Overview
Folsom Lake College's artificial intelligence (AI) department fosters innovation, meets industry demands, and advances education in a rapidly evolving field. It provides a structured platform for AI. By offering a range of courses, from foundational subjects to advanced topics, the department prepares students with the skills needed to tackle real-world AI challenges. It also promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, ensuring AI professionals understand their work's ethical implications and societal impacts.
Program Maps
Certificates
Certificate of Achievement
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Certificate
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning certificate focuses on building machine learning models that can be used for predicting, making decisions and enhancing human capabilities. The program provides opportunities to develop the necessary skills and basic aptitudes in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning that is required in different fields including the information technology, automotive, healthcare, aerospace, industrial, and manufacturing industries.
Catalog Date: January 1, 2026
| Course Code |
Course Title |
Units |
| AI 300 |
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning |
3 |
| CISP 407 |
Programming in Python |
4 |
| AI 310 |
Machine Learning |
3 |
| AI 312 |
Natural Language Processing I |
3 |
| AI 314 |
Computer Vision I |
3 |
| Total Units: |
|
16 |
Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:
- explain how artificial intelligence and machine learning is useful in business or career.
- apply common artificial intelligence (AI) concepts and methodologies.
- utilize methods of machine learning and deep learning to build and run analytical models.
- explain how to use existing artificial intelligence and machine learning programming libraries on a data set to create a valid model that justifies their design decisions.
Artificial intelligence programmer, machine learning engineer, data scientist, and business intelligence developer are possible job opportunities.
The program provides the industry professional with the knowledge and skills used in a variety of fields using artificial intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Courses
AI 299 Experimental Offering in Artificial Intelligence
- Units:0.5 - 4
- Prerequisite:None.
- Catalog Date:January 1, 2026
This is the experimental courses description.
AI 300 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Units:3
- Hours:54 hours LEC
- Prerequisite:None.
- Transferable:CSU; UC
- Catalog Date:January 1, 2026
This course introduces students to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) basics. It explores AI use cases and applications and explains AI concepts and terms like generative AI (GenAI), deep learning (DL), computer vision, and natural language processing (NLP). Students will also be exposed to various issues and concerns surrounding AI, such as ethics and bias. This course does not require programming. This course is not open to those who have completed CISD 300.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- explain what AI is and give examples of how AI is being used in the world. Have a basic understanding of what is inside AI and identify AI industry relevant applications.
- install Jupyter Notebook, create a notebook, name cells, run cells, create menus, add rich content, export notebooks, and use notebook extensions.
- explain what Machine Learning is and discuss its algorithms, techniques, and functions.
- demonstrate different methods used in creating data visualization using Tableau Public and how to communicate the results derived from the analysis of the data set.
- define deep learning and neural networks. Differentiate between learning and unsupervised learning and reinforcement learning.
- explain AI applications in generative AI, computer vision, and natural language processing, and provide an overview of their techniques and applications and why they are important.
- explain what AI ethics means and how to apply AI Ethics principles such as Human Rights, Bias, Inclusion, Privacy, Explainable AI, and Level of Autonomy.
AI 305 Ethics and Artificial Intelligence
- Units:3
- Hours:54 hours LEC
- Prerequisite:None.
- Transferable:CSU; UC
- Catalog Date:January 1, 2026
This introductory course on Artificial Intelligence (AI) ethics provides a comprehensive overview of ethical considerations in the domain of artificial intelligence. The course covers principles of AI ethics, strategies to foster fair and equitable AI systems, approaches to minimize biases, and methods to address key issues and establish user trust.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- describe different principles of ethical AI. These principles include but are not limited to human-centered AI, ensuring transparency, fairness, autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, privacy, etc.
- gain an understanding of human nature towards morality and ethical issues.
- examine common ethical pitfalls of AI and explore ways to avoid them.
- explain different approaches for designing ethical AI.
AI 310 Machine Learning
- Units:3
- Hours:54 hours LEC
- Prerequisite:AI 300 with a grade of "C" or better
- Transferable:CSU; UC
- Catalog Date:January 1, 2026
This course introduces Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL), focusing on their differences, mathematical foundations, and practical applications. Students will build classification, regression, and reinforcement learning models while exploring AI project structuring and emerging technologies. This course is not open to those who have completed CISD 307.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- distinguish between Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL).
- summarize and implement the mathematics behind the workings of AI using Python.
- implement different classification and regression ML models using Python.
- describe the mathematics behind the workings of a recommendation system.
- examine the working of different reinforcement learning models with the help of applications.
- students will be able to name and utilize an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to solve a problem.
- outline different methods to overcome variance and bias in DL models.
- implement supervised DL models on the given datasets.
- structure the DL project according to the AI project cycle.
- attribute the efficiency of ML and DL models to the various emerging technologies.
AI 312 Natural Language Processing I
- Units:3
- Hours:54 hours LEC
- Prerequisite:AI 300 with a grade of "C" or better
- Transferable:CSU; UC
- Catalog Date:January 1, 2026
This course introduces students to the basics of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and how to give the ability of a computer program to understand human language as it is spoken and written, referred to as natural language. It is a component of artificial intelligence (AI). This course is not open to those who have completed CISD 410.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- students will be able to understand the basics of Natural Language Processing (NLP), types of NLP sets, and the process of data acquisition.
- students will be able to apply the steps involved in data curation process and understand data curation tools.
- students will understand the importance of data visualization in NLP and how to apply the data visualization techniques.
- students will be able to explore the working of popular text vectorisation methods and compare various vectorization techniques.
- students will be able to explore and apply the methods of document similarity and vector visualization using various distance measurement techniques.
- students will be able to describe and apply NLP classifiers to train machine learning models.
- students will be able to define Chatbots working, types and applications.
AI 314 Computer Vision I
- Units:3
- Hours:54 hours LEC
- Prerequisite:AI 300 with a grade of "C" or better
- Transferable:CSU; UC
- Catalog Date:January 1, 2026
This course introduces students to the basics of Computer Vision (CV) which is a subset of Artificial Intelligence that train computers to automatically process, extract and manipulate visual data from images and videos. This course is not open to those who have completed CISD 412.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- understand the basics of Computer Vision (CV), types, and the theory behind it.
- understand Data Acquisition for Computer Vision.
- understand Data Exploration.
- understand the basics of OpenCV, applications, functions, and implementation.
- learn about Computer Vision application, facial recognition and object detection.
AI 499 Experimental Offering in Artificial Intelligence
- Units:0.5 - 4
- Prerequisite:None.
- Catalog Date:January 1, 2026
This is the experimental courses description.
Faculty