Maryland university system partners with Google to create certifications and AI training for students

By Victoria Rivera, Staff Writer

The University System of Maryland announced a partnership with Google this June offering Google Career Certificates and artificial intelligence courses to all 12 of the system’s member institutions. Students at the 12 universities, including Towson University, can take the courses at no cost. 

Google Career Certificates are designed to prepare students for the job force through hands-on projects, personalized coaching, mock interviews and resume building assistance. These certificates also put students in contact with employers looking for graduates from Google Career Certificates. 

“Balancing out having a rich, you know, sort of foundational undergraduate degree plus these kind of specialized skills, I think, is really the kind of best package for someone to take forward,” Nancy O’Neill, the executive director of the William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation at the USM, said.

Certificates are focused on the progression of fast-growing fields like cybersecurity, data analytics and project management. They’re designed by experts of their fields, teaching skills related to advanced AI technology. 

“The ability to communicate, not only that you have skills, but there is some evidence of that skill based on this, you know, kind of industry or external certification is a great help,” Lorie Logan-Bennett, assistant vice president of Career Services at the Towson Career Center, said. 

Towson currently offers 23 online graduate certificates, but Google Career Certificates offer a different approach to graduate programs as students can take these programs with no experience required. The Google programs can be completed in three to six months of part time study, fully online. 

The rapid growth of AI technology has made an impression in the workplace, which made it important to implement practical AI training into the certificates.

“I don’t think there is a single answer as to why it can be valuable other than it’s out in the world, employers are asking for it, and it’s probably helpful for students to gain an understanding of how, where, why, when it’s being utilized,” Logan-Bennett said. “And being prepared to utilize it, again, in those ethical ways as they head into a job.” 

The certificates at Towson are a part of a pilot program where they are implemented into courses and clubs. Over the summer nearly 100 students earned certifications in areas like cybersecurity, IT Support, UX Design and Project Management. 

“This academic year we plan to expand the program further, allowing for more non-CIS department students to earn technical credentials that have been shown via research to increase a graduate’s earning potential 30%-40% when compared to their peers who only graduate with a degree and no additional credential,” Willie Sanders Jr., associate director of Center for Innovative & Interdisciplinary Cyber Security, said.