Level:
Beginner
Duration:
5 days (every morning from Sunday to Thursday)
Application Announcement
The registration will open soon!
Eligible candidates will be invited to the placement test.
To be eligible for the placement test, the candidate must be enrolled in the KAUST Academy/Coursera program within 3 days of receiving Coursera invitation and then complete the required pre-requisite courses within the recommended period, otherwise the Coursera subscription will be revoked and passed on to other applicants on the waiting list.
Requirements
1- You must be a university student currently enrolled in a university, or recently graduated within two years.
2- The accepted applicants’ age range is between 18 and 30, inclusive.
3- You must complete the prerequisite courses on Coursera.
4- Passing the assessments at each stage. Top qualified students will be invited to the next stage.
*Compulsory Step
Prerequisite Core Courses
To qualify for the Artificial Intelligence Specialization Program, you’ll need to sign up for Coursera within 5 days of receiving the invitation link at your registered email address, and then successfully complete one of two tracks to be eligible to take part in the placement test:
Prerequisite Courses of Artificial Intelligence – Python Basics
Prerequisite Courses of Artificial Intelligence – Mathematics
Students with top scores in the placement test will receive invitation for (Introduction to AI) to join a one week in person training during university breaks. At the end of the course, students with top performance will be invited to another one week in person training (Advanced AI) and take an exam at the end of the course as well.
The top qualified students will receive invitation to participate in a variety of KAUST Academy Summer Programs at elite partners institutions in KSA and/or abroad including Summer School, Internships, and Research Programs.
Students who will not be selected after passing the placement test in December, will still have access to over 200 courses, specializations, guided projects and more on Coursera until August 2026. They will be eligible to receive a free certificate for each achievement on Coursera during that period.
Theoretical part:
- Skills in applying maritime security regulations and procedures in accordance with established standards
- Knowledge of how to document and report maritime incidents following official protocols.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with security teams and coast guard forces to ensure maritime security.
- Commitment to integrity and adherence to the highest standards of professional ethics in maritime security.
- Capability to conduct inspection patrols to maintain security in maritime areas
Practical Training:
- Hands-on training at the maritime dock.
- Exercises and simulations of responsibilities during maritime patrols.
- Practical training on safety procedures at the maritime dock.
- Exercises and simulations of responsibilities in the maritime security control and monitoring room.
Skills you’ll gain
Maritime Patrol Operations
Incident Management at Sea
Application of Maritime Security Regulations
Coordination with Maritime Security Forces
Ethical Conduct in Maritime Security
Course Agenda
Daily Schedule
Module 1
Introduction to Maritime Security
Duration:
09:00-12:00
Module 2
Understanding the roles and responsibilities of maritime security personnel
Duration:
13:00-15:00
Module 1
Maritime security regulations
Duration:
09:00-12:00
Module 1
Ensuring compliance with international maritime laws
Duration:
09:00-12:00
Module 1
Port and vessel security management
Duration:
09:00-12:00
Module 1
Incident reporting and documentation
Duration:
09:00-12:00
Module 1 : Hands-on Introduction to Linux Commands and Shell Scripting
Module 2 : Hands-on Introduction to Linux Commands and Shell Scripting
Module 1 : Introduction to Maritime Security
Duration:
09:00-12:00
During university breaks 2025/2026
Module 2 : Understanding the roles and responsibilities of maritime security personnel
Duration:
09:00-12:00
Recommended Agenda for Stage 1
Below you can find a recommended agenda to complete the pre-requisite courses to be invited to the placement test and advance in the program.
Professor’s Take on the Course
“Artificial intelligence isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the cornerstone of our future. The potential for AI to revolutionize industries, drive economic growth, and enhance the quality of life is unparalleled. At the AI Initiative, we are committed to bringing the best research, facilities, and products to the Kingdom. Our collaborations with global leaders and institutions ensure that we remain at the forefront of AI research and development.
Our mission isn’t just about technology; it’s about nurturing local talent to sustain our progress. We are partnering with KAUST Academy in providing programs that are meticulously crafted to educate and empower Saudi students with the skills needed to not only keep up with the rapid advancements in AI but to drive innovation themselves. By fostering a vibrant AI ecosystem, we’re ensuring that the Kingdom remains a frontrunner in the AI race”
Professor Bernard Ghanem
Chair of KAUST Center of Excellence on Generative AI (GenAI)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who can apply for this program?
Saudi students and recent graduates in Saudi universities majoring in science and/or technology relevant fields.
How do I start this program?
By signing up and completing the prerequisite (online) courses via Coursera.
Is there a tuition fee for the KAUST Academy Specializations Program?
The program is currently offered with a full scholarship for talented students at all Saudi universities.
Is this training program for technical professionals?
No, this training program is catered to Saudi students and recent graduates in Saudi universities to well prepare them for the ideal career opportunities in the Kingdom and/or abroad.
Will I be able to apply AI concepts in real-world scenarios after this course?
Absolutely. The course emphasizes practical programming and covers foundational concepts that are applicable to real-world AI solutions.
How much time should I dedicate to the course each day?
(Stage one) Prerequisite online course is self-paced, suggested completion time is 3 to 5 weeks.
(Stages 2, 3, and 4) Introduction, Advanced, and Summer Program) are full day in-person training and instructor-paced. They will will take place during university breaks.
How do I get invited to the placement test in stage one?
To qualify for the placement test, you are required to successfully complete only the pre-requisite course(s) which are auto-enrolled to your access upon joining Coursera.
Will I receive a certificate upon completion?
Yes, participants who successfully complete the online course(s) and/or the in-person courses will receive a certificate of completion to showcase their newfound knowledge and skills at each stage.
How do I qualify for the in-person training and reach the fourth stage (summer program)?
The program consists of four stages with assessment after each stage to get qualified to the following one. Top performing students will be selected to advance further until they successfully reach the summer program.
How could I benefit from this training program if I could not get selected to the in-person course?
Students who successfully complete the pre-requisite courses on Coursera will be already benefited from this program even if they do not get selected to the second stage.
Do not forget that you have free access to over 200 courses, specialization, guided projects, and more through the KAUST Academy/Coursera license.
We strongly recommend that you enroll, complete and earn free certificates for as many courses as you like, during the entire period of the program.
What will the placement exam look like ?
- Question: In Python, if you create a new list b as a clone of list a using slicing (b = a[:]), which of the following statements is true?
- a and b are the same list, and any modification to a will also reflect in b.
- a and b are different lists, but they share the same memory address.
- a and b are different lists, and modifications to b do not affect a.
- a and b are different lists, but modifications to a will still affect b.
Answer: C
- Question: The Hessian matrix of a function f(x, y) is a matrix of:
- First partial derivatives of f with respect to x and y
- Second partial derivatives of f with respect to x and y
- Mixed partial derivatives of f with respect to x and y only
- Derivatives of f with respect to time
Answer: B
- Question: Which line correctly writes a list athlete = [“John”, 28, “Basketball”] as a CSV row?
- write(“,”.join(athlete) + “\n”)
- write(“,”.join([str(item) for item in athlete]) + “\n”)
- write(“Name, Age, Sport\n” + athlete + “\n”)
- writelines(“,”.join(athlete))
Answer: B
- Question: If class Dog inherits from class Animal, which of the following statements is true?
- Dog can access all methods and attributes of Animal.
- Animal can access all methods and attributes of Dog.
- Instances of Animal can call methods defined only in Dog.
- Dog and Animal have no relationship unless explicitly specified in each method.
Answer: A
- Question: If the correlation coefficient between two variables X and Y is -0.85, which of the following is true?
- X and Y have a strong positive relationship.
- X and Y have a weak negative relationship.
- X and Y have a strong negative relationship.
- There is no relationship between X and Y.
Answer: C
- Question: Given two lists, names = [“Alice”, “Bob”, “Charlie”] and ages = [25, 30], what will list(zip(names, ages)) return?
- [(“Alice”, 25), (“Bob”, 30), (“Charlie”, None)]
- [(“Alice”, 25), (“Bob”, 30), (“Charlie”, 0)]
- [(“Alice”, 25), (“Bob”, 30)]
- [(“Alice”, 25), (“Bob”, 30), (“Charlie”, “Unknown”)]
Answer: C, Explanation: zip stops at the shortest list, so “Charlie” is ignored.
- Question: Which feature scaling method is equivalent to calculating the z-score (standardizing to have mean 0 and standard deviation 1)?
- Min-max scaling
- Robust scaling
- Standard scaling
- None of the above
Answer: C
- Question: Why is the characteristic equation of a matrix important in linear algebra?
- It determines if a matrix is invertible.
- It is used to calculate the eigenvalues of the matrix.
- It finds the trace of the matrix.
- It checks if the matrix is symmetric.
Answer: B
- Question: You have a DataFrame df with columns [‘Category’, ‘Sales’]. Which command will give the average Sales for each unique Category?
- groupby(‘Category’).mean()
- groupby(‘Category’)[‘Sales’].mean()
- groupby(‘Category’)[‘Sales’].average()
- groupby(‘Category’).count()
Answer: B
