Q&A: What can you expect from a master’s in artificial intelligence?

Last year, Bocconi created a new computing sciences department which brought together an exceptionally strong group of computer scientists with remarkable international visibility.  

Since 2020, we have been offering a three-year bachelor degree on AI. The MSc in Artificial Intelligence is the next step in making Bocconi a leading place for research and education in computer science. The programme has been designed from scratch to be the best possible master’s degree in AI and machine learning.  

In their second year, students will be able to engage in world-leading research for their thesis. They will be able to take elective courses in areas of economics, finance or management in Bocconi's other departments, and they will be able to use Bocconi's network and career services in their job search. 

This degree teaches students how to design and build software systems with AI capabilities.  

Graduates will initially take on roles such as AI or machine learning specialist, or work with statisticians and data scientists in data science groups of any large company or public administration.  

They might also work with engineers in manufacturing to develop systems that add AI capabilities to products, or work for a technology company to develop software systems that incorporate AI and machine learning technologies.  

Alternatively, some graduates will work in finance or in the bio-medical field.  

A PhD is a desired credential for some of the more specialised work in AI or machine learning, so we also expect that some of our graduates will continue their studies to pursue a PhD.  

In the longer run, we expect many master’s in AI graduates to achieve positions of leadership, either in management or as thought leaders in industry, in public service or in academia. 

Many degree programmes involve the development of a project to apply the skills learned in the course. Consequently, Bocconi’s software engineering module is entirely project-based.  

Students will learn to build large software projects, apply the techniques of deep learning, and build systems that deal with natural languages and can understand and create images.  

In addition to these skills, students will develop knowledge that will help them learn future new technologies, in particular knowledge about the mathematical underpinning of AI and machine learning, about algorithms, optimisation, probability and modeling. 

We expect to see students with a diversity of backgrounds.  

Students in this programme will need basic skills in mathematics and computer science and an eagerness to learn more and to experiment and create.  

If students have interacted with a system with AI capabilities, like Siri or Chat-GPT3, and have a desire to deeply understand how these systems work and want to be able to create the next generation of such systems, this degree would be a good choice for them. 

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To celebrate the launch of its new MSc in Artificial Intelligence, Bocconi University will be hosting a free webinar on March 28 at 5pm CET with information about the programme. Sign up for the webinar here.