Choose from one of Wisconsin’s best colleges and universities offering programs/degrees in artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence jobs will be in high demand in the future. According to a Forbes article, there are at least 20 real roles that AI could create.
This expectant trend explains the stampede of AI courses and degrees that are now available. But then, quantity is not always quality.
AI is steadily transforming learning, and academics are readily embracing educational AI tools that make their lives easier. Some schools, however, prefer to merge the roles of innovator and advocate with early adopter.
Consequently, there are AI programs (and courses) from accredited institutions that meet high national and regional quality standards. These are the schools we will be dealing with in this article.
Best AI colleges in Wisconsin
This list was compiled based on the following factors:
- Reputation (rankings) of the university.
- Quality of curriculum
- Campus facilities
- Course relevance to modern AI
Rankings are retrieved from US News & World Report and Edurank.org.
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University of Wisconsin-Madison
Source: Phil Roeder
National Rank: #38
National Rank for AI Programs: #16
Acceptance Rate: 60%
Average tuition costs (for Wisconsin residents): $10,796
(Non-residents): $39,427
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of the most prestigious public institutions in state and country. The school’s Computer Science department offers the following AI courses:
- CS 540 – Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
- CS 576 – Introduction to Bioinformatics
- CS 760 – Machine Learning
- CS 766 – Computer Vision
- CS 767 – Medical Image Analysis
- CS 776 – Advanced Bioinformatics
Most of the AI courses in the department are advanced and only applicable to graduates of the computer sciences.
Undergraduates can only attend courses numbered below 700, i.e., CS 540 – Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and CS 576 – Introduction to Bioinformatics. To take these courses, students must pass some basic CS subjects like Programming II and Calculus.
There are also AI research groups in the following fields:
- Machine Learning
- Computer Vision
- Data Mining
- Biomedical Informatics
This research group includes distinguished computer science professors, such as Professor Emeritus Charles R. Dyer, Professor Emeritus Olvi L. Mangasarian, and Professors Vikas Singh and Mark Craven.
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University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee
Source: Wikimedia
National Rank: #331 – 440
National Rank for AI Programs: #131
Acceptance Rate: 98%
Average tuition costs (for Wisconsin residents): $9,650
(Non-residents): $21,514
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee offers a graduate certificate course in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
It’s a less restricted course, as it’s open to not just engineering and computer science degree holders but also graduates of economics and finance or any course involving math and programming.
Even people exempt from the above category can apply if they have relevant academic and professional experience.
The course was clearly designed for not just academics but working professionals. This is indicated by the class schedule, which is convenient for employees and has an online option.
Course tutors include Professors John Boyland, Thomas Haigh, and Susan McRoy.
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Marquette University
Source: Ed Bierman
National Rank: #83
National Rank for AI Programs: #189
Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average tuition costs: $46,670
Located in Milwaukee, Marquette is one of the state’s foremost private Catholic universities.
The school offers the following undergraduate courses in its Electrical and Computer Engineering Department:
- Introduction to Intelligent Systems
- Introduction to Neural Networks and Fuzzy Systems
- Evolutionary Computation
- Machine Learning for Image Processing
- Deep Learning Software
- Artificial Intelligence
- Machine Learning
- Neural Networks and Neural Computing
For graduates and professionals looking for an advanced degree, there’s a graduate certificate in Machine Learning for people with an engineering background. Available online and on-campus, the program requires 12-18 months to complete.
Students in this program will explore the theoretical foundations of machine learning, like computational learning theory.
Notable tutors include Dr. Richard J. Povinelli and Dr. Henry Medeiros.
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University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire
Source: Carolyn Langton
Midwest Rank: #37
National Rank for AI Programs: #403
Acceptance Rate: 85%
Average tuition costs (for Wisconsin residents): $8,774
(Non-residents): $17,487
A top public institution in the state, UWEC has an online AI and machine learning bootcamp designed for professionals or individuals with a background in programming or related subjects.
It’s a self-paced program, but students are expected to complete it within six months. The combined duration of lessons is over 300 hours—a comprehensive curriculum that requires 15-25 hours a week.
Expect to learn introductory concepts like AI and ML models, as well as simple correlation, applied natural language processing, and the development of neural networks.
A most attractive aspect of this course is the Microsoft Azure AI certification, which makes course graduates eligible to work for Microsoft. Overall, it seems like a worthy premium for the $4,275 course fee.
Course instructor is Felix Quinque, who has a Ph.D. in quantum computing.
For undergraduate degree programs, the school offers two introductory AI courses at the senior level in the computer science department: CS 420 Artificial Intelligence and CS 425 Machine Learning.
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Milwaukee School of Engineering
Source: Dori
Midwest Rank: #6
National Rank for AI Programs: #571
Acceptance Rate: 67%
Average tuition cost: $46,506
MSOE offers an M.Sc. in machine learning for graduates and career professionals.
Applicants are expected to have technical bachelor’s degrees and some object-oriented programming experience. The schedule is convenient for employed professionals—two classes per semester and a projected duration of two years.
While the program is delivered entirely online, faculty instructors are available for physical meetings if needed.
Students are eligible for two certificates: the Applied Machine Learning Graduate Certificate and the Machine Learning Engineering Graduate Certificate.
One nice perk to anticipate is the practical experience with the university’s supercomputer, Rosie.
