IIT Hyderabad launches new certification programme to advance applied AI skills

With Artificial Intelligence (AI) rapidly becoming an integral part of the modern workplace, professionals are increasingly seeking skills that go beyond the use of AI tools to include the design, development and deployment of real-world AI applications. Addressing this growing demand, the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT Hyderabad) has launched the Applied AI Professional Certification Program – September Cohort 2026.

The four-week programme, beginning September 19, 2026, is designed for working professionals who want to gain practical knowledge of how reliable AI applications and agent systems are engineered for real-world deployment. The programme will focus on the design, development, evaluation and operation of AI agent systems through a combination of expert-led instruction, guided learning and hands-on project development.

Scheduled from September 19 to October 17, 2026, the programme will be delivered in a hybrid format. Instructor-led sessions will take place on Saturdays, allowing participants to attend either on the IIT Hyderabad campus or online. During the intervening weeks, participants will undertake guided online learning, practical assignments and project development, supported by mentors. The programme follows a continuous “learn, apply and build” approach, integrating classroom learning with practical implementation. Instead of treating lectures and hands-on activities as separate components, participants will progressively develop a single production-style AI agent application throughout the four weeks.

The programme will cover key engineering concepts and practices required to build dependable AI agent systems. These include tool use, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), memory, orchestration, multi-agent systems, evaluation, observability, guardrails and deployment. Participants will apply these concepts progressively to their projects, helping them gain an understanding of the complete lifecycle of developing and operating AI agent applications.

The programme will conclude with project demonstrations and presentations, providing participants an opportunity to showcase their work and receive feedbacak.

The lectures will be delivered by Dr. Praveen Tammana, Dr. Ashish Mishra and Dr. Anupam Sanghi, faculty members of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Hyderabad, along with N. V. S. S. Koundinya, AI Solution Architect. The certification programme is aimed at professionals and organisations looking to strengthen their capabilities in applied AI and AI engineering. Participants will benefit from faculty-led learning at IIT Hyderabad while gaining practical experience through continuous project development and mentorship.

Participants who successfully complete the prescribed assignments, assessments and other programme requirements will be awarded an IIT Hyderabad Professional Certificate.

Registrations open

Registrations for the September 2026 cohort are currently open. Professionals and organisations interested in individual or group participation can access information on the programme schedule, eligibility criteria and registration process through the programme website. For further details, interested participants can visit the IIT Hyderabad Applied AI programme website.

About the programme

The Applied AI Professional Certification Program is a four-week professional learning initiative focused on the engineering of AI agent systems. It combines instructor-led sessions, hands-on labs, guided online learning, mentoring and continuous project development, enabling participants to build one connected AI application while learning modern practices in AI engineering, evaluation, observability, safety and deployment.

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The Hans India