AI Management Professional Certificate
Program Features
At-A-Glance
- Convenient scheduling to support working professionals
- Build confidence in critically evaluating and formulating AI adoption strategies
- Synthesize and apply ethical principles of governance frameworks to organizations
- (Re)position oneself for professional and career advancement through cross-disciplinary knowledge of ethics, technology, and management of AI tools
Overview
The AI Management Professional Development Certificate prepares professionals to lead AI adoption with confidence and impact. Through four focused units, participants gain skills in AI strategy, responsible use, cloud and infrastructure management, and hands-on implementation. The program blends theory and application to develop leaders ready to drive ethical, cost-effective, and innovative AI initiatives in their organizations. The program supports the regional workforce development needs of deepening AI implementation skills.
Audience
The AI Management Professional Development Certificate Program is ideal for those who want to either deepen their AI knowledge or improve it to advance in their professional careers, such as an AI Project Manager, AI Management Consultant, AI Governance & Compliance Officer, AI Analyst, or AI Implementation Specialist.
The four-course program (3-required plus 1-elective course) blends theory and application to foster leaders ready to drive ethical, cost-effective, and innovative AI initiatives in their organizations.
Why This Certificate Program?
- Transformative AI Cost Management: Equips professionals to align machine learning capabilities with organizational goals & ROI.
- Managing AI Lifecycles: Identifies project barriers & explains how to manage & overcome them to maximize value creation as the primary goal.
- Implementation & Responsible Use: Prepares professionals to govern confidently in overseeing compliance, reducing bias & deploying AI ethically.
Format
Offered each fall, spring, and summer, the sessions consist of four 10-hour training courses on key AI implementation skills, equaling 4.0 CEUs.
Courses are offered using a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction delivered online. Each course meets once per week for four weeks total.
Course Offerings
Required Courses (three)
AIM 101: AI Overview: Architecture & Strategy
This course introduces Artificial Intelligence (AI) from both business and systems perspectives, emphasizing architecture and strategy for real-world deployment. Students will explore the fundamentals of AI, its disruptive impact on organizations, and its business architecture. The focus then shifts to AI systems architecture and the underlying principles, including data conditioning, machine learning, modern computing, human-machine teaming, and AI vulnerability and mitigation. The course also covers the AI Strategic Development Model, guiding students in creating well-grounded implementation roadmaps. It concludes with a case study that enables participants to apply their newly acquired knowledge to practical, real-world scenarios.
AIM 102: AI Responsible Use
This course explores the concept of responsible AI, encompassing ethical, legal, social, and technical dimensions. Students will learn to navigate the complexities of AI development, deployment, and use, considering issues such as bias, fairness, transparency, accountability, and the potential impact on individuals and society. Students will develop an understanding of responsible AI principles and practices, preparing them to contribute to the ethical and beneficial use of AI in various domains.
AIM 103: Cloud & AI Infrastructure Management
This course examines the popular cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Participants will learn the infrastructure requirements for powerful AI models on the cloud, the use of cloud platforms to build/train/deploy powerful AI models, and security/governance best practices for cloud-based AI models. The course equips professionals with practical tools and hands-on skills to build cloud-based AI models to solve business problems.
Elective Courses (one only)
AIM 104: AI Implementation
This course provides a practical and hands-on introduction to implementing AI systems using an architectural and life-cycle approach. Participants will first review essential frameworks, including the AI Systems Architecture, Implementation Framework, and System Readiness Levels, before engaging in a series of guided labs that demonstrate how AI technologies are applied in real scenarios. Through no-code exercises in data conditioning, ML training, natural language processing, chatbot building, and automation adoption, learners will build and evaluate functional AI components. The course concludes with strategies for testing, monitoring, and sustaining AI systems in operational environments.
AIM 105: Human Centric AI Management
This course explores the concept of human-centric AI management, with a focus on how emerging AI technologies transform performance, decision-making, and creativity. Students will gain knowledge about frameworks for analyzing employeeโAI interaction. Students will also develop practical insights into crafting jobs, developing self-regulation strategies, motivating teams, managing change, and strengthening emotionally intelligent leadership in environments where AI and human work intersect. The course guides students on how to pursue human-focused management practices that can harness AI systems to augment employeesโ performance.
AIM 106: AI & Data Privacy
This course examines the threats, vulnerabilities, and organizational risks that emerge when AI is used improperly or in violation of privacy standards. Participants will analyze real-world cases of AI misuse, explore regulatory frameworks, and identify high-risk practices. The course equips professionals with practical tools to assess compliance, mitigate data risks, and implement safeguards that balance innovation with privacy, trust, and accountability.
AIM 107: Vibe Coding: Agentic Code Generation w/ AI
This course teaches students to design and operate an AI coding agent that writes code and creates applications from user prompts, evaluates its outputs, and improves via iterative feedback. Building on recent developments in vibe coding and agentic AI, learners will practice prompt-to-code workflows, automated testing, and safe execution. Emphasis is placed on reliability, safety, and collaboration between human reviewers and intelligent code-generation systems.
AIM 108: Managing Organizational & Workforce Accountability using AI
This course focuses on the management of stakeholder and workforce accountability within the context of organization-wide artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. The emphasis will be on social, cognitive, and ethical consequences on an organizationโs value offerings and responsiveness to stakeholders mediated by AI adoption and workforce performance associated with AI competencies. The emphasis will also be on balancing stakeholder accountability, employee job performance and career development practices with AI tools. Coursework will include foundational research, best practices, case studies, simulations, discussions, and project work.
AIM 109: Future Strategies in Data Monetization
This course examines how organizations create value from data amid rapid advances in AI. Participants will explore emerging models for data access, sharing, and licensing for model training, along with evolving economic and ethical considerations. Through case studies and strategic analysis, the course highlights how data monetization strategies are likely to evolve as AI, regulation, and governance mature.
AIM 110: AI Policy Development & Governance Design
This course equips participants with practical knowledge and frameworks to develop, implement, and govern AI policy in public-sector and enterprise settings. Drawing on CDTโs policy development approachesโstrategy, standards, and oversightโparticipants will learn how to frame AI governance challenges, craft policy instruments, and design accountability mechanisms. Through case studies, interactive exercises, and group work, attendees will explore ethical, legal, operational, and technical dimensions of AI deployment and build ready-to-use governance tools for their organizations.
Professionals may opt to take only individual courses, depending on their interests.
Costs
Each course is $600 per CEU, for a total of $2,400 for the full program.
No textbooks are required, but each course will have recommended readings.
Since this is a certificate program, financial aid is not available.
Application Fee
A $30 non-refundable processing fee, payable upon formal admission to the program, is required. Admitted students will be given instructions on how to pay the fee.
Since this is a certificate program, financial aid is not available.
How to Register
Basic Requirements
The program is not cohort-based; applicants can apply to individual courses or the whole program.
It is recommended that students have some professional work experience, a reasonable level of AI literacy, and a technical background.
Students must have access to a computer, a high-speed Internet connection, speakers/headphones, and a microphone.
What Professionals Say about the Program
I see it firsthand every day: AI proficiency has become one of the most important qualifications in todayโs IT consulting market. Whether professionals are writing code, designing secure cloud infrastructure, analyzing data, or leading complex technology projects, they must know how to collaborate effectively with AI tools and agents to improve quality, speed, decision-making, and innovation. Sacramento Stateโs AI Management Certificate will help develop the practical, responsible, and strategic AI capabilities our regional workforce needs to remain competitive. โ Rafael Estrada, President of Estrada Consulting Firm
Artificial Intelligence technology isnโt coming; itโs here. Responsible use and digital ethics are critical skills for public sector professionals. I am appreciative of the CSUS College of Business for its innovative, inclusive programming that is responsive to the needs of the Sacramento tech community. โ Michael D. Valle, Assistant Director, California Department of Health Care Access & Information
Artificial Intelligence is transforming every industry, and organizations need leaders who can move beyond experimentation to responsible, strategic adoption. The professionals who understand how to align AI with business goals, govern its use, and implement it effectively will help shape the future of their organizations. This certificate program provides the knowledge and practical skills to lead that transformation with confidence. โ Darin Arcolino, Chief Information Officer, City of Sacramento
As Chief of AI at the Employment Development Department, Iโm pleased to support Sacramento Stateโs AI Management Professional Development Certificate. California organizations need leaders who can guide AI adoption with clarity, responsibility, and technical awareness. This program delivers the practical, strategic, and handsโon training professionals need to move from experimenting with AI to implementing it effectively. Itโs a timely and valuable resource for anyone leading AI initiatives in the public or private sector. โ Carl Broussard, Chief, Enterprise Architecture & AI Group, Technology Governance Division, Information Technology Branch