Machine Learning Master’s Program Adapts to Meet Industry Needs

Duke Engineering has fully redesigned the curriculum of its machine learning (ML) master’s program to keep pace with the field’s rapid advancements and prepare students to immediately dive into high-impact industry roles after they graduate.

Beginning in the fall of 2025, students in the ML and Big Data study track within the Master of Science (MS) and Master of Engineering (MEng) in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) degrees will have new educational options to meet the current and evolving needs of the industry.

“Our new study track in machine learning and big data is designed not to treat machine learning as an opaque box,” said Javier Pastorino, assistant professor of the practice of ECE and one of the leaders of the curriculum redevelopment. “Our students will understand how the algorithms work under the hood, while also giving them practical experience as preparation for internships and industry.”

In the new curriculum, students will take a programming course (Python or C/C++) in their first semester, in addition to two courses covering the practical use of ML in the real world and the mathematical foundations of ML. In the second semester, the program covers data engineering and the foundations of deep learning, giving students both the technical and theoretical grounding essential for ML expertise. This rigorous foundation enables students to fully dive into the field, equipping them with the practical skills, mathematical understanding and data handling capabilities crucial for tackling complex ML challenges, addressing data science applications and innovating in a rapidly evolving industry. The first-semester course on the real-world use of ML will also include modules on ethics, which stems from the school’s Character Forward initiative that aims to build positive character traits through engineering.

“Notions of ethical AI are integrated into the course to establish a foundation of broadly thinking about how their technology solutions interface with society and how they can be mindful of societal and ethical implications of the technology solutions they create,” said Stacy Tantum, the Bell-Rhodes Associate Professor of the Practice of ECE.

The remaining curriculum consists of electives, which include advanced topics meant to cover the most current trends in the field. Examples of recent advanced topics (ECE 590) include:

• AI Security and Privacy, taught by Emily Wenger, assistant professor of ECE
• Generative AI, taught by Neil Gong, associate professor of ECE
• Neural Network-Based Large Language Models, taught by Lawrence Carin, professor of ECE

The curriculum redesign reflects the ECE department’s ongoing commitment to aligning with industry demands and meeting the urgent need for the next generation of ML-skilled workforce.

“Over the past two to three years, the industry has seen a major shift toward high-demand ML engineering roles,” said Miroslav Pajic, professor of ECE and director of master’s studies. “This has created a pressing need for graduates with strong, practical ML skills to fill these rewarding, high-impact positions. Companies across sectors are actively seeking ML and big data professionals who can drive innovation, making this an ideal time for skilled graduates to step into well-paid roles that offer immense growth opportunities.”

Machine learning and artificial intelligence are more than ChatGPT or buzzwords in the current tech zeitgeist. ML/AI are everywhere; they permeate so many fields and industries today, from housing application predictions to Netflix recommendations to biomedical research that discovers new drug candidates.

“Taking courses is no longer enough,” Pastorino said. “We want to build a program that not only provides the foundations of machine learning and big data but also the ability to learn and adapt to industry needs.”

“We have a state-of-the-art curriculum, led by state-of-the-art faculty, and our students experience Duke life and receive the support of the Duke Engineering community to get them to industry.”