Students collaborate at a study table inside Park Library at Central Michigan University, with natural light from large windows and the library’s curved glass exterior visible outside. Students collaborate at a study table inside Park Library at Central Michigan University, with natural light from large windows and the library’s curved glass exterior visible outside. Students collaborate at a study table inside Park Library at Central Michigan University, with natural light from large windows and the library’s curved glass exterior visible outside.

Applied Artificial Intelligence
Minor

Overview of applied artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is already shaping decisions—in hospitals, classrooms, courtrooms and everywhere people rely on data. This minor gives you a way in. You’ll learn how systems are built, how they’re used and what happens when they fail. You’ll train models, evaluate outcomes and start asking better questions about how AI fits into the world. It’s hands-on and technical, with a clear focus on what it means to build systems people rely on.

Program Snapshot

Program Type: Full-Time
Location: On Campus
Program Length: 1-2 years
Credit Hours: 21

Why choose our AI minor?

Working with AI is one thing. Understanding it is another. Our applied artificial intelligence program is built for students who want to do both. You’ll learn how models learn, where they fail and how to explain their decisions to people who don’t speak code.

You’ll train systems using supervised, unsupervised and reinforcement learning. You’ll build tools that process language, classify data and generate content. You’ll work with neural networks, APIs and large language models. You’ll also learn how to question their results and understand what they’re really doing. By the end of the program, you’ll build a functional AI application as part of your capstone—something that works and you'll be able to explain.

Courses What Will Transfer Department information

Applied artificial intelligence highlights

As a student in our AI minor, you'll:

  • Code with purpose: Learn Python and apply it in lab-based projects.
  • Work across models: Build more than one kind of AI system.
  • Learn where AI fails: Study trust, explainability and ethics.
  • Build your own AI project: End with a team-based capstone.

Why ethics matter in applied AI

When AI shapes decisions in media, military use or content creation, understanding the ethical side isn’t optional. In this episode of The Search Bar, CMU professor Matt Katz breaks down real-world issues like misinformation, job loss and AI-generated content. If you’re serious about building AI, you need to know how to build it responsibly.

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