Engineering celebrates first graduates in new AI and data science master’s programs

• UF honored its first MSADS and MSAIS graduates in an intimate ceremony on May 6. 

• MSAIS fuses math, engineering and ethics, using the HiPerGator supercomputer for real-world projects.  

• MSADS blends statistics and business to meet tech sector demand. 

In an occasion marked by snacks, happy tears and pride, engineering faculty members in May celebrated the first graduates to earn the University of Florida’s new master’s degrees in artificial intelligence systems and applied data science. 

Thirty-one students graduated with their master’s in Applied Data Science (MSADS), and 24 graduated with UF’s first AI Systems (MSAIS) master’s degrees. The new degrees are the latest steps to position UF as a leader in AI and data systems as demand soars in the workforce.  

The interdisciplinary curriculum in the MSAIS program combines computer science, mathematics, engineering and ethics. Students use UF’s supercomputer HiPerGator and engage in hands-on software experiments. The program prepares graduates for careers in IT, healthcare, finance, robotics and telecommunications. 

The MSADS program is also designed to meet growing workforce demands in the tech sector.  It offers a well-rounded, interdisciplinary education that includes computer science, statistics, and business. 

On May 6, faculty members from the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering honored the graduates in a small ceremony. The event also celebrated other firsts related to the new degrees.  

Among those in attendance was Zhiyu Wang, a Ph.D. student concurrently majoring in Chemistry who is also expected to graduate with her MSAIDS this fall. 

The recent graduates — and Wang — represent the first students to join the Department of Engineering Education’s Graduate Student Council and help with the first Research & Project Symposium. 

The first MSAIS graduates are:  

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 The first MSADS graduates are: 

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