The Fundamentals of Deep Learning course will be taught by an NVIDIA instructor in Malaga, Spain
Fort Collins, CO – With nine in ten U.S. employers recently saying they are “more likely to hire candidates with GenAI micro-credentials over those without,” Semester at Sea will offer voyagers on our Fall 2025 voyage the opportunity to earn just such a credential from one of the world’s leading AI companies – and for free.
The day-long course, Fundamentals of Deep Learning, will introduce students to the techniques and tools required to train a deep learning model. It is part of NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Institute (DLI) and taught in person by certified NVIDIA Instructor Manuel Ujaldó, a professor of computer architecture at the University of Malaga (Spain), NVIDIA has waived their normal $500 course fee and students who successfully complete the course and exam will earn a DLI certificate in the Fundamentals of Deep Learning.
Scott Marshall, ISE’s President and CEO, says students who earn the certificate will show they are “not just conversant in AI, but understand some of its fundamental principles.” In keeping with the Semester at Sea mission, “our hope is that our students are thinking about how to use AI not only for professional gain, but to unlock solutions to persistent and emerging global challenges.”
“The professional world is looking for people who not only use AI as a research or writing tool, but understand its transformational capabilities,” said Marshall. “Working with an NVIDIA DLI instructor on NVIDIA software, students in this cohort will be uniquely well suited to meet that need.”
Fundamentals of Deep Learning will be offered in person on our first day in Malaga, Spain, on Monday, Sept. 22, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Although a beginner course, students will need familiarity with Python coding language in order to complete the coursework. Students will be invited to apply and offered preparatory resources on Python if interested in participating.
Spain will be the second of 10 countries on Semester at Sea’s Fall 2025 voyage, which embarks on Sept. 9 in the Netherlands and will complete its voyage, Semester at Sea’s 136th, on Dec. 22, in Bangkok, Thailand. Our program takes 500 college students to 10 countries on three to four continents each fall and spring semester.
For the third straight semester, Semester at Sea will also offer up to 30 voyagers on the Fall 2025 Voyage the opportunity to earn Soliya’s United Nations-backed Dialogue Facilitation Training.
Employers are anxious to find workers with the skills and knowledge to help put AI tools to profitable use. In the 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report by Microsoft and LinkedIn, 66 percent of hiring managers said they won’t hire employees who lack AI skills. And last year, a survey from the Cengage Group found that 69 percent of workers want training on how to use AI in their current roles.
The Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE) is a 501c3 nonprofit based in Fort Collins, Colorado that administers the Semester at Sea study abroad program in conjunction with Colorado State University.
About ISE | Semester at Sea
With the world as our campus, our programs integrate multiple-country study, interdisciplinary coursework, and experiential learning for meaningful engagement in the global community.
ISE is an internationally recognized leader in educating global citizens who engage in comparative learning experiences and positively impact our interdependent world. Since 1963, more than 73,000 individuals from 1,700 institutions have traveled to over 60 countries on Semester at Sea and its predecessor programs.
