• Eleven scholarships worth £10k each for MSc Applied AI
• They are funded by the Office for Students (OfS)
• Aimed at graduates without a science, tech, engineering or maths degree.
Aston University is offering more opportunities to graduates who want a career in artificial intelligence (AI) but don’t have a science, technology, engineering or maths degree.
The scholarships are offered due to increased funding from the Office for Students (OfS). Each award is worth £10,000 and will be awarded to students enrolling on the course in September. The government scheme aims to ease the shortage of AI and data specialists in the UK and increase diversity in the sector.
Women, black students, disabled students and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are currently underrepresented in the AI and data science professions.
Last year the University offered nine scholarships to graduates who want to work within the expanding AI sector but don’t have a relevant qualification.
This year the University is offering 11 scholarships for the MSc Applied AI for September 2024 entry.
The course is designed to provide specialist knowledge without the need for a computer science background.
Professor Damien Foster, head of the School of Computer Science and Digital Technologies, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer more of these scholarships, which offer a great opportunity to enter a career in AI from non-standard routes.
“AI continues to have a big impact on our lives every day so it is important to offer a diversity of skills and experiences for the development of this key technology.
“These new scholarships support the University’s 2030 Strategy priority to prepare our students for work and life through contemporary learning experiences enriched with professional practice across all disciplines and courses.”
In 2023 a study found only one in 10 of UK workers have digital skills. According to the research, conducted by Gallup and Amazon Web Services, 72 per cent of businesses in the UK had vacancies for workers with digital skills and more than two thirds find it difficult to hire the digital workers they need. Almost half which blame the a shortage of qualified applicants.
For details of eligibility and how to apply for the scholarships visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/postgraduate/artificial-intelligence-scholarship
- Notes to editors
OfS PG conversion scheme
Up to £17 million will be made available to 31 higher education providers between April 2023 and March 2025 to support the delivery of scholarships worth £10,000 each.
In March 2023 we awarded higher education providers up to £8.17 million to deliver 817 scholarships in the 2023-24 academic year.
A further £8.18 million has been confirmed to deliver up to 818 additional scholarships in the 2024-25 academic year.About Aston University
For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally.
Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world.
Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming The Guardian University of the Year in 2020.
Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world.
For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Nicola Jones, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7825 342091 or email: n.jones6@aston.ac.uk