Northwestern is outstanding as this program is aimed to support many types of career trajectories in the artificial intelligence world: AI architect, machine learning engineer or even data analysts. The MSAI program provides students with opportunities to communicate with modern AI companies and leading Northwestern faculty who are AI researchers. After being part of the MSAI program, I have begun to gain knowledge of the field which will allow me to combine my current skills while broadening my career to achieve different goals.”


Jaieu Sheil, MSAI 2018 Inaugural Cohort
Class of Fall 2019

“The MSAI program has been educational for me in terms of various aspects of AI, both symbolic and statistical. Learning about knowledge representation as well as statistical machine learning has helped to develop a holistic understanding of the subject and how to work toward solutions in a well-rounded manner. Classes in deep learning have also allowed me to learn foundational concepts that are built on the mathematical principles of Linear Algebra and Calculus. My goal is to equip myself with the knowledge and skills necessary to identify new technologies of the future. The number of use cases that can be addressed with technologies in artificial intelligence has grown, so it was important to me to select a program that drew focus on all aspects of AI. I found that in the MSAI program at Northwestern.”


Lukas Justen, Fulbright Scholar, MSAI 2018 Inaugural Cohort
Class of Winter 2020

“As a computer scientist, I don’t want to be stuck in the past. It was important to find a program that introduced me to AI. It’s a field that represents the future for computer scientists because it allows you to solve problems you couldn’t solve before.” 


Rhett D'souza, MSAI 2018 Inaugural Cohort
Class of Fall 2019

“I observed and have exploited MSAI's 2-technique approach to making career aspirations realistic. Firstly, the prominent industry partners, projects, frequent speakers and networking events have made sure I was able to get a head start with the external world and that even students entering the program without a Computer Science background are assured a place to apply to their skills in the non-academic world. Secondly, the emphasis on personal technical confidence and leadership has resulted in a stronger self-selling attitude that has made many non-partner industry leaders value, admire and view MSAI students as new-age AI practitioners."

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