Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence Policy and Digital Governance
Africa now has a continental artificial intelligence strategy, several national policies and a growing set of regulators with statutory responsibility for digital systems, and almost no trained cadre to staff them. The people currently writ...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- Policy analyst
- regulatory officer
- algorithmic auditor
- standards and conformity specialist
- technology assessment analyst
- digital rights advocate
- responsible technology officer in a corporate setting
- parliamentary or ministerial adviser.
Employer types
- Regulatory authorities including data protection, communications and financial regulators
- ministries responsible for technology and planning
- parliament and its committees
- the African Union and regional bodies
- standards bodies
- civil society and digital rights organisations
- technology companies' responsibility functions
- and international organisations.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- A newly forming public and corporate employment category with strong growth, international mobility and clear progression to postgraduate specialisation.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence Policy and Digital Governance. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold or are completing?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 101 | AI Fluency I: How Intelligent Systems Work Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| GLA 110 | Foundations of Governance, State and Public Institutions Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
| GLA 111 | How Intelligent Systems Work: A Technical Foundation Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| GLA 112 | Data, Evidence and Quantitative Policy Analysis Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| GLA 113 | Ethics, Rights and Technology Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 102 | Quantitative Reasoning and Evidence Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| GLA 130 | Public Policy Analysis and Option Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| GLA 131 | Data Protection, Privacy and Information Law Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| GLA 132 | Machine Learning in Practice for Policy Analysts Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| GLA 133 | African Political Economy and Development Both | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| COP 190 | Workplace Immersion (4 weeks, recess term) Performance | 0 | 0-0-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 201 | Ethics, Society and the African Context Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| GLA 210 | Algorithmic Impact Assessment and Audit Practicum Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| GLA 211 | Regulatory Design, Drafting and Enforcement Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| GLA 212 | Standards, Conformity Assessment and Certification Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| GLA 213 | Platform Governance, Speech and Information Integrity Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 202 | Human Advantage: Argument, Writing and Teams Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 290 | Co-operative Education Placement I (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| GLA 230 | Regulatory Placement or Policy Attachment Performance | 5 | 0-0-0 |
| GLA 231 | Cybersecurity Policy and National Resilience Both | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 301 | AI Fluency II: Building, Evaluating and Auditing Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 390 | Co-operative Education Placement II (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| GLA 310 | Comparative and Continental Technology Governance Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| GLA 311 | Economics of Regulation and Compliance Costing Both | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 302 | Enterprise, Employability and Financial Literacy Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| FDC 401 | AI Fluency III: Domain Deployment, Governance and Assurance Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| FDC 402 | Capability Portfolio and Day One Preparation Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| GLA 330 | Governance Capstone: Regulatory or Policy Commission (client verified) Performance | 8 | 0-2-14 |
| GLA 331 | Public Communication, Consultation and Advocacy Performance | 4 | 1-0-6 |
Total credit units: 132
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence Policy and Digital Governance
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
TERM 1 (SIX MONTHS) | FORMERLY YEAR 1, SEMESTER 1
Year 1 · this step is worth 22 CU
Cumulative
22
Programme total
132
22 CU of 132 CU completed by the end of this step (17%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems Fluency CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential ReasoningLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual Judgement CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C4Communication and Persuasion CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary MasteryLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and CraftLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C7Problem Framing and Systems ThinkingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial LiteracyLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace PerformanceLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C12Stewardship and Public Contribution CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
Critical capabilities for this programme: Intelligent Systems Fluency · Ethical and Contextual Judgement · Communication and Persuasion · Stewardship and Public Contribution. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Explain how modern intelligent systems work at a level sufficient to regulate them.
- PLO 2Analyse a policy problem with evidence and produce a defensible policy option appraisal.
- PLO 3Draft regulatory instruments, standards and guidance that are enforceable and proportionate.
- PLO 4Conduct an algorithmic impact assessment and audit of a deployed system.
- PLO 5Assess the human rights, equity and development implications of a technology deployment.
- PLO 6Engage stakeholders and defend a position in adversarial public settings.
- PLO 7Cost the compliance burden of a proposed rule on those it will bind.
Why this programme exists
Africa now has a continental artificial intelligence strategy, several national policies and a growing set of regulators with statutory responsibility for digital systems, and almost no trained cadre to staff them. The people currently writ...
Admission requirements
UACE with two principal passes in any subjects, plus UCE with five passes including Mathematics and English. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
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