Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence Product and Platform Ventures
The cost of building software has collapsed and the cost of distributing it is near zero, which means the binding constraint on an African software venture is no longer engineering headcount but judgement: what to build, for whom, with what...
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
- Technical founder
- artificial intelligence product manager
- founding engineer
- solutions engineer
- product analyst
- platform and partnerships lead
- growth engineer
- venture studio associate.
Employer types
- Self-employment and founding is a primary destination
- technology and artificial intelligence companies
- banks, insurers and telecommunications operators building internal products
- venture studios and accelerators
- consulting firms
- and international remote product roles.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- Strong and rising demand for people who can both build and judge intelligent products, with an unusually direct founder route because distribution is global from day one.
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 Product and Platform Ventures. 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 |
| BIV 110 | Programming and Software Construction Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| BIV 111 | Product Discovery and Problem Validation Studio Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| BIV 112 | Data Handling, Databases and Analysis Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| BIV 113 | Foundations of Machine Learning and Model Behaviour Performance | 4 | 1-2-4 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 102 | Quantitative Reasoning and Evidence Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| BIV 130 | Building with Models, Agents and Application Interfaces Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| BIV 131 | Product Design and User Experience Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| BIV 132 | Cloud Deployment, Reliability and Cost Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| BIV 133 | Business Fundamentals for Product Ventures Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| 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 |
| BIV 210 | Venture Product Studio I: Live Product with Real Users Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| BIV 211 | Model Evaluation and Product Quality Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| BIV 212 | Growth, Acquisition and Retention Systems Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| BIV 213 | Data Strategy, Feedback Loops and Defensibility Both | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| 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 |
| BIV 230 | Venture Product Studio II: Retention and Revenue Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| BIV 231 | Unit Economics of Intelligent Products 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 |
| BIV 310 | Platform, Marketplace and Ecosystem Design Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BIV 311 | Product Safety, Disclosure and Regulatory Duties 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 |
| BIV 330 | Artificial Intelligence Venture Capstone: Trading Product or Investment Committee Defence Performance | 8 | 0-2-14 |
| BIV 331 | Fundraising, Cap Tables and Investor Relations Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
Total credit units: 134
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 Product and Platform Ventures
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 23 CU
Cumulative
23
Programme total
132
23 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 JudgementLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C4Communication and PersuasionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary MasteryLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and Craft CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C7Problem Framing and Systems Thinking CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace PerformanceLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C12Stewardship and Public ContributionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
Critical capabilities for this programme: Intelligent Systems Fluency · Technical Production and Craft · Problem Framing and Systems Thinking · Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy. 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 1Build and ship a working software product incorporating intelligent capability.
- PLO 2Evaluate a model or agent honestly for a specific product use, including failure modes.
- PLO 3Identify a real problem, validate demand with evidence and define a product against it.
- PLO 4Model unit economics including inference, data and support costs.
- PLO 5Design data strategy, feedback loops and defensibility for a product.
- PLO 6Acquire, retain and support real users and measure what actually drives retention.
- PLO 7Apply data protection, disclosure, safety and consumer obligations to a deployed product.
Why this programme exists
The cost of building software has collapsed and the cost of distributing it is near zero, which means the binding constraint on an African software venture is no longer engineering headcount but judgement: what to build, for whom, with what...
Admission requirements
UACE with two principal passes in any subjects, plus UCE with five passes including Mathematics and English. Applicants without a computing background are supported by the first semester programming sequence; no prior programming is assumed. 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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