The AI Program is a free (and paid!), one-year extracurricular experience that helps you gain the skills needed to get a job in the fastest-growing areas of tech: data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

Developed by industry and academic leaders, you will master the skills necessary to become a successful Machine Learning Engineer. Complete our ML Foundations curriculum over the summer and tackle industry projects hosted by leading companies during the academic year. Along the way, you will learn practical, industry-relevant skills that will help qualify you for entry-level jobs in the field, including building data analysis pipelines and utilizing common ML and AI tools and libraries to train and validate ML models. At the same time, you will receive career coaching, mentorship, and summer internship placement support, all aimed at helping you successfully launch your career in machine learning and AI.

How it Works

• The AI Program runs annually from late May to April of the following year. Applications open in December of each year.
• The program is currently offered in a hybrid format in Boston at MIT Schwarzman College of Computing (Cambridge, MA) and Los Angeles at UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, and 100% virtually for students outside of these metropolitan areas. Regardless of the host site, you will join a national network of peers and industry professionals who are collectively invested in your career journey and outcomes.
• From May to August, you will commit to ~12-15 hours per week of asynchronous online coursework and synchronous lab sections for the ML Foundations summer course
• After completing the summer course, you will commit to ~6 hours per week from August-April for team-based industry challenge projects and mentorship and professional development
• You will receive a Certificate in Machine Learning from Cornell University after completing the summer course, and a financial award after completing the full program

Inside the Program 

Machine Learning Foundations Curriculum

AI Studio and Portfolio Development

Mentorship and Career Coaching

Who is eligible to apply?

In order to be eligible for the AI program, you must meet the following requirements:

• Currently enrolled in an Associate’s (2-year) or Bachelor’s (4-year) degree program at an accredited college or university in the United States
• Graduating with a 4-year degree in Spring or Fall 2026, 2027, or 2028. If you are currently enrolled in an Associate’s degree program, you must be planning to transfer to a Bachelor’s degree program by Fall 2025.
• Majoring or planning to major in computer science, engineering, math, or other related disciplines
• In good academic standing with at least a 2.0 GPA and on track to graduate
• A U.S. citizen, permanent resident, visa holder, a U.S. Social Security number or ITIN.
• Must have 1-2 years (2-4 semesters) of foundational coding experience in any language
• Must be interested in learning about artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science

Ready to Apply?

The 2025-26 application will open in December 2024. Please check back here in September 2024 for more information. Have a question about the program? Send us an email at ai@breakthroughtech.org.