Starting this fall, Mississippi State University will offer artificial intelligence as a focus at the graduate level. Aiming to prepare students for in-demand jobs, the university’s new master’s degree program builds on recent initiatives to expand AI competency and fill workforce needs locally and nationwide, Andy Perkins, interim head of the Department of Computer Science, said in a recent news release.

With classes available in person and online, the master’s curriculum includes foundational AI and machine learning courses as well as electives covering computing theory, legal and ethical issues and applications in different areas. There is also an optional thesis for students interested in research.

“Our faculty bring a wealth of experience to the program, including specializing in fundamental AI research and applying AI methods in areas such as robotics, cybersecurity, bioinformatics and agriculture,” Perkins said in a public statement.

The master’s program comes alongside a wave of investments in AI education at Mississippi State. In fall 2024, the university launched a bachelor’s degree in AI, focused on machine learning, neural networks and natural language processing. The university also offers a concentration for computer science students to learn about AI without pursuing a degree.

In November 2024, Mississippi State earned a three-year, $1.2 million National Science Foundation grant to teach K-12 students and teachers how to train AI to classify and analyze images, eventually working with 15 teachers and 60 students in an extracurricular program culminating in creating and presenting their own smart device.

“Most AI projects for K-12 students focus on AI concepts, but ours is unique because we want students not just to be consumers of AI but creators of intelligent solutions and contributors of AI fairness,” Yan Sun, a professor heading the program, said in a public statement.

In addition, the university received a $2.2 million grant last month to support AI and machine learning workforce and research initiatives, including new faculty and development of a graduate certificate in data center construction management. Mississippi State was one of seven higher education institutions included in the statewide Mississippi AI Talent Accelerator Program grants.

“We are dedicated to providing practical experience that allows our students to apply AI methods in real-world contexts,” Perkins said in a public statement. “By equipping our graduates with the latest knowledge in AI technology and preparing them for the evolution of this field, we are confident they will emerge as leaders in the industry.”

Equipped with a starter robot hardware kit and cutting-edge lessons in artificial intelligence, students in CS 123: A Hands-On Introduction to Building AI-Enabled Robots are mastering the full spectrum of robotics – from motor control to machine learning. Now in its third year, the course has students build and enhance an adorable quadruped robot, Pupper, programming it to walk, navigate, respond to human commands, and perform a specialized task that they showcase in their final presentations.

The course, which evolved from an independent study project led by Stanford’s robotics club, is now taught by Karen Liu, professor of computer science in the School of Engineering, in addition to Jie Tan from Google DeepMind and Stuart Bowers from Apple and Hands-On Robotics. Throughout the 10-week course, students delve into core robotics concepts, such as movement and motor control, while connecting them to advanced AI topics.

“We believe that the best way to help and inspire students to become robotics experts is to have them build a robot from scratch,” Liu said. “That’s why we use this specific quadruped design. It’s the perfect introductory platform for beginners to dive into robotics, yet powerful enough to support the development of cutting-edge AI algorithms.”

What makes the course especially approachable is its low barrier to entry – students need only basic programming skills to get started. From there, the students build up the knowledge and confidence to tackle complex robotics and AI challenges.

Robot creation goes mainstream

Pupper evolved from Doggo, built by the Stanford Student Robotics club to offer people a way to create and design a four-legged robot on a budget. When the team saw the cute quadruped’s potential to make robotics both approachable and fun, they pitched the idea to Bowers, hoping to turn their passion project into a hands-on course for future roboticists.

“We wanted students who were still early enough in their education to explore and experience what we felt like the future of AI robotics was going to be,” Bowers said.

This current version of Pupper is more powerful and refined than its predecessors. It’s also irresistibly adorable and easier than ever for students to build and interact with.

“We’ve come a long way in making the hardware better and more capable,” said Ankush Kundan Dhawan, one of the first students to take the Pupper course in the fall of 2021 before becoming its head teaching assistant. “What really stuck with me was the passion that instructors had to help students get hands-on with real robots. That kind of dedication is very powerful.”

Code come to life

Building a Pupper from a starter hardware kit blends different types of engineering, including electrical work, hardware construction, coding, and machine learning. Some students even produced custom parts for their final Pupper projects. The course pairs weekly lectures with hands-on labs. Lab titles like Wiggle Your Big Toe and Do What I Say keep things playful while building real skills.

CS 123 students ready to show off their Pupper’s tricks. | Harry Gregory

Over the initial five weeks, students are taught the basics of robotics, including how motors work and how robots can move. In the next phase of the course, students add a layer of sophistication with AI. Using neural networks to improve how the robot walks, sees, and responds to the environment, they get a glimpse of state-of-the-art robotics in action. Many students also use AI in other ways for their final projects.

“We want them to actually train a neural network and control it,” Bowers said. “We want to see this code come to life.”

By the end of the quarter this spring, students were ready for their capstone project, called the “Dog and Pony Show,” where guests from NVIDIA and Google were present. Six teams had Pupper perform creative tasks – including navigating a maze and fighting a (pretend) fire with a water pick – surrounded by the best minds in the industry.

“At this point, students know all the essential foundations – locomotion, computer vision, language – and they can start combining them and developing state-of-the-art physical intelligence on Pupper,” Liu said.

“This course gives them an overview of all the key pieces,” said Tan. “By the end of the quarter, the Pupper that each student team builds and programs from scratch mirrors the technology used by cutting-edge research labs and industry teams today.”

All ready for the robotics boom

The instructors believe the field of AI robotics is still gaining momentum, and they’ve made sure the course stays current by integrating new lessons and technology advances nearly every quarter.

This Pupper was mounted with a small water jet to put out a pretend fire. | Harry Gregory

Students have responded to the course with resounding enthusiasm and the instructors expect interest in robotics – at Stanford and in general – will continue to grow. They hope to be able to expand the course, and that the community they’ve fostered through CS 123 can contribute to this engaging and important discipline.

“The hope is that many CS 123 students will be inspired to become future innovators and leaders in this exciting, ever-changing field,” said Tan.

“We strongly believe that now is the time to make the integration of AI and robotics accessible to more students,” Bowers said. “And that effort starts here at Stanford and we hope to see it grow beyond campus, too.”