AI Architect Certification — Course Reference¶

A comprehensive 37-module reference for AI architects covering the full spectrum of production AI system design, governance, and delivery.

How to Use This Reference¶

Read the full module to learn it. Keep the field card to remember it.

Use the Modules section to study each topic in depth
Use the Field Cards as quick-reference memory aids (one card per module)
Use the Handbooks to navigate learning objectives and knowledge checks
Use the Reference section for tool matrices, ADR templates, patterns, and the course framework

Course Structure¶

ACT I — Foundations¶

Modules 1–3: The architect's operating model, the model ecosystem, and prompt engineering as a discipline.

ACT II — Knowledge Architecture¶

Modules 4–5: RAG architecture from naive to production-grade, and AI data architecture.

ACT III — Agentic Systems¶

Modules 6–8: Agentic systems, multi-agent systems with MCP and A2A, and the Copilot ecosystem.

ACT IV — Security & Governance¶

Modules 9–11: AI security, shadow AI and enterprise governance, compliance and model risk.

ACT V — Production & Platforms¶

Modules 12–17: Observability and evals, cost engineering, infrastructure, coding assistants, integration patterns, platform engineering.

ACT VI — Landscape, Value & Direction¶

Modules 18–21: Startup landscape, business value, hype vs. reality, emerging patterns.

Practical Layer¶

Modules 22–30: The practicum, practice of architecture, production operations, commercial and legal, requirements engineering, organizational patterns, technical debt, communication, career development.

Cloud & Production Reality¶

Modules 31–32: Cloud provider platforms, agent implementation learnings.

Responsible AI¶

Module 33: Responsible AI in practice.

Advanced Topics¶

Modules 34–37: Fine-tuning and model customization, multimodal architecture, GraphRAG and knowledge graphs, model portability (engineering the model as a replaceable part).

The Certification¶

Three levels — Foundation (9 core modules), Practitioner (all 37 modules + capstone), Expert (live submission + oral defense).

See the Course Framework for the full certification structure, learning objectives, and assessment model.