Degrees Without Borders: Online Programs in Artificial Intelligence

With industries revolutionizing across the globe and reshaping our way of working, learning, and interacting, artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept. In today’s fast-paced environment, AI is more relevant than ever, with organizations in fields ranging from finance to healthcare relying on AI tools for enhancing productivity and solving complex challenges. According to recent data, employers increasingly seek talent with AI expertise, and AI-related hiring has surged by 323 percent over the past eight years.

AI isn’t coming to take your job, but it’s probably going to change it. Early indicators suggest that an AI-powered future is one where humans and intelligent technologies work collaboratively. But the largest barrier to realizing that future and the further advancement of AI is the current dearth of talent in the field. The United States is facing a shortage of AI-trained professionals. This talent gap represents a significant opportunity for those who are willing to skill up through accessible online programs.

Thanks to online degree programs and DIY skill-builders, it’s never been easier to get started in artificial intelligence. Educational options are available at every possible starting point: from the working software engineer to the absolute layman.

Read on if you’re ready to explore this dynamic, impactful, and rewarding career.

• High Growth. According to recent industry insights, the demand for AI professionals continues to grow. McKinsey’s 2024 report states that the adoption of generative AI technologies is reshaping industries, creating significant opportunities in fields like marketing, service operations, and supply chain management.
• High Impact. AI has significant impacts on healthcare, particularly through advancements in personalized medicine. It analyzes large amounts of genetic data for tailoring treatments to individual patients, creating a more effective and precise approach to healthcare. For example, systems medicine uses big data to improve diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis by integrating several data types. This helps identify individualized treatment plans and determine which existing drugs can be repurposed for new diseases.
  
  Wearable devices are also revolutionizing patient care. These devices enable remote consultation and monitoring which not only enhances convenience but also improves health outcomes.
• High Paying. The average yearly salary in 2024 for machine learning engineers is $162,075 (Indeed 2024). That’s one of the highest job titles for AI, but other roles frequently pay over $100,000 per year (PayScale 2024).
• Competency-Based. Computer science has always preferred competency to diplomas, and that goes for the field of artificial intelligence, too. You don’t need a sterling resume from an Ivy League school to climb the ladder here—just the skills and the drive.

Lewis University (MS Computer Science)

Lewis University offers an online MS in computer science program with a concentration in artificial intelligence. Students learn how to design and implement computing systems that perceive, act, and learn.

Concentration courses cover artificial intelligence; natural language processing; robotics; statistical programming; and machine learning. Each class goes in-depth on multiple technical areas, including Bayesian networks, Markov Decision Processes (MDPs), and reinforcement learning control. Before graduation, students will design and conduct a faculty-advised research thesis that results in publication-worthy documentation. The program consists of 33 credits.

• Location: Romeoville, IL
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• Expected Time to Completion: One to two years

Stanford University (Graduate Certificate)

Stanford University’s online graduate certificate in artificial intelligence gives students a chance to learn from the leaders of the artificial intelligence revolution. The curriculum covers both foundational and advanced skills in the principles and technologies that define artificial intelligence.

Designed for working software engineers, the program is fast-paced and academically rigorous. Applicants should be able to demonstrate mastery of mathematical and programming prerequisites. The program takes an average of one to two years to complete.

Students in this program will be required to complete four graduate courses within three academic years. Courses include machine learning; artificial intelligence: principles and techniques; deep multi-task and meta-learning; probabilistic graphical models: principles and techniques; and machine learning with graphs.

• Location: Stanford, CA
• Accreditation: WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
• Expected Time to Completion: One to three years

Colorado State University (MS Artificial Intelligence)

Colorado State University’s online MS in artificial intelligence and machine learning teaches students how optimal system analysis and design can solve complex, organization-wide issues. The curriculum addresses the latest deep-learning libraries and technologies and how they can be applied in various industries.

The program will help students advance their professional programming, computer vision, machine learning, and artificial intelligence knowledge. Courses cover topics such as the design and analysis of algorithms; the foundations of artificial intelligence; the foundations of computer vision; principles of machine learning; principles of software development; and a capstone: applying machine learning and neural networks. The program consists of 30 to 33 credits.

• Location: Aurora, CO
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• Expected Time to Completion: Two years

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Professional Certificate in ML and AI)

MIT Professional Education offers a professional certificate in Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). This program aims to meet the rising need for AI-knowledgeable professionals to help organizations leverage the power of ML safely and efficiently. This certificate is awarded upon successful completion of 16 or more days of qualifying short program courses in professional education.

Once registered, students take classes online or on-campus at MIT during the summer months. Once students complete their qualifying course, they have 36 months to complete additional courses. Core courses include machine learning for big data and text processing: foundations or advanced. Elective courses include advanced reinforcement learning and deep learning for AI and computer vision.

• Location: Cambridge, MA
• Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
• Expected Time to Completion: One to three years

Johns Hopkins University (Graduate Certificate and MS in Artificial Intelligence)

The Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University offers two online AI graduate programs. These programs include theoretical and real-world instruction on the applications of AI in robotics, natural language processing, and image processing.

To be considered for admission to either program, applicants must be able to prove coursework in calculator and statistics and computer programming languages such as Python. Once accepted, students in the certificate program must finish four courses within three years and can choose to apply credits earned in this program to the master’s degree. Students in the master’s degree program must complete 10 courses in five years and choose courses from the applied or theoretical AI tracks.

The curriculum includes courses such as introduction to algorithms; algorithms for data science; artificial intelligence; applied machine learning; creating AI-enabled systems; machine learning for signal processing; and human robotics interaction.

• Location: Baltimore, MD
• Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
• Expected Time to Completion: One to two years

University of Michigan (MS in Artificial Intelligence)

The College of Engineering & Computer Science at UM offers a master of science in artificial intelligence. Students can complete on-campus, online, or a hybrid of in-person and computer-based learning. This 30-credit program offers four concentration areas: computer vision; intelligence interaction; machine learning; and knowledge management and reasoning.

Applicants to this program must have a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field with an average GPA of 3.0 or higher and completed prerequisite courses in programming, mathematics, and statistics. To graduate, students must complete a coursework, project, or thesis final project.

The curriculum includes courses such as artificial intelligence; computational learning; algorithm analysis and design; software engineering; computer graphics; human-computer interaction; text mining and information retrieval; and introduction to quantum computing.

• Location: Dearborn, MI
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• Expected Time to Completion: Two years

University of Texas at Austin (Certificate in AI and ML: Business Applications)

The McCombs School of Business offers a seven-month online certificate program in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Students in this program take advantage of online learning with live mentorship, career support, and project-based learning. Emphasis areas include applications of AI in neural networks and natural language processing.

Once admitted, students have access to a boot camp-style intensive course that teaches foundational basics. Students spend 8-10 hours per week on recorded lectures and live learning sessions. In addition, students learn from eight hands-on learning projects during the program, which can be used later as evidence of proficiency for career advancement.

• Location: Austin, TX
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Expected Time to Completion: Seven months

Online education is evolving almost as quickly as artificial intelligence. Whether you’re looking for a quick level-up in a specific technical area or for a broader understanding of the field of artificial intelligence, today’s DIY skill-building is more accessible than ever before. These online modules are quick, cheap, up-to-date, and, in some cases, attached to heavyweights of industry and academia.

Coursera

Coursera is an online learning platform co-founded by AI revolutionary and Stanford professor Andrew Ng.

As a repository of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs), Coursera has one of the most extensive DIY skill-building options for artificial intelligence. Each course is sponsored by either a university or a corporation. As a result, students can choose between highly targeted classes like those offered by Google Cloud or generalized overviews of AI from IBM.

They can also mix and match: course packages range from individual classes to professional certificates to specialization tracks and full-on degrees.

edX

Founded by Harvard and MIT, edX is an online learning platform. Today, as part of 2U, edX connects over 86 million learners and partners them with top-ranked universities and industry-leading companies. Students can access low-cost courses in artificial intelligence that come backed by Harvard, Columbia, IBM, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Groups of courses can culminate in MicroMasters degrees and professional certificates or be taken a-la-carte to boost a particular skill set.

Matt Zbrog

Writer

Matt Zbrog is a writer and freelancer who has been living abroad since 2016. His nonfiction has been published by Euromaidan Press, Cirrus Gallery, and Our Thursday. Both his writing and his experience abroad are shaped by seeking out alternative lifestyles and counterculture movements, especially in developing nations. You can follow his travels through Eastern Europe and Central Asia on Instagram at @weirdviewmirror. He’s recently finished his second novel, and is in no hurry to publish it.