Question 1

What is Modern Software and AI Engineering at Scaler Academy?

Accepted Answer

Modern Software and AI Engineering is Scaler Academy's flagship upskilling programme a comprehensive, end-to-end curriculum that prepares experienced software engineers to thrive in the AI-first era. It combines the proven foundations of software engineering (DSA, System Design, real-world projects) with a new Agentic AI elective, so you graduate as an engineer who can both build robust systems and deploy intelligent AI agents. It's offered under the Scaler Academy umbrella, with the same MAANG-vetted instructors and 1:1 mentorship you'd expect.

Question 2

Why did Scaler rename the programme to Modern Software and AI Engineering?

Accepted Answer

The industry has fundamentally shifted. Writing clean code and knowing DSA is no longer enough to stand out at top-tier product companies; engineers are now expected to understand, build with, and evaluate AI systems. The new programme name reflects that reality. 'Modern Software and AI Engineering' signals that this is a curriculum for where the job market is going, not where it was five years ago. The core rigour stays; the scope expands.

Question 3

Is this still part of Scaler Academy? Will my certificate say Scaler?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Modern Software and AI Engineering is fully under the Scaler Academy umbrella. Your credential, mentor network, alumni community, and career support all remain part of Scaler Academy. Think of it as the programme name evolving to match the curriculum, not a different company or product.

Question 4

What does the full curriculum cover?

Accepted Answer

The programme runs across five structured stages: an introductory week for onboarding and mentor selection; 8 weeks of Programming Constructs (optional, at no extra cost); 21 weeks of Data Structures & Algorithms covering Arrays, Linked Lists, Trees, DP, and more; 10 weeks of System Design covering distributed systems, caching, schema design, and microservices; 5 weeks of a real-world project in your chosen specialisation (full-stack, frontend, or backend). Layered across this is the new Agentic AI elective for engineers who want to build AI-native systems.

Question 5

Do I need an AI or ML background to enrol?

Accepted Answer

No. The programme is designed for software engineers with 6+ months of professional experience and proficiency in at least one high-level programming language — no prior ML or AI background required. The Agentic AI elective is built to be accessible to engineers who understand software systems, starting from first principles of how LLMs and AI agents work, then moving to building and deploying them.

Question 6

What is Agentic AI, and why does it matter for my engineering career?

Accepted Answer

Agentic AI refers to AI systems that can plan, reason, and take actions autonomously — going far beyond a chatbot that answers a question. Think of an AI agent that reads your codebase, identifies a bug, writes a fix, tests it, and opens a pull request. Engineers who can design, build, and orchestrate these systems are among the most in-demand in the industry right now. The 'agentic ai' keyword alone receives over 83,000 monthly searches in India — the market is asking this question, and Scaler's new elective gives you the answer.

Question 7

What will I actually build in the Agentic AI elective?

Accepted Answer

The Agentic AI elective is hands-on, not theoretical. You'll learn how LLMs work under the hood, how to design multi-step AI agents using tool-calling and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and how to orchestrate agents in real-world pipelines — production API integration, error handling, evaluation. You'll build an agent-powered project that you can deploy, publish to GitHub, and showcase in interviews. Instructors are engineers currently working with these systems at top tech companies.

Question 8

How is Scaler's Agentic AI elective different from a standalone GenAI or LLM course?

Accepted Answer

Standalone GenAI courses teach you to call an API and generate text. The Scaler Agentic AI elective teaches you to engineer systems around AI: memory, tool use, multi-agent orchestration, evaluation frameworks, and deployment. It's built for software engineers — not data scientists — so you'll spend your time writing production-grade code, not tuning models. It slots naturally into the broader MSAI Engineering curriculum so you graduate with both foundational software skills and applied AI capabilities.

Question 9

Is the Agentic AI elective mandatory or optional?

Accepted Answer

The Agentic AI elective is an optional specialisation within the Modern Software and AI Engineering programme. Engineers who want to focus purely on software foundations (DSA, System Design, and a full-stack project) can do so. Those who want to layer in AI engineering capabilities can add the elective. Your Academic Advisor will help you choose the right path based on your career goals during onboarding.

Question 10

Who teaches and mentors on the Modern Software and AI Engineering programme?

Accepted Answer

Instructors are active engineers from MAANG and leading AI-first companies — people who are shipping production systems using the same tools you'll learn. The Agentic AI elective specifically is taught by engineers who work with LLMs, agent frameworks, and AI infrastructure day-to-day. On the mentorship side, you're paired 1:1 with an industry expert for personalised guidance, career goal mapping, and regular mock interviews throughout the programme.

Question 11

How do mock interviews at Scaler prepare me for AI-related roles?

Accepted Answer

Mock interviews are run by experienced engineers from top tech companies — not bots or peers. For learners in the Agentic AI elective, mentors can specifically tailor sessions to include AI system design questions (how would you design an agentic coding assistant? how would you evaluate an LLM pipeline in production?). You'll receive structured feedback on both your technical approach and how you communicate AI tradeoffs — which is exactly what hiring managers at AI-forward companies look for.

Question 12

What salary outcomes can I expect as an AI-skilled software engineer after Scaler?

Accepted Answer

AI engineering roles are among the highest-compensated in the tech market. The keyword 'AI engineer salary' receives 17,000 monthly searches in India — and for good reason. AI engineers in India currently command significant premiums over general software engineering roles. Scaler alumni who've added system design expertise have consistently landed at Amazon, Microsoft, and Google; the Agentic AI elective is designed to give you the additional leverage to compete for AI-focused roles at these same companies. Specific package ranges will be discussed with your Academic Advisor.

Question 13

Will AI replace software engineers — and how does this programme address that?

Accepted Answer

This is the right question to ask. The honest answer: AI won't replace engineers who know how to build and work with AI systems — but it will replace engineers who don't adapt. That's precisely why Scaler built the Agentic AI elective into this programme. You'll move from being someone who worries about AI replacing their job to being the engineer who deploys AI agents that multiply a team's output. The engineers graduating from this programme are positioned to lead, not be displaced.

Question 14

What is the fee structure for Modern Software and AI Engineering?

Accepted Answer

Fees are personalised based on your scholarship performance. You can earn up to INR 25,000 in scholarship from a 30-minute entrance test. No-cost EMI and standard EMI options from NBFC partners are available, and you can pay as little as ₹9,811/month when you combine a scholarship with an EMI plan. Financing with a down payment and monthly instalments is also available. Book a call with an Academic Advisor to get the exact breakdown for your profile — they'll also walk you through which programme path (with or without the Agentic AI elective) fits your budget and goals.

Question 15

How does the programme fit around a full-time job?

Accepted Answer

Modern Software and AI Engineering is designed entirely for working professionals. Classes are scheduled in evenings and weekends. All sessions are recorded so you never miss content. Teaching Assistants are on hand for async help. You can pause and resume your enrolment if life gets in the way. Post-completion, you retain access to course content for 6 months including the Agentic AI elective materials, which update regularly as the AI landscape evolves.

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AI-first structured curriculum. Not retrofitted. Rebuilt.

The people who guide you are also building the industry

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Built at Scaler The practice environment is built to match the hiring environment.

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