The free AI and Career Empowerment Certificate is offered by the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Business and the Office of Executive Education at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland. Image: Postmodern Studio/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business will launch a free certificate program in Artificial Intelligence and Career Empowerment on May 1, 2025. Participants will learn foundational AI literacy, why and how AI solutions are being built in business, and how AI is shaping career opportunities across functional areas in business.
They will gain actionable strategies for career transition, job searching, and pursuing AI-related job opportunities. While the online certificate will be completely free and open to all interested individuals, the program was specifically created to benefit those transitioning from federal civil service.
The Smith School has been proud to educate business-minded professionals in and around our federal workforce for more than a century. Accompanying them through challenges and preparing them for new opportunities is core to the school’s mission.
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.
“We are deeply grateful to our ten world-class faculty for creating high-impact content that builds AI literacy and prepares the workforce for the future. Their work is key to enhancing employability and driving economic growth in Maryland and the region—reflecting our deep commitment to developing a future-ready workforce,” says Dean Prabhudev C. Konana.
AI and Career Empowerment Certificate
The free AI and Career Empowerment Certificate is offered by the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Business and the Office of Executive Education at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland. The program consists of 10 self-paced modules taught by full-time business school faculty, with interviews from industry experts including Chief AI Officers from leading institutions. Smith School career experts will also offer advice on career transitions.
Modules include:
- AI Literacy, Capabilities, and Building AI Systems
- AI & the Marketing Revolution
- How organizations are being transformed by AI
- Supply Chain Opportunities for AI
- AI in Financial Services
- Being Responsible with AI
- Job Search in AI (and in the Age of AI)
- Negotiating from a position of weakness
- Starting your own consulting practice and where the AI opportunities may be
Participants may register beginning on April 8, 2025. Go to the program homepage.
Tuition Reductions for Graduate and Executive Programs
For nearly a decade the Smith School has offered a 30 percent tuition discount to federal civil service employees (FedGrant). In light of the considerable changes projected for this workforce and sector, any applicant employed within the U.S. federal civil service at the start of 2025, regardless of their federal employment status at the time of admission, will qualify for a 30 percent tuition discount for the first year of courses in any eligible graduate business degree program, or an equivalent scholarship.
Eligible programs include STEM-designated master’s degrees in:
- Accounting
- Business Analytics (online and in-person options)
- Finance
- Information Systems
- Management Studies (online and in-person options)
- Marketing Analytics
- Quantitative Finance
- Supply Chain Management
Eligibility also extends to these STEM-designated MBA Programs:
- Full-Time MBA
- Flex MBA
- Online MBA
- Executive MBA program
A 30 percent discount also applies for any existing executive education training course or workshop (in-person or virtual)
Additionally, any alum of the University of Maryland, College Park, who was terminated or retired from federal civil service in 2025 will qualify for complimentary enrollment in any Smith School self-paced online professional certificate program.
These include:
- Foundations of Business
- AI for Business Leaders
- Climate Finance and Risk Management
- Python Programming for Business
- Technology Leadership and Governance
For more information, go to Smith Executive Education’s Learning Opportunities for Individuals homepage.
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See also,
How Do Age and Years of Service Impact My Federal Retirement
The Best Ages for Federal Employees to Retire
FERS Retirement Guide 2025 – Your Roadmap to Maximizing Federal Retirement Benefits
