The master’s is the mainstream form of the dedicated artificial intelligence degree. 46 institutions awarded a master’s in CIP 11.0102 in 2024 (IPEDS Completions, 2024) - more than twice the number awarding it at bachelor’s level - because the degree is designed as a specialization on top of an existing technical background rather than a first credential.
There is no programmatic accreditor in this field, so ask any program about its actual mathematics prerequisites and what compute students get for training work, and request a written transfer evaluation before you enroll. With those checks in mind, compare online AI master’s programs enrolling now:
Colleges Offering This Degree
Every school listed is verified in federal IPEDS data both to award this degree and to offer programs that can be completed entirely by distance education at this level. Whether this exact degree is delivered fully online varies by school, so confirm the format before you apply.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Machine learning - supervised and unsupervised methods, model evaluation, and practical failure modes
Deep learning - neural network architectures, training dynamics, and the compute realities
Natural language processing and computer vision - the two application areas most programs specialize into
Data engineering - pipelines, storage and feature management, which is most of the actual work
Ethics, safety and governance - increasingly required rather than optional
A capstone or thesis - typically the piece employers actually look at
Most programs assume the mathematics foundations - linear algebra, probability and statistics, calculus - at admission rather than teaching them. If your background is thinner, ask whether the program provides a preparatory sequence or expects you to close the gap on your own.
Who This Realistically Suits
People already in technical computing roles. A master’s in AI on top of a software, data or systems background is the mainstream use of this credential and the one it is designed for.
People with a strong quantitative background from engineering, physics or statistics, for whom the mathematics is familiar territory.
Credit transfer is decided by the receiving institution and genuinely varies, so request a written transfer evaluation before you enroll.
What These Careers Pay
The roles the degree feeds are counted by BLS as data scientists at a median $120,230, software developers at $135,980 and computer and information research scientists at $140,300, with data science projected to change by 33.5 percent through 2034 (BLS OEWS, May 2025; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
Master’s in Artificial Intelligence at a Glance
Metric
Detail
Source
Median annual wage, data scientists
$120,230
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Wage range, data scientists
$67,240 (10th pct) - $199,130 (90th pct)
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Employment, data scientists
262,440
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected change (2024-34)
33.5%, about 23,400 openings per year
BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34
Institutions awarding at master’s level
46
IPEDS Completions, 2024
Geo coverage
Parent page only - supply is too thin for a state tier
IPEDS Completions, 2024
SOC codes covered
15-2051 data scientists; 15-1252 software developers; 15-1221 computer and information research scientists
BLS OEWS, May 2025
There is no BLS occupation called “AI engineer” or “machine learning engineer.” The people doing that work are counted in the occupations above. That is a limitation of the classification rather than of the field, but it means any wage figure attached to an AI job title elsewhere is not coming from a federal source.
How the Online Format Works
Online AI master’s programs are typically built for working professionals: asynchronous lectures, evening cohorts, and one or two courses per term over two to three years. The subject requires no laboratory, so nothing about the material itself needs a campus.
What changes online is compute and community. Online students depend entirely on the hardware or cloud budget the program provisions, which is why the compute question earlier on this page is worth asking before you compare anything else. And the informal research exposure that on-campus students absorb from labs and seminars has to be sought deliberately - through the program’s project supervision, its industry partnerships, or your own employer. Programs differ widely on both, and neither shows up in the marketing page. Ask.
Career Paths After the Degree
Where the degree takes you usually follows from what you build during it. Data-heavy capstones move toward the data scientist roles in the table above; systems-heavy work moves toward the software engineering teams that ship machine learning in production, which is where much of the actual hiring happens.
The adjacent infrastructure careers hire from the same technical pool and are worth a look while you are comparing paths. Computer network architects design the networks that AI workloads strain, and computer hardware engineers build the accelerators training depends on - both are degree-gated careers with measured wage data on this site.
For working professionals, the part-time online format also changes the calculus: you can aim the capstone directly at a problem from your current employer, which converts coursework into demonstrated work in the environment that already knows you.
Is It Worth It?
The case for is the strongest growth-and-wage combination on this site: 33.5 percent projected change on the nearest measured occupation, a $120,230 median, and a $199,130 90th percentile. The master’s is also the level at which the dedicated AI credential makes the most sense - a specialization on an existing base rather than a bet on a first degree.
The case against is credential churn. AI master’s programs are new, there is no programmatic accreditor, and quality varies more than the credential suggests. Employers assess demonstrated work heavily, so a program that leaves you with a portfolio is worth more than one that leaves you with only a transcript.
Is college worth it covers the general tradeoff. Individual outcomes may vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many schools offer a master's in artificial intelligence?
46 institutions awarded a master's in CIP 11.0102, artificial intelligence, in 2024 (IPEDS Completions, 2024). The master's is the most common form of the dedicated AI degree - more schools award it at this level than at bachelor's level.
What does a master's in AI pay?
There is no BLS occupation called AI engineer. The roles the degree feeds are counted as data scientists at a median of $120,230, software developers at $135,980, and computer and information research scientists at $140,300 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Pay varies by employer, location, and demonstrated work.
What are the prerequisites for an online AI master's?
Most programs assume programming fluency plus linear algebra, probability and statistics, and calculus. Programs differ in whether they teach that mathematics first or require it at admission - ask which, because it changes both the timeline and how deep the machine learning coursework can go.
Can a master's in AI be completed fully online?
The subject is entirely computational and online delivery is well established at master's level. What varies is compute access - ask what hardware or cloud resources the program provides for training work, because that is a real constraint on what you can practice.
Is a master's in AI better than a master's in computer science?
They overlap heavily. A dedicated AI master's makes the most sense as a specialization on top of an existing technical background. A computer science master's with AI coursework is the broader credential and keeps more doors open if your interests shift.
Do employers weigh the AI master's or demonstrated work more?
Both matter, and they compound. The master's clears screening filters and teaches the theory; demonstrated work - a capstone, published projects, production experience - is what interviews actually probe. A program that leaves you with a defensible project serves both at once.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Data Scientists (SOC 15-2051), Software Developers (SOC 15-1252), Computer and Information Research Scientists (SOC 15-1221)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Completions, 2024 - CIP 11.0102
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
