AI Program
The AI Program is a virtual, one-year extracurricular experience that equips you with the skills needed to secure a job in the fastest-growing areas of tech: data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML).
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 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.
Interested in applying? The application for the 2025-2026 AI Program is now open. For more details on our upcoming info sessions, complete an interest form.
How It Works
The AI Program runs from late May to April of the following year–applications open in December each year. You will be immersed in a national network of peers and industry professionals who are collectively invested in your career journey and outcomes.
From May to August, you will dedicate about 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 dedicate approximately six hours per week from August to April on team-based industry challenge projects, professional development, and small group mentorship.
Earn a certificate in machine learning from Cornell University after completion of the summer course, and receive a financial award after completing the full program.
Inside the Program
The AI Program has three key pillars:
- Machine Learning Foundations Curriculum: Work with industry-relevant tools over the summer to analyze real-world data sets and identify patterns and relationships to create robust data science projects.
- AI Studio and Portfolio Development: Tackle real-world ML Challenge Projects in the Fall and Spring AI Studio to develop your professional portfolio with the guidance of academic and industry advisors.
- Mentorship and Career Coaching: To support your professional goals, you will work closely with an industry mentor in a small group throughout the course of the program to engage in case studies and skill-building simulations with personalized feedback.
Who is Eligible?
To be eligible for the AI program, you must:
- Be currently enrolled in an associate’s (two-year) or bachelor’s (four-year) degree program at an accredited college or university in the United States.
- Graduate with a bachelor’s 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.
- Major or plan to major in computer science, engineering, math, or other related disciplines.
- Be in good academic standing with at least a 2.0 GPA and on track to graduate.
- Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, visa holder, or have a U.S. Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.
- Have one to two years (or two to four semesters) of foundational coding experience in any language.
- Be interested in learning about artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science.
Hear from an AI Program Fellow
“This program has refined my programming skills based on Python and raised my knowledge of how crucially imperative Machine Learning, AI and Data Science are in the Computer Science field. In fact, this program is what motivated me to learn more about Data Science.”
– Puja Roy, CUNY Student & Break Through Tech Fellow
Ready to Apply?
Complete an interest form for details about our upcoming info sessions. Applicants who apply by the Priority Application deadline will receive a decision of Accepted, Rejected, or Deferred in February. All other applicants will receive a decision of Accepted, Rejected, or Waitlisted in March.
- Priority Application Deadline: Monday, January 13, 2025
- Final Application Deadline: Monday, February 24, 2025
Have a question about the program? Email us at ai@breakthroughtech.org.