Applied Generative AI

The certificate of achievement in Applied Generative AI (GenAI) prepares students for careers as GenAI engineers and/or developers. The program provides the analytical, methodological, and technical skills required within the GenAI technologies and industry, and serves as a foundation for further studies in GenAI or other relevant technologies and fields such as Deep Learning (DL), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Computer Vision (CV).

Projected 20 annual completers

Generative AI is one of the most transformative and rapidly advancing areas within artificial intelligence. The ability of machines to create new, original content—whether it be images, text, music, or even video—has led to widespread applications across industries such as entertainment, design, marketing, healthcare, and research. Popular tools powered by Generative AI—such as DALL-E, ChatGPT, MidJourney, Gemini, and Copilot—are already reshaping the way we create and interact with digital media.

Generative AI is not just a passing trend but a pivotal area driving innovation. With the advent of large language models (LLMs), image generation models, and transformer architectures, the technology has moved from research labs into mainstream use, creating a significant demand for professionals skilled in applying these techniques.

According to McKinsey & Company, generative AI is expected to contribute significantly to the global economy, with AI-driven creativity becoming an essential part of many industries. As the demand for creative AI solutions grows, professionals proficient in generative techniques will be essential in meeting the needs of businesses and individuals seeking to leverage these advanced technologies.

There is a shortage of skilled professionals in generative AI as many organizations struggle to find talent with the necessary skills, particularly in specialized areas such as neural networks, model optimization, and large-scale data processing. This gap represents a unique opportunity for Laney College to help bridge some of the skills divide and meet market demand by providing high-quality training and certifications.

This certificate will serve multiple demographic groups: (1) Community College Students — Many students are eager to pursue cutting-edge fields like AI, deep learning, generative AI. A certificate offers students a clear pathway to gaining valuable expertise and enhancing their job-seeking potential. (2) Working Professionals and Upskilling — A growing number of professionals are looking to upskill or shift their careers to AI-related fields. A certificate in applied generative AI can provide them with the specialized knowledge and practical experience needed to transition into roles such as Data Scientist, AI Specialist, or Machine Learning Engineer. (3) Career Changers — Individuals making a career change to deep learning will have a venue of taking courses and showcasing their knowledge and skills in deep learning/GenAI/NLP/CV to their potential employers. This certificate program can help them achieve that goal while also showcasing their newly acquired expertise to potential employers. (4) AI Enthusiasts — College certificates will provide these learners with planned pathways to enjoy the AI technologies being introduced to them.

Also, Laney College has been chosen to be the AI Center of Excellent (CoE) in Northern California by the Bay Area Community College Consortium (BACCC), and the Certificate of Achievement in Applied Generative AI will be shared with the Bay Region as stipulated in the supporting RJV.

Item 1. Program Goals and Objectives

Students will be able to find employment in the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) sector. This GenAI sector offers high-paid positions with job titles including Machine Learning Engineer, GenAI Engineer, Deep Learning Engineer and Specialist, Software Engineer Researcher, etc. Sectors that benefit from DL include Health Care, Finance, Education, Business, IT and Data Science.

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Research current trends of generative AI (GenSI) technologies, and applicable preparation and implementation.
• Analyze and apply generative AI to produce the required results/projects.
• Design and implement various generative AI and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) techniques to produce the required results.

Item 2. Catalog Description

The certificate of achievement in Applied Generative AI (GenAI) prepares students for careers as GenAI engineers and/or developers. The program provides the analytical, methodological, and technical skills required within the GenAI technologies and industry, and serves as a foundation for further studies in GenAI or other relevant technologies/areas such as Deep Learning (DL), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Computer Vision (CV).

Item 4. Justification and Master Planning

Generative AI is one of the most transformative and rapidly advancing areas within artificial intelligence. The ability of machines to create new, original content—whether it be images, text, music, or even video—has led to widespread applications across industries such as entertainment, design, marketing, healthcare, and research. Popular tools powered by Generative AI—such as DALL-E, ChatGPT, MidJourney, Gemini, and Copilot—are already reshaping the way we create and interact with digital media.

Generative AI is not just a passing trend but a pivotal area driving innovation. With the advent of large language models (LLMs), image generation models, and transformer architectures, the technology has moved from research labs into mainstream use, creating a significant demand for professionals skilled in applying these techniques.

According to McKinsey & Company, generative AI is expected to contribute significantly to the global economy, with AI-driven creativity becoming an essential part of many industries. As the demand for creative AI solutions grows, professionals proficient in generative techniques will be essential in meeting the needs of businesses and individuals seeking to leverage these advanced technologies.

There is a shortage of skilled professionals in generative AI as many organizations struggle to find talent with the necessary skills, particularly in specialized areas such as neural networks, model optimization, and large-scale data processing. This gap represents a unique opportunity for Laney College to help bridge some of the skills divide and meet market demand by providing high-quality training and certifications.

This certificate will serve multiple demographic groups:

• Community College Students — Many students are eager to pursue cutting-edge fields like AI and deep learning, GenAI, NLP, and Computer Vision (CV). A certificate offers students a clear pathway to gaining valuable expertise and enhancing their job-seeking potential.
• Working Professionals and Upskilling — A growing number of professionals are looking to upskill or shift their careers to AI-related fields. A certificate in deep learning/GenAI/NLP/CV can provide them with the specialized knowledge and practical experience needed to transition into roles such as Data Scientist, AI Specialist, or Machine Learning Engineer.
• Career Changers — Individuals making a career change to deep learning will have a venue for taking courses and showcasing their knowledge and skills in deep learning to their potential employers. This certificate program can help them achieve that goal while also showcasing their newly acquired expertise to potential employers.
• AI Enthusiasts — College certificates will provide these learners with planned pathways to enjoy the AI technologies being introduced to them.

Also, Laney College has been chosen to be the AI Center of Excellent (CoE) in Northern California by the Bay Area Community College Consortium (BACCC), and the Certificate of Achievement in Applied Generative AI will be shared with the Bay Region as stipulated in the supporting RJV.

Item 5. Enrollment and Completer Projections

Interest in this Applied GenAI (GenAI) Certificate of Achievement is expected to be modest at first and will grow quickly through marketing efforts bringing this program into broader community awareness. Enrollment and completion of the Applied GenAI (GenAI) Certificate of Achievement are projected to be at least 20 per year after inaugural first two years of this program.

Item 6. Place of Program in Curriculum/Similar Programs

• There are no active inventory records that need to be changed in connection with the approval of the proposed program.
• This program does not replace any existing program on the college’s inventory.
• Only Laney has the AI program in the district with a certificate of Achievement in Applied GenAI. Laney's CIS department has a Data Science Fundaments CA which includes some of the coursework.

Item 7. Similar Programs at Other Colleges in Service Area

None in the service area and the Bay Region. Evergreen is developing its own certificate but they are focusing on entrepreneurship and AI.

This work is part of the Digital Center for Innovation, Transformation, and Equity and will be shared with other colleges across the state for replication.

Laney College has been chosen to be the AI Center of Excellent (CoE) in Northern California by the Bay Area Community College Consortium (BACCC), and the Certificate of Achievement in Applied Generative AI will be shared with the Bay Region as stipulated in the supporting RJV. Evergreen College is also developing a CA but with a focus on entrepreneurship and AI.