MSc Artificial Intelligence

Entry year
2024/25
Course code
I4001
Application
University
Level
Postgraduate
School
School of Computing and Creative Technologies
Campus
Frenchay
Duration
One year full-time
Delivery
Full-time; starts September
Programme leader
Dr Mehmet Aydin

This course is open for applications

Page last updated 6 February 2024

Introduction

Study our real-world focused MSc Artificial Intelligence course and gain all the skills and experience you need to start your career in this intellectually-stimulating and fast-growing profession.

Why study artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we live, work and learn. From manufacturing robots to self-driving cars, and smart assistants to systems that discover and make use of patterns in data for social or business good, AI has become part of our everyday lives.

If you're looking for an intellectually-challenging career where you can put your problem-solving skills to use to help companies, organisations and society as a whole to do things better, then a career in AI could be perfect for you.

There's a huge global shortage of AI experts and this predicted to increase, so AI professionals can expect to be very much sought after, able to command high salaries and choose between the many job prospects open to them.

Why UWE Bristol?

If you're looking to specialise or upskill in this field, our MSc in Artificial Intelligence will equip you with all the skills and knowledge you need to step into an AI role upon graduation.

Plus, you can be sure you're learning up-to-the-minute skills from some of the UK's leading AI academics. The Department of Computer Science and Creative Technologies at UWE Bristol is well renowned for its strong background in AI research and counts a number of internationally-recognised academics amongst its teaching team. The team has a wealth of experience dealing with real-world issues and already has over 25 years' experience working on internationally-applied AI projects.

Where can it take me?

On graduation from our Artificial Intelligence Master's course, you can expect your skills to be very much in demand. With plenty of options available to you across all industries, you'll be able to choose which industry you would like to start your AI career. You could get an AI job as an AI engineer, data scientist, AI analyst, AI architect and much more.

Structure

Content

The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.

Year one

You will study:

  • AI for Search and Optimisation
  • AI Group Project Model
  • Knowledge-based and Hybrid Systems
  • Machine Learning Algorithms
  • Machine Learning for Language and Vision
  • Statistical Inference.

Plus two optional modules from:

  • Advanced Statistics
  • Big Data
  • Business Intelligence and Data Visualisation
  • Cloud Computing
  • Data and Information Governance
  • Designing the User Experience
  • Knowledge Management
  • Linked, Open Data and the Internet of Things
  • Social Media and Web Science.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

Learning and Teaching

On our MSc Artificial Intelligence course you'll learn the real-world skills you need to start a successful career in AI. We'll not only focus on the technical skills but also the communication skills you'll need to present technical cases to a range of non-technical audiences.  

Our courses are created through input from our industry partners, so you'll learn the most in-demand skills which puts you in the strongest position when applying for artificial intelligence jobs. You'll work on case studies and live briefs giving you the opportunity to focus on real-world problems that businesses face.

You'll get plenty of experience of group work, which will prepare you well for working in industry. Plus you'll work on a longer self-directed project where you'll get the chance to apply all you have learned to make a significant AI-based artefact. This offers a great opportunity to master many skills and you'll be able to use this to demonstrate your knowledge at interviews.

See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

Study time

Full-time

(Over one year): Eight hours a week of teaching and related activities, and 16 hours a week on self-directed study. 

Assessment

The course comprises a mixture of taught modules and a project. In the taught modules you will be assessed mostly through projects and coursework, which offers you the opportunity to demonstrate all the skills you've gained. The project module offers a chance to really shine as you research a detailed topic/problem and produce a significant AI-based solution. You will then create documentation of how you designed and implemented your product and make a brief presentation: all the key skills for delivering successful projects in your future career.

See our full glossary of assessment terms.

Features

Study facilities

You'll find everything you need for your course on our Frenchay Campus, including PC labs for module and self-study, and access to virtual machines and cloud-based environments to build your experience of big data solutions.

You'll have 24-hour access to the UWE Bristol Frenchay Campus library, as well as access to leading resources, specialist journals and publications through our online portal.

Plus, postgraduate students have a dedicated space on campus including teaching rooms and social areas. Each course also has a student adviser available to provide pastoral support and general advice.

Find out more about the facilities and resources UWE Bristol has to offer.

Take a Virtual Tour of the Computer Science and Creative Technologies facilities and see what's on offer here for you.

Life

Postgraduate support

Our support includes access to fantastic facilities, study tools and career consultants, plus practical help to access everything from funding to childcare.

Bristol

A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.

Sports, societies and activities

There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.

Health and Wellbeing

We provide support in the way you need it.

Campus and facilities

Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.

Careers

Careers / Further study

There is a huge demand for qualified experts in AI and we will see this grow even more over the coming years. In the UK, as elsewhere, the government's 'industrial strategy' sees AI as a key enabler for a high-skills, high-wage future, and the recent pandemic has only highlighted the valuable part AI will play in areas from healthcare and logistics to entertainment.

Training as an AI professional will not only offer you an intellectually-challenging career, but you can expect to join some of the highest paid IT professionals in the industry. Studying our course will get you set to take advantage of a wide variety of career opportunities provided by AI. You have many options open to you including a job in industry, taking a more entrepreneurial route or going into AI research.

Our award-winning careers service helps you develop your employment potential through career coaching, a vacancy service for internships, placements, jobs, global opportunities, volunteering and community activity plus support for entrepreneurial activity, and access to employer events.

Fees

Supplementary fee information

See our funding pages for more information. 

Entry

Entry requirements

We normally require an honours degree at 2:2 or above in a relevant subject.

Experience with writing code or using a scripting language is essential, so you should provide a detailed description and evidence of prior coding experience in your application. This may include:

  • examples of programming or writing scripts for quantitative analysis or producing artefacts such as websites
  • transcripts of relevant modules studied at undergraduate level
  • certificate of completion of a recognised and relevant online course
  • details of relevant experience from employment
  • links to personal work, for example evidence of engagement with active GitHub repositories. 

Relevant subjects include: Computer Science, IT or other computing subjects, Maths, Statistics, any Engineering subject, any quantitative subject such as Physics, Chemistry, Business, Economics, or Psychology.

If you do not meet the above grade requirements but have at least 12 months relevant professional experience and/ or equivalent qualifications, we will consider you on an individual basis.

English language support

If you meet the academic requirements but require additional support to take your language skills to the required level, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Students who successfully complete the pre-sessional course can progress onto their chosen degree course without retaking an IELTS or equivalent. Read more about our Pre-Sessional English Programme.

English Language Requirement

International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).

The University accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need by visiting our English language requirements pages.

How to apply

Read more about postgraduate applications.

Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.

For further information