Boston University Online Master of Science in Software Engineering for Artificial Intelligence

This is the software engineering version of Boston University's online AI master's. It runs 30 credits, takes 16 months and costs $25,000 in total, and it asks for no GRE or GMAT. Choose it if you want to build and ship AI-powered software. Boston University offers four other online AI degrees, so match the focus to your job before you compare price.

Boston University is a private nonprofit university in Boston, and this is its Online Master of Science in Software Engineering for Artificial Intelligence. The program page describes it as an online software engineering degree with a focus on AI, delivered fully online.

The numbers are simple. You complete 30 credits, the listed completion time is 16 months, and total tuition is $25,000. Boston University's graduation rate is 89% and its admit rate is 11%, so the school is selective even though this program asks for no test scores.

Boston University lists this degree as fully online, so you don't need to relocate to Boston. Ask whether classes are live, self-paced or a mix.

Here is what the siblings do. Enterprise AI describes weekly live sessions with work on your own schedule, and it also lists two required 0-credit onboarding modules before the first semester. Computer Science and AI describes a cohort model with live sessions and structured asynchronous modules. AI in Business is mixed asynchronous and live too.

It would be reasonable to expect something similar here, but the page doesn't promise it. Ask how many live meetings you should plan for each week and whether sessions are recorded.

Who It Fits

• Working developers and engineers who want AI skills added to their software practice. Admission asks for a bachelor's degree with relevant coursework in computer science, software engineering, data science or engineering, or work experience in one of those fields.
• People who like a defined finish line. The program lists 16 months, a two-term capstone project and one flat tuition figure, and most students study part time.
• Applicants who want a recognized name and don't want to sit a test. The program page says there are no testing requirements, including the GRE and GMAT.

Who Should Skip It

• Managers who want AI strategy rather than code should look at Boston University's Online Master of Science in AI in Business. It runs 32 credits for the same $25,000, and the program says no coding background is required.
• Anyone who wants a research-style computer science degree should compare the Online Master of Science in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, which is cohort-based and ends with a CX 699 capstone project.
• Educators should look at the Online Master of Education in AI and Education, which costs $30,000.

You complete 30 credits and finish with a capstone project that runs across two terms, which means the last stretch of the degree is a build you work on over time rather than a single final course.

The cost notes also mention preparatory bootcamp work before the degree starts, and say most students study part time. If your programming is rusty, that preparation is probably where you'll catch up.

The closest comparison is Boston University's Computer Science and AI master's, which is also 30 credits and describes ten modules. Both ask you to complete a bootcamp-style start. Read the course lists side by side before you decide, because that's where the two programs actually differ.

Standout Features

• Mix of on-demand content and weekly live sessions from the BU Virtual Studios
• Two-term capstone project

Total tuition is $25,000 for 30 credits. Boston University charges the same total for four of its online AI master's: this one, Enterprise AI, Computer Science and AI, and AI in Business. The AI and Education master's is $30,000. Because the price is the same, cost won't help you choose between the four.

The program page lists a total rather than a per-credit rate, so we haven't broken it down further. Ask whether the preparatory bootcamp is included in the $25,000 and whether any fees come on top. If your employer helps with tuition, a single flat figure makes the request easy to write up.

The degree is a Master of Science from Boston University. The value of the credential rests mostly on the Boston University name and on what you build in the capstone.

The capstone matters more than it first appears. A two-term project gives you something concrete to show an employer, which is useful when the degree itself doesn't map to a licensing exam.

Where this degree can lead: Data Scientist Jobs, Jobs You Can Get With an AI Degree.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Read the full curriculum before you apply.
• Four near-identical prices and timelines mean the differences sit in the courses, so you have to compare syllabi yourself.
• You may need to complete preparatory bootcamp work before the first term, which adds time before the 16 months start to count.

• How does this program differ from the Enterprise AI and Computer Science and AI master's, and which courses are unique to software engineering?
• What does the preparatory bootcamp cover, how long does it take and is it included in the $25,000?
• How do the live sessions, if any, and the two-term capstone fit around a full-time job?
• Which programming languages and tools do the courses assume I already know?
• How does the admissions team judge work experience in place of coursework?
• What kinds of capstone projects have recent students built?

Offered by BU Metropolitan College.

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• Online Master of Science in Enterprise AI

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online Score 74.5

• Online Master of Education in AI and Education

  Ed.M., Master's

  Fully Online Score 73.2

• Online Master of Science in AI in Business

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online Score 73.2

• Online Master of Science in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

  M.S., Master's

  Fully Online Score 73.2

• Applied AI and Machine Learning Graduate Certificate

  Graduate Certificate, Graduate Certificate

  Fully Online Score 64.5

• Oregon State University

  Business Analytics and Applied AI

  Oregon $965 per credit Score 73.0

• Johns Hopkins University

  Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence

  Maryland Score 74.1

• Capitol Technology University

  Master of Research (MRes) in Artificial Intelligence

  Maryland $665 per credit Score 72.1

• San Jose State University

  MS in Artificial Intelligence (Special Session)

  California $1,022 per credit Score 71.4