Kaan Sutcigil's
Personalized Learning Plan
A Personalized AI+X Learning Pathway — Prepared for Kaan
In Collaboration With
A Personalized AI+X Learning Pathway — Prepared for Kaan
Additional earning potential over 3 years — a 77× return on your programme investment
Impressive extracurriculars and a solid EEE degree, but no formal AI credential, no applied ML project work, and no industry portfolio. You would be competing for internships against CS and ML graduates who already have the project evidence that hiring managers screen for.
AI+X Concentration Certificate from MIT xPRO. Three validated PBL projects with Amazon Robotics, Boston Dynamics, and Robin Singh. A published Concentration Portfolio Page. Recommendation letters from industry project leads. A global professional network. The cross-domain signal — hardware plus AI — that autonomous systems companies actively recruit for.
Complete two PBL projects in robotics to earn a formal credential signalling domain-specific AI capability to employers and graduate programmes.
A curated portfolio showcasing your PBL deliverables, capability assessments, and outcomes — tangible evidence of applied skills.
Up to 3 advanced recommendation letters from project leads and researchers who evaluated your work firsthand across PBL engagements.
Your portfolio page and concentration certificate show what you can do at each capability level — from Applied Reasoning through Independent Problem Solving. Combined with your Hyperloop and Robotics Team experience, this creates a comprehensive profile that bridges hardware engineering with AI.
AI+X Concentration Certificate, MIT xPRO credential, and advanced recommendation letters from project leads — including researchers like Robin Singh (Apple, MIT PhD) — who evaluated your demonstrated capability firsthand across PBL engagements.
Cross-domain exposure across computer vision, autonomous systems, and mobile robotics positions you for the AI/robotics engineering roles and master's programmes you are targeting — with a signal that goes well beyond a traditional EEE transcript.
Dates: July 6 through September 4 | Enrollment Deadline: June 19
Your highest-priority PBL — it connects directly to your interest in autonomous vehicle technologies and visual mapping. Work alongside global peers on computer vision challenges in robotic systems with Amazon Robotics-calibre problems. Your PCB design and Hyperloop experience gives you a unique hardware perspective that enriches the team. Starts after your exams end — perfectly aligned with your summer availability.
Dates: October 26 through December 18 | Enrollment Deadline: November 13
Your second concentration PBL, earning your AI+X Concentration Certificate. This deepens your autonomous systems expertise into mobile manipulation — connecting your Robotics Team chassis design experience with AI-driven control. Runs during your second-year autumn term at a manageable 6–8 hours per week.
Dates: Next available cycle in early 2027 (recurring quarterly)
Led by Robin Singh — the Apple scientist and MIT PhD you saw at the AI Careers event. This PBL bridges hardware engineering and AI directly, connecting to your EEE foundation. Available in early 2027, giving you cross-domain depth that rounds out your portfolio before master's applications.
Work alongside students from universities across Europe, North America, and Asia. Your PBL teams are intentionally diverse — different backgrounds, industries, time zones — which mirrors how real robotics teams operate.
Your project leads include MIT PhDs, Apple researchers, and engineers from Boston Dynamics and Amazon Robotics. Office hours, feedback loops, and one-on-one guidance from people at the forefront of autonomous systems.
After you complete your pathway, you remain part of the AI+X alumni network. Access to job boards, continuing education, and invitations to networking events throughout your career.
Your primary point of contact for curriculum, pacing, and learning outcomes. Ensures you stay on track and reach your goals.
Manages scheduling, logistics, and coordination with your university. Helps balance university coursework with your pathway.
Your Program Advisor. Your point of contact for any questions about the plan, logistics, and getting started. Already familiar with your goals from your March 25 interview.
Complete your first-year exams. Begin your MIT xPRO AI Foundations course — flexible, self-paced modules you can start alongside revision or after exams. 4–6 hours per week.
Enrol by June 19 and begin the Computer Vision & Robotics — Amazon Robotics PBL (July 6 – September 4). Your summer is free from university commitments — this is your highest-intensity period. 8–12 hours per week. If you secure a summer internship, the programme flexes around it.
Start the Boston Dynamics Mobile Robot Manipulation PBL (October 26 – December 18) alongside your second year at Manchester. Earn your AI+X Concentration Certificate. 6–8 hours per week.
Complete your third PBL (AI in Hardware with Robin Singh), finalise your Concentration Portfolio Page, and collect recommendation letters. On-Campus Experience in Cambridge during winter or spring break.
AI+X Concentration Certificate in Robotics & Autonomous Systems earned. Portfolio published. Recommendation letters ready. Strong foundation for second-year summer internships and future master's applications.
Exam conflicts are expected. Complimentary extension options are available during revision periods. If a summer internship overlaps, the programme adapts around your schedule. We want you to succeed at university first — the pathway supports that, not competes with it.
Below is the total investment for your 6-month AI+X pathway, inclusive of all three PBLs, MIT xPRO AI Foundations course, Concentration Portfolio Page, and on-campus experience in Cambridge.
Includes your 5% Manchester Robotics Society member discount
Spread the cost over 4–6 interest-free payments with Afterpay, PayPal Pay Later, or Klarna. Split the investment into manageable monthly instalments.
Some students use departmental funds, career services grants, or society budgets. Vanessa can share examples from past participants in engineering and robotics societies.
This PLP is designed to be shared. If your family is involved in the financial decision, forward this document — it outlines exactly what the programme delivers, the timeline, and the outcomes. Vanessa is available at application@blendedlearn.org to answer any questions they may have.
Students on the 12-month plan are eligible to apply for partial scholarship support. If you would like to explore the 12-month pathway and scholarship options, discuss this with Vanessa.
Face-to-face work with your PBL team and project leads strengthens recommendation letters and deepens your understanding of the autonomous systems problems you have been solving remotely.
Pitch your concentration portfolio to MIT ecosystem faculty and industry leaders who have shaped the programme. Real-world feedback that strengthens your narrative for internships and master's applications.
Meet researchers and engineers from robotics and autonomous systems companies. Make connections that directly support your internship search and master's programme goals.
The AI+X Learning Pathway is a 6-month applied programme developed in collaboration with MIT xPRO. Kaan will complete three real industry projects, earn an MIT xPRO credential in AI Foundations, and build a professional portfolio — all while continuing his degree at the University of Manchester. This is not a replacement for university. It is a structured complement that gives him the applied AI skills and industry connections that his EEE degree alone does not provide.
Kaan is studying Electrical and Electronic Engineering — a strong foundation. But the internships and roles he wants (AI, robotics, autonomous systems) require demonstrated project experience in machine learning and computer vision that his university curriculum does not cover until later years. This programme lets him build that evidence now, during his first year, so he is competitive for summer 2027 internships at companies like the ones he admires.
An MIT xPRO AI credential. Three completed industry projects (Amazon Robotics, Boston Dynamics, and an AI hardware project). A published portfolio page. Recommendation letters from project leads. A visit to the MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And a professional network of peers, mentors, and industry contacts that extends well beyond graduation.
The total programme cost is $5,976 after Kaan's 5% Manchester Robotics Society discount (reduced from $6,290). Interest-free instalment plans are available through Afterpay, PayPal Pay Later, and Klarna — you can spread the investment across 4–6 monthly payments. Students on the 12-month plan are also eligible to apply for partial scholarship support.
Graduates of the AI+X pathway enter the job market with credentials and project evidence that command significantly higher starting salaries. Based on current market data, the difference between a general EE role (~$55K) and an AI/robotics engineering role (~$90K) is approximately $35,000 per year. Over three years, that is an additional $135,000 in earnings — a return of more than 20 times the programme investment.
Kaan's programme advisor, Vanessa Wu, is available to speak with you directly about the programme, the schedule, or any concerns. Reach her at application@blendedlearn.org — she is happy to arrange a call at a time that works for your family.