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MS in Artificial Intelligence

Program Description

The research and development in interdisciplinary domains of artificial intelligence applications can solve many daily routine problems and improve our lifestyle by offering products in many domains such as smart homes, smart cities, smart agriculture, smart vehicles, business intelligence, smart surveillance, and smart hearth-care. To meet these objectives, it is required to equip our upcoming students with the latest technologies and essential skills in AI covering both theory and practical aspects. The MS AI program shall enable the students to learn essential theoretical knowledge and learn marketable skills in AI. This program offers basic courses to understand core concepts of machine learning as well as specialized elective courses to train students with state-of-the-art skills in AI and also teach them how to apply it in inter-disciplinary data science domains. This program will not only produce AI-trained scientists and engineers who can meet the requirements of AI and data science in the Pakistani industry/globally but also it will help the students who like to start a research-based career and planning to enroll in a PhD program.

The objective of this program is to develop AI related theoretical and research skills in students. In this context, the two-year program is divided into parts. The first year is dedicated to course work and second year is dedicated to a research project. In the first year (2 semesters), the students will take fundamental AI courses along with electives, enhancing their skills in advanced applications of AI. In third semester, the students will start working on their thesis which will continue in 4th semester. The students will individually select among different research projects with industrial or academic collaborations.

Program Offered by

This MS Artificial Intelligence program will be offered by the Sino-Pak Center of Artificial Intelligence under Faculty of Electrical, Computer, IT & Design (FECID) at Pak-Austria Fachhochschule: Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (PAF-IAST).

Why Study at PAF IAST?

Location and Ambience

PAF IAST is nestled in natural mountains that flank its campus from all sides, offering one even the ravishing view of snow-capped peaks of Nathiagali and natural winding trails. To its north-west is Tarbela Lake, a journey of only a few kilometers from the campus. Set in the middle of the campus is a natural lake, fed by the springs of surrounding mountains. The campus is just a 3-kilometer drive from the Hazara Motorway. The ideal setting equally conducive to academic activity and aesthetic sensibilities of the human eye is a serene island of its own kind, far from the chaos, congestion, and cacophony of metropolitan culture. The major cities like Islamabad, Abbottabad, are just an hour’s drive, while small towns like Wah, Hasanabadal, Taxila, and Swabi can be reached in just half an hour.

Technology Advancement and Foreign Partnership

This institute is an emerging center of excellences, with its own technology park. All faculty members hold PhD degrees in appropriate disciplines. By virtue of its wide array of facilities and the facilitation for its students to learn and benefit both from classroom teaching and faculty trained at premier Austrian universities/institutions, the institution is ideally cut out for imparting state-of–the-art engineering and allied education in Pakistan. The institute enjoys close linkages with top ranking universities in Austria and China. We have already concluded with them formal agreements regarding student and faculty exchange programs, provision of dual degrees in certain areas, and the training support from foreign faculty. cities like Islamabad, Abbottabad, are just an hour’s drive, while small towns like Wah, Hasanabadal, Taxila and Swabi can be reached in just half an hour.

Academia-Industry Relationship

There is a strong synergetic relationship between academia and industry which paves the way for job opportunities for students even in the midst of their studies. PAF IAST will serve as a welcome platform for the industry to share their requirements for a skilled workforce. This will enable the institute to incorporate their valuable inputs in practical vocational training and expose the students to industrial perspectives

On-Spot Industry Internship

It will be a mandatory requirement for every student to do an internship every semester in an appropriate industry. This will garner them practical experience related to their respective degree programs. To crown it all, Technology Park will afford them rare opportunities to apply themselves innovatively and become promising entrepreneurs.

Need and Merit-based Scholarships

Different types of local and foreign scholarship opportunities are available on need and merit base.

Admission Requirements

  • HEC recognized degree is required in relevant subject of Science or Engineering, earned from a HEC recognized university after 16 years of education with at least 60% marks or CGPA of at least 2.5 (on a scale of 4.0). The related areas include Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, Remote-sensing, Geo-information, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or relevant discipline.
  • The GAT-General conducted by the National Testing Service with a minimum 50% cumulative score will be required at the time of admission.

Career prospects

AI job market is evolving in Pakistan. In coming years, it is expected that AI and data science experts will be needed in many sectors such as banking and business entities, security agencies, defense organizations, telecom companies, agriculture, farming, construction companies, and healthcare. The AI-based nature of jobs is summarized as follows:

AI job market is evolving in Pakistan. In coming years, it is expected that AI and data science experts will be needed in many sectors such as banking and business entities, security agencies, defense organizations, telecom companies, agriculture, farming, construction companies, and healthcare. The AI-based nature of jobs is summarized as follows:

Security/Cyber agencies: AI can play a key role in developing systems to maintain public security through automatic surveillance, audio/speech recognition, and cybersecurity.

Defense organizations: AI is required for many defense products such as automatic drones, geographic target detection, autonomous path tracking in missiles, autofocus in tanks and guns, target detection and recognition, night vision.

Telecom: In Pakistan, the AI applications in telecom companies are related to business intelligence which include customer’s call tariff prediction and calls package recommendations.

Smart agriculture and farming are a new area in Pakistan’s job market. The companies investing in this area are looking for developing automatic drones to detect pesticides for starting spraying sessions.

Healthcare is also a new area in the Pakistani job market. Healthcare has a lot of potential and its jobs could range from developing healthcare products to analyzing surveys for various health disorders or epidemics. The analysis of data and decision-making about public health policies from the perspective of social trends/habits could be interesting fieldwork in Pakistan, creating many jobs.

Faculty Members

    CORE COURSES

    Knowledge Engineering

    Advanced Machine Learning

    Advanced Deep learning

    Tools and Techniques for Data Science