Artificial Intelligence, Modeling and Simulation in Engineering, Certificate

This is the first version of the 2025–26 General Catalog. Please check back regularly for changes. The final edition and the historical PDF will be published during the fall semester.

The undergraduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence, Modeling and Simulation in Engineering (AIMS) requires 18 s.h. Students must maintain a grade-point average of at least 2.00 in coursework specifically for the certificate. The certificate may be earned by any student admitted to the University of Iowa who is not concurrently enrolled in a UI graduate or professional degree program.

Mechanical engineering (ME) students may earn the certificate in AIMS while they complete the design, robotics, and autonomous systems or the manufacturing focus area for their major. In addition, mechanical engineering students may use the certificate as a tailored engineering focus area by adding one eligible course. 

Students are strongly encouraged to participate in at least one workshop related to Python, R, or high-performance and parallel computing offered by the Information Technology Services Research Services (ITS-RS) department, and HACKUIOWA organized by the University of Iowa's Hydroinformatics Lab.

Students could petition to substitute certificate courses with artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, and modeling and simulation-related courses offered by ME and other departments. Non-ME students may earn this certificate while completing their degrees without taking extra courses.

The undergraduate certificate in Artificial Intelligence, Modeling and Simulation requires the following coursework.

Required Courses

Students complete one machine learning course and one artificial intelligence course.

Course # Title Hours
CS:5430Machine Learning (may be used as machine learning or artificial intelligence required course)3
Machine Learning
One of these:
ME:4111Scientific Computing and Machine Learning3
MATH:3800Introduction to Numerical Methods3
Artificial Intelligence
One of these:
ME:4150Artificial Intelligence in Engineering3
CS:4420Artificial Intelligence3
ENGR:3110Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Engineering3

Elective Courses

Course # Title Hours
Three of these:
ME:4110Computer-Aided Engineering3
ME:4112Engineering Design Optimization3
ME:4116Manufacturing Processes Simulations and Automation3
ME:4117Finite Element Analysis3
ME:4120Advanced Linear Control Systems3
ME:4175Computational Naval Hydrodynamics3
ME:5143Computational Fluid and Thermal Engineering3
ME:5170Data-Driven Analysis in Engineering Mechanics3
ME:5300Uncertainty Quantification and Design Optimization3
BME:2260Quantitative Physiology3
BME:4310Computational Biochemistry3
BME:5240Deep Learning in Medical Imaging (DLMI)3
BME:5335Computational Bioinformatics3
BME:5441Numerical and Statistical Methods for Bioengineering3
BME:5525Cardiopulmonary Design and Modeling3
BME:5620Introduction to Applied Biomedical Finite Element Modeling3
CS:4330Theory of Computation3
CS:4350Logic in Computer Science3
CS:4700High Performance and Parallel Computing3
CS:4720/MATH:4820Optimization Techniques3
CS:5360Randomized Algorithms3
CS:5710/MATH:5800Numerical Methods I3
CS:5720/MATH:5810Numerical Methods II3
CS:5810Formal Methods in Software Engineering3
MATH:4060Discrete Mathematical Models3
MATH:4840Mathematics of Machine Learning3

Capstone Course

Students must incorporate aspects of artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, and/or modeling and simulation into their capstone project. Students must submit a written report to the director of the AIMS undergraduate certificate program explaining how they incorporate one or more of these aspects into their capstone project shortly after completion of the course.

Course # Title Hours
One of these:
ME:4086Mechanical Engineering Design Project3
ME:4098Individual Investigations: Mechanical Engineering3
BME:4910Biomedical Engineering Senior Design I4
BME:4920Biomedical Engineering Senior Design II4
CS:5830Software Engineering Project (requires permission of certificate director)3
CS:5990Individualized Research or Programming Project (requires permission of certificate director)1-3