Shape the future with world-class AI courses from Canada's top tech university
Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries — and organizations are racing to secure talent who can build, deploy, and scale AI solutions responsibly.
By 2030, 86% of employers expect AI and information processing technologies to transform their operations (World Economic Forum, 2024). In Canada, 97% of companies anticipate AI adoption will reshape their workforce needs, with growing demand for roles such as AI/ML Specialists, Security Management Specialists, and advanced Software Developers.
Whether you’re a software developer aiming to move into machine learning, or a data scientist looking to deepen your expertise in neural networks and MLOps, WatSPEED's AI certificate program provides a flexible, stackable pathway to power your next career move by providing you with:
- Deep technical grounding in how AI systems are designed, built, and deployed, enabling you to advance your understanding and actively shape AI initiatives.
- Hands-on experience with industry-standard frameworks and tools, giving you the practical fluency that today's employers demand.
- Broad relevance across industries, as organizations in fields from technology and finance to healthcare and government increasingly explore AI applications.
- Future-focused skills, aligned with the core AI capabilities that employers identify as critical for the next five years and beyond.
Developed in collaboration with leading industry partners, our hands-on certificates take you from foundational skills through advanced AI model development, preparing you to drive innovation with confidence.
What you will learn
- Fundamental AI and ML techniques: Including supervised, unsupervised, reinforcement learning, neural networks, deep learning, and large language models (LLMs)
- Advanced AI development: Transformer architectures (GPT, BERT), computer vision, image processing (CNNs, GANs), and reinforcement learning applications
- MLOps and AI deployment: Model lifecycle management (training, evaluation, and retraining), scaling AI applications using cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), CI/CD pipelines for AI and automation
- AI performance optimization and debugging: Reducing model bias and improving fairness as well as optimizing for speed, efficiency, and accuracy
Certificate highlights
- Learn from academic and industry leaders: Harness the University of Waterloo’s world-leading strengths in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and software engineering. Guided by leading experts and anchored in cutting-edge research, our program delivers the depth and rigour that sets Waterloo apart.
- Experience applied, real-world AI: Gain extensive practical experience across machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, and reinforcement learning. Tackle real datasets and build solutions using emerging technologies and industry-standard tools.
- Stack credentials that fit your journey: Start where it makes sense for you — with foundational courses or by diving directly into our multi-course certificates in advanced AI techniques and applications. Earn respected credentials that are high in demand and validate your expertise along the way to gaining your AI Certificate.
- Flexible online learning for working professionals: Balance your career with immersive learning. Our online, self-paced modules, on-demand offerings, live virtual sessions, and hands-on labs are designed for busy professionals.
Who should enrol
Gain the skills to build, fine-tune, and deploy production-grade AI systems and applications using modern frameworks and cloud tools.
This technical track is designed for professionals who want to gain a deeper understanding of how AI systems are built and operate, as well as those who want hands-on experience building and deploying them. It’s ideal for individuals who are ready to explore the mechanics, frameworks, and real-world applications of AI, including:
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- Software engineers, data scientists, DevOps engineers, and cloud engineers looking to deepen their technical AI expertise.
- Professionals aspiring to roles such as AI systems engineer, AI developer, ML engineer, NLP engineer, computer vision engineer, or deep learning engineer.
- Technical professionals and researchers who want to build, deploy, and maintain AI models in production environments.
- Professionals in adjacent technical fields who may not code daily but want to understand how AI systems are developed, integrated, and scaled.
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Looking for something less technical?
Strategy and Business Track (coming soon!) : Develop a practical understanding of AI to drive innovation, manage risk, and lead strategic transformation. Designed for leaders and those involved in setting the direction for an organization.
Policy, Governance, and Ethics Track (coming soon!): Gain expertise in setting AI standards and ensuring technology is deployed ethically and transparently. Designed for leaders or policy makers.
Prerequisites
Required prior knowledge: Learners beginning the AI Certificate Technical Track should have the following foundational skills and knowledge:
- Proficiency in Python, including:
- Writing functions and loops
- Using libraries such as NumPy and pandas
- Working with data structures (lists, dictionaries, arrays)
- Basic understanding of linear algebra, including:
- Vectors and matrices
- Matrix operations and dot products
- Familiarity with statistics, including:
- Mean, median, mode, variance
- Data distributions and standard deviation
- Introductory probability, including:
- Independent and conditional probability
- Joint probability and Bayes’ theorem
- Ability to work with structured datasets:
- Cleaning, transforming, and analyzing tabular data
- Understanding data types and formats
- Comfort with concepts like:
- Regression and classification
- Correlation vs. causation
Program Lead
Larry Simon, MBA
Founder and Managing Director, Inflection Group
Larry Simon is an entrepreneur, management consultant, and angel investor, specializing in IT strategy and data analytics. He has over 30 years of experience advising startups, global corporations, and government institutions. He is the founder and managing director of Inflection Group. Prior to this he was a partner with Ernst & Young Consulting, their CTO and national director of their strategy and delivery centres.
He has previously served on the faculty of the Rotman School of Management, as the head judge of the Canadian Information Productivity Awards (CIPA), and as a councillor of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Ontario. Larry holds an MBA from the University of Toronto and a B.Math (Computer Science) from the University of Waterloo.
You may also be interested in:
Foundations of Large Language Models: Tools, Techniques, and Applications
Gain a comprehensive understanding of the latest techniques, tools, and applications of LLMs so you can build better applications or processes. Prior experience with Python, API endpoints, and machine learning libraries is required.
Sign up for more information
Sign up to download a brochure or receive more information about the AI Certificate program, including launch updates for the Strategy and Business Track as well as the Policy, Governance, and Ethics Track .
Questions? Let's chat!
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET