Brandeis University Online Applied Machine Learning & Engineering Master's Certificate

The Applied Machine Learning & Engineering Master's Certificate is four courses and 12 credits, taught fully online and part-time, with a posted tuition total of $14,640. Brandeis says you can finish in a year or less. It suits a working analyst or engineer who already has some Python or R and wants machine learning engineering, MLOps and generative AI coursework without committing to a full master's.

It costs $1,220 per credit, and 12 credits cover a narrow slice of the field. The real selling point is the pathway into two Brandeis online master's degrees.

This is a master's certificate from Brandeis Online, run through the Rabb School of Continuing Studies at the private university in Waltham, Massachusetts. It is graduate-level coursework, but it is a short credential, not a degree. You take four courses, which add up to 12 credits.

The program page calls it 100% online and part-time, and says you can complete it in 1 year or less. That pace means roughly one course at a time, so it is built around a full-time job rather than around campus life.

The courses named on the program page lean toward engineering rather than theory. They include RADS 100 Foundations of Applied Data Science and Decision Analytics, RADS 110 Machine Learning Engineering and MLOps, RADS 115 Data Engineering and Cloud Pipelines, and RADS 140 Generative AI and Large Language Models in Analytics. MLOps means the practice of deploying and maintaining machine learning models once they leave a notebook.

The program is 100% online and part-time, with no campus visit named on the program page. Brandeis built it for professionals working in data-focused roles, which tells you the pacing is designed around a work week.

The page does not spell out whether classes meet live or run on your own schedule, so ask. That detail changes how you plan a week: scheduled sessions mean blocked evenings, and self-paced work means you can shift study to weekends.

Because you can finish in a year or less, expect a steady course-per-term rhythm rather than a long, slow program. If a project or promotion at work eats a term, ask how deferring a course works.

Who It Fits

• A data analyst, statistician or software developer who already works with data and wants to add machine learning engineering and cloud pipelines to the resume.
• A working professional who wants graduate credit before deciding on a full master's, since the credits can apply to the online MS in Applied Data Science and Decision Analytics or the MS in Applied Leadership.
• Someone without a GRE score. Brandeis says the GRE is not required.
• A military veteran, active-duty service member or spouse, who gets a 15% tuition discount at Brandeis Online.

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone starting from zero in programming or statistics. The admissions note asks for a basic understanding of statistics and probability and foundational Python or R, so you would be catching up while paying graduate rates.
• Someone who wants a research-heavy path into AI theory. The named courses are about engineering and applied analytics, not model research.
• A budget-first shopper. At $1,220 per credit, this program costs more than many shoppers want to pay.

The program page names four courses. RADS 100 is the foundations course in applied data science and decision analytics. RADS 110 covers machine learning engineering and MLOps. RADS 115 covers data engineering and cloud pipelines. RADS 140 covers generative AI and large language models in analytics.

Read that sequence as a ladder from data basics, to building and deploying models, to the plumbing that feeds them, to the newest generative tools. If you already handle data pipelines at work, the third course may feel familiar. If you have never touched cloud tooling, it may be the course that earns the tuition.

Brandeis offers sibling certificates at the same 12 credits and the same $1,220 per credit. One is Software Engineering with Artificial Intelligence and another is AI-Driven Leadership. This one is the data and machine learning option. Choose it if your daily work is models and data, not code architecture or managing teams.

Courses the School Names

• RADS 100 Foundations of Applied Data Science and Decision Analytics
• RADS 110 Machine Learning Engineering and MLOps
• RADS 115 Data Engineering and Cloud Pipelines
• RADS 140 Generative AI and Large Language Models in Analytics

Standout Features

• Credits can apply to the online MS in Applied Data Science and Decision Analytics or MS in Applied Leadership
• Faculty who are practicing scientists and researchers, with a curriculum covering MLOps, cloud pipelines and generative AI

Brandeis lists $1,220 per credit for 2025-2026, and the tuition page prints $14,640 as the total cost of the 12-credit certificate. There is also a $500 nonrefundable enrollment deposit, which Brandeis applies toward your first course, so it is not an extra charge on top of tuition.

Military veterans, active-duty personnel and their spouses get a 15% tuition discount on online master's degrees and certificates. Ask the admissions office whether that discount stacks with any employer tuition benefit you have.

12 credits at $1,220 a credit comes to $14,640 in tuition, before fees.

You earn a Master's Certificate in Applied Machine Learning & Engineering from Brandeis University, a private nonprofit. Brandeis reports an 86% graduation rate and a 40% admit rate for the university overall, and a headcount of 5,205 students. Those figures describe the school, not this certificate, so treat them as background.

The credential's practical value is as a signal of recent graduate-level training plus a head start on a degree. The 12 credits can apply to the online MS in Applied Data Science and Decision Analytics or the MS in Applied Leadership. Confirm exactly how many of the 12 transfer in before you pay the first bill.

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

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• At $1,220 per credit and $14,640 in total, the price is high for four courses.
• The admissions note expects statistics and probability, plus Python or R. There is no beginner on-ramp.
• It is a certificate, not a degree. Employers who filter for a master's will not count it as one.
• Twelve credits cover a narrow slice of the field.

• Are classes live at set times, or can I work through them on my own schedule?
• How many of the 12 credits count toward the MS in Applied Data Science and Decision Analytics, and do I have to reapply?
• Which Python or R skills do I need on day one for RADS 110 and RADS 115?
• Does the 15% military discount apply to the full $14,640, and does it combine with employer tuition assistance?
• How is the $500 enrollment deposit applied if I decide to withdraw before the first course starts?
• What do students build in the program, and can I use a work dataset for projects?

Private university in Waltham, Massachusetts. Its online master's certificates are offered through Brandeis Online and the Rabb School of Continuing Studies.

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