University of Maryland Launches Free Online AI Skills Certificate
Credit: SrdjanPav / E+ / Getty Images- The University of Maryland is offering a free online certificate program in artificial intelligence (AI) and career empowerment.
- The program is designed for early to mid-career professionals aiming to transition to the private sector or explore other career paths.
- Course topics cover AI literacy, responsible AI, and job search in the age of AI.
The University of Maryland (UMD) has introduced an online course centered on upskilling professionals in artificial intelligence (AI) — and it’s completely free.
The “Artificial Intelligence and Career Empowerment program,” offered by the Robert H. Smith School of Business, will provide insights into AI, its impact on the private sector, and the career prospects it presents.
The program offers self-paced modules instructed by full-time faculty members. These modules will explore the impact of AI on various industries, such as marketing, finance, healthcare, and technology, and how participants can apply AI concepts in their careers.
The “transformative” course, as the university’s website describes it, is designed for early to mid-career professionals who aim to transition to the private sector or explore other career paths. The university emphasizes that the program is “specifically created to benefit those transitioning from federal civil service.”
According to CNN, at least 121,000 federal workers have been laid off or targeted for layoffs in the first 100 days of the Trump administration.
“The Smith School is ready to welcome members of the federal civil service who did not enter 2025 expecting to transition but are seeking to upskill, re-skill, and improve their career prospects through graduate management education,” according to a university press release.
While the program launches May 1, you can enroll any time, and you do not have to be affiliated with the university to participate.
Want to learn how business schools are leveraging AI courses? Read more:
What the AI Certificate Includes
The program is divided into 10 modules: Six concerning AI in business, and four focused on career empowerment.
Topics include:
- AI literacy, capabilities, and building AI systems
- The marketing revolution
- AI and organizations
- AI and supply chain
- Responsible AI
- AI in financial services
- Being your own startup
- Negotiating from a position of weakness
- Job search in the age of AI
- The road ahead
By the end of the course, the university says participants will:
- Have foundational AI literacy and understand why and how AI is being integrated into business
- Explore how AI is affecting career opportunities across the business field
- Learn strategies for career transition, job searching, and consulting
- Network with industry leaders, human resources professionals, and those in the AI field
“Given the global uncertainties in economies and the labor market, we also provide useful pointers for career empowerment, including how to navigate job opportunities, explore startups, negotiate well during challenging times, and position yourself for AI-related opportunities in various sectors,” the program description reads.
Assistance for Federal Workers
In addition to the free online course, the Smith School has recently offered laid-off federal workers 30% off eligible Smith School graduate programs, executive training programs, or workshops through its FedGrant program.
Additionally, UMD alumni terminated or retired from federal civil service in 2025 are eligible for free enrollment in any Smith School self-paced online professional certificate program.
Georgetown University, Kutztown University, and Northern Virginia Community Colleges have also announced programs offering financial assistance for laid-off federal workers.