July 29, 2021
Oakland University PACE and OU’s School of Business Administration have partnered to launch a new certificate that introduces students to the complex world of machine learning. The course, titled “Data Analytics and Machine Learning (ML Ops) on the Cloud,” is an introduction to machine learning using TensorFlow 2.0, a popular framework for building predictive models.
As a field, machine learning is now incredibly pervasive, with applications in a variety of areas including business intelligence, homeland security, the analysis of biochemical interactions, aging infrastructure monitoring, emissions tracking and astrophysics. A recent Forbes article rated machine learning and artificial intelligence among the top 10 tech job skills predicted to grow the fastest in 2021.
“There is great demand for people with machine learning and analytics skills,” said Dr. Vijayan Sugumaran, course co-instructor and distinguished professor of Management Information Systems. “ML jobs are available across a wide variety of industries and there is considerable interest in reskilling and upskilling. This course could be a good launching pad for gaining expertise in machine learning and its application in several domains.”
The 8-week, 64-hour program covers fundamental topics related to artificial intelligence and machine learning. Students will learn a step-by-step approach to building complex machine learning models starting from the basic concepts of machine learning and the TensorFlow 2.0 framework from Google.
The course introduces students to a variety of tools and platforms such as Python, TensorFlow/Keras, and Google Collaboratory Notebooks for building, testing and deploying machine learning models. It focuses on the important concept of Machine Learning Ops (ML Ops) that takes care of the entire end-to-end lifecycle of Machine Learning model development, training, evaluation and deployment. The entire ML Ops will be carried out on Google Cloud platform. Students will learn the basics of ML lifecycle management and tracking performance, as well as manage data in cloud services such as Cloud Storage and BigQuery.
The certificate program contains specializations for retail, health care, financial services and industrial/manufacturing. Participants can select one or more specializations as part of the course. Each specialization is 3-5 weeks long. The program is ideal for new and experienced engineers looking to break into the artificial intelligence and machine learning world. The course is also appropriate for:
- Those with minimal Python knowledge
- Individuals who want to understand the real-life implementation of an artificial intelligence and/or machine learning project
- Those looking to enhance their knowledge of artificial intelligence/machine learning
- Data scientists who want to advance their careers
- People who want to build and deploy artificial intelligence/machine learning models on the Cloud
A PACE Certificate of Achievement will be awarded upon successful completion of the program. For more information and to register, visit the program website or contact [email protected].