MSOE launched a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science focused on applied AI, and in 2019 the greater Milwaukee business and education communities gathered to celebrate the grand opening of MSOE’s Dwight and Dian Diercks Computational Science Hall. The 65,536-square-foot building was made possible with a $34 million gift from MSOE alumnus Dr. Dwight Diercks, senior vice president of software engineering at NVIDIA, and his wife Dian. It features an NVIDIA GPU-powered supercomputer named Rosie. Diercks and representatives from NVIDIA worked with MSOE faculty to shape MSOE’s computer science curriculum.  

2021 sparked a shift in AI adoption and openness to the technology—partially due to the pressures the pandemic put upon businesses to digitally transform and adjust their work dynamics. In fact, according to the PwC 2022 AI Business Survey, 52% of organizations pivoted to adopt AI solutions sooner than they had expected and cited the pandemic as the reason. As a result, there’s a huge demand for industries to implement new technology and utilize data analytics, machine learning and AI. Diercks Hall helps meet that demand and elevates Milwaukee as a center for tech talent. Businesses can collaborate with students, faculty and staff to leverage the computing infrastructure and make previously unreachable ideas a reality. Problems that were once deemed impossible now have solutions hidden in data, and MSOE’s students are cracking the code. 

MSOE celebrated its first class of graduates from the B.S. in Computer Science program in 2022. Those students moved on to highly lucrative careers at companies large and small, on the coasts, and throughout the nation, Midwest and Wisconsin. They all were in demand for their skills in applied AI, cybersecurity, machine learning and next generation technologies. Armed with experience using Rosie to solve-real world problems for MSOE’s industry partners, and guidance from MSOE’s expert faculty, they truly were prepared to hit the ground running.  

MSOE continues to be at the forefront of AI and machine learning education and their application to solve real-world business problems in real time. Unlike most universities that limit AI education to graduate students for research applications, MSOE is expanding this instruction to all undergraduate programs at the university. Any student at MSOE can earn an Undergraduate Certificate in AI for Emerging Applications. It is an interdisciplinary sequence of asynchronous course work, combined with a practicum experience that allows students from any major to develop a breadth of skills in the emerging realm of AI and apply it directly to their field of study. A new Data Science Minor will be offered in 2023 for all undergraduates as well.  

For professionals in the fields of computer science, computer or software engineering, or software development looking to advance their skills and careers, MSOE is now offering a Graduate Certificate in Applied Machine Learning that will prepare them to leverage AI and machine learning domains to create innovative, data-driven solutions to problems. And this is just the beginning. In Fall 2023, students can take their studies another step further and pursue a second Graduate Certificate, this one in Machine Learning Engineering, or Master of Science in Machine Learning. These programs, while new, are drawing the top tier technical leaders from industry who will help advance AI within their companies and position Milwaukee as a leader in this space.  

MSOE was founded out of a desire to collaborate to support shared objectives with industry and the community at large. Corporate and foundation partnerships advance the academic, research and strategic goals of the university. Together, MSOE helps businesses find talent, cultivate relationships and continues to serve as a resource to make a lasting impact in the region.