University of Michigan offers free Google AI and career courses to all students

The University of Michigan has expanded its digital skills offerings through a new partnership with Google, providing free access to career certificates and AI courses for more than 66,000 students across its three campuses. This collaboration represents a significant investment in preparing students for a technology-driven job market, equipping them with in-demand skills while still in college—a strategic advantage as employers increasingly prioritize digital capabilities in new hires.

The big picture: University of Michigan students now have free access to Google Career Certificates and AI training courses across all three campuses in Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint.

• The partnership between UM’s Michigan Center for Academic Innovation and Google aims to enhance students’ career readiness with industry-relevant skills.
• The program covers specialized certificates in cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing, UX design, project management, and other professional fields.

Key details: The Google Career Certificates are designed and taught by Google employees with input from top employers and include rigorous assessment methods.

• The AI and Prompting Essentials courses focus on foundational artificial intelligence skills, best practices, and responsible AI use.
• Students can access these resources through Michigan Online, the university’s online learning platform, using their university credentials.

Building on existing collaborations: The university already has ongoing partnerships with Google for an online data analytics course and provides AI tools for academic use.

• UM faculty members Chris Brooks and Paula Lantz teach “Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R,” part of Google’s Data Analytics Certificate program.
• Faculty and students currently have access to AI tools including U-M GPT, Maizey, Google’s Gemini, and NotebookLM.

What they’re saying: Leaders from both organizations emphasize the partnership’s value in preparing students for future careers.

• “This partnership represents a powerful step forward in preparing U-M students to lead and thrive in a dynamic global workforce,” said James DeVaney, the UM center’s founding executive director.
• Lisa Gevelber, founder of Grow with Google, noted the partnership will “enable UM students to enter the workforce with the skills employers are looking for and accelerate their career potential.”

The bigger picture: Beyond the Google certificates, Michigan Online offers thousands of free online courses to enrolled students, including 280 created by UM faculty.