Program Description

The Associate in Science in Artificial Intelligence degree is for any student looking to gain foundational knowledge in data science and machine learning, as well as how these skills can be ethically applied in fields such as data engineering, natural language processing, and robotics. The program is relevant for students looking to enter the workforce directly, transfer into a bachelor's degree engineering program, or simply explore and learn more about how AI models work.

Learn more about the program on the Computer Science website.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to design, develop, and deploy machine learning models—including supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning systems—using industry-standard programming languages and frameworks to solve complex, real-world data problems.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to perform the full data pipeline process, including data acquisition, cleaning, feature engineering, and statistical analysis, ensuring the integrity and quality of datasets used for training autonomous systems.
• Students will critically evaluate the ethical implications of AI technologies, identifying potential biases in algorithms and data, and proposing mitigation strategies to ensure fairness, privacy, and transparency in automated decision-making.

Award Type(s)

• AS = Associate in Science Degree
• CA = Certificate of Achievement

Units Required

• Major: 49.5
• Certificate(s): 22

Associate Degree Requirements

A minimum of 90 units is required¹ to complete the associate degree, including:

• Core and support courses for the major (49.5 units total)
• Completion of one of the following general education patterns:
  • Foothill College General Education
  • California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC)²

¹

Additional elective course work may be necessary to meet the 90-unit minimum requirement for the associate degree.

²

Cal-GETC began in Fall Quarter 2025. Students with catalog rights for Summer Session 2025 and previous catalog years may be able to use IGETC or CSU GE Breadth. Please see a counselor for more information.

Note: A grade of "C" (or "P") or better is required for all core and support courses used for the degree or certificate. In addition, the student must obtain a minimum GPA of 2.0.

Refer to the Associate in Arts & Associate in Science Degree Requirements page for complete information about graduation requirements and catalog rights.

Core and Support Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Core Courses
C S 3A	OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING METHODOLOGIES IN PYTHON	4.5
C S 3B	INTERMEDIATE SOFTWARE DESIGN IN PYTHON	4.5
C S 3C	ADVANCED DATA STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS IN PYTHON	4.5
C S 8A	INTRODUCTION TO DATA SCIENCE	4.5
C S 12A	INTRODUCTION TO MACHINE LEARNING	4.5
C S 12B	DEEP LEARNING	4.5
HUMN 15	ETHICS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE	4
or PHIL 15	ETHICS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
MATH 22	DISCRETE MATHEMATICS	5
Support Courses
Select at least 13.5 units from the following:		13.5
C S 11A	INTRODUCTION TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
C S 11B	NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING
C S 31A	INTRODUCTION TO DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
MATH 2B	LINEAR ALGEBRA
MATH 2BL	APPLIED LINEAR ALGEBRA LABORATORY
Total Units		49.5

Certificate Requirements

Certificate of Achievement in Principles of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

• Units: 22

Course List

Code	Title	Units
C S 3A	OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING METHODOLOGIES IN PYTHON	4.5
C S 8A	INTRODUCTION TO DATA SCIENCE	4.5
C S 12A	INTRODUCTION TO MACHINE LEARNING	4.5
HUMN 15	ETHICS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE	4
or PHIL 15	ETHICS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
And one course from the following:		4.5
C S 11A	INTRODUCTION TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
C S 12B	DEEP LEARNING
Total Units		22