Agentic AI is changing how professionals and teams think about work, automation and human–AI collaboration, moving us from tools that simply answer prompts to systems that can share in planning, execution and decision-making. This course guides you through that transition, from generative AI to agentic AI: systems that plan steps, call tools, interact with applications and carry out complex tasks with varying degrees of autonomy.
This is an official Harvard Online course, featuring faculty from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and delivered on Harvard Online's learning platform. IPMC International handles your registration, payment and local support, then enrols you on the course. The format is self-guided within a scheduled cohort, and the Certificate of Completion is issued by Harvard Online.
The course builds three connected sets of skills:
The programme demystifies the shift from generative AI to autonomous agentic systems through expert insights and real-world examples, taught across four modules. There are no prerequisites.
Develop fluency in the fundamental concepts behind large language models, recognise their probabilistic nature and how it leads to variable outputs, and explore the LLM training lifecycle.
Score your own workplace pain points on iteration, information density and logic, then define the "trigger event", the tool access needed and the success metrics for a hypothetical agentic system.
Recognise the risk of "brittleness" and how agents fail on novel, out-of-distribution events, understand prompt injection and how malicious instructions can override safety guardrails, and evaluate the biases present in AI systems.
Explore critical thinking and how to preserve essential human skills and expertise, and prepare for a shift from technical execution towards strategic orchestration.
Hanspeter Pfister: Your instructor. An Wang Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, whose work spans visualisation, computer graphics and machine learning. Affiliations are listed for identification purposes only.
This course suits professionals and leaders across technology, financial services, consumer products, marketing and beyond who want to understand agentic AI and use it responsibly; no coding background is required. It's ideal for professionals, graduates and organisations who want a globally recognised Harvard Online credential to advance their careers or capabilities.
On successful completion you receive a digital Certificate of Completion from Harvard Online. No letter grades are assigned; participation is evaluated on a complete/incomplete basis. You can add it to your CV and LinkedIn under "Licenses & Certifications" with Harvard Online as the issuing organisation. The course also forms part of Harvard Online's AI Leadership Series.
The course fee is confirmed on enquiry and put in writing before payment.
Pay IPMC securely by debit/credit card in UAE Dirhams (UAE) or by UPI, card or net banking in Indian Rupees (India).
Yes. The course is delivered by Harvard Online and the Certificate of Completion is issued by Harvard Online.
No. The course explains the technology behind AI agents for a general professional audience; no coding or advanced maths is required.
Once the review of coursework is complete and eligibility confirmed, your certificate is delivered by email. You keep access to the course materials for 60 days after the final deadline.
This course is coming soon through IPMC. Register your interest and we'll notify you as soon as Harvard Online confirms the next cohort.
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