Capitol Technology University Online Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Artificial Intelligence

A thesis-based master's in artificial intelligence, taken 100% online with no residencies. At $665 per credit for 36 credits, it is among the lower-priced research master's options here. Pick it if you want real research or a PhD is next. Skip it if you want a coursework-only degree.

Capitol Technology University is a private nonprofit technical university in Laurel, Maryland. Undergraduate programs are delivered on campus, while the AI master's and doctoral programs run fully online, with no residencies.

The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Artificial Intelligence is a research degree. You finish 36 credits, then write a master's thesis and defend it orally. The page says the program suits working professionals and lets you explore foundational AI topics before pursuing a PhD in AI.

Most online AI master's programs end in a capstone or a stack of electives. This one ends in a thesis, which makes it closer to the first stage of a research career than to a job-training credential.

Capitol has a sibling, the Master of Research (MRes) in AI, covered below.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Tuition is $665 per credit across 36 credits, which comes to $23,940. Capitol also charges a $55 per credit Information Technology Fee for the Fall 2026 to Summer 2027 year. It is not folded into the tuition figure, so multiply it by your credits when you budget.

Military rates are lower, and independent study is priced higher, at $877 per credit. Ask whether any part of your plan counts as independent study.

The school says MastersinAI.org ranked it among the most affordable master's in AI programs in 2025. Treat that as a point in its favor, not a guarantee of your bill, and ask for a written estimate with every fee.

36 credits at $665 a credit comes to $23,940 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• You plan to earn a PhD in AI and want a research master's that teaches you how to carry out a thesis first.
• You work full time and need a degree with no residencies, so you never travel to Laurel.
• You are on active duty or retired. Capitol lists $350 per credit for active-duty servicemembers and $550 per credit for retired ones, well under the standard $665.
• You want a hands-on research setting. The school points to its AI Center of Excellence (AICE), its virtual Capitol AI Learning & Innovation Environment (CAILIE), and internship and mentoring from industry experts.

Who Should Skip It

• You want a coursework-only master's. A written thesis and an oral defense are required here.
• You need a published schedule, term length and stated finish time. Those details are not on the program page, so ask before planning around them.
• You hoped to transfer credits. Capitol does not accept prior learning toward this degree, so all 36 credits are completed with the school.

The degree is 36 credits. The page names a few courses that show where the program leans: DS 502 Predictive Analytics, AIT 711 Computer Vision and Deep Learning, and DS 710 Big Data. Those are applied machine learning and data topics, not pure theory.

The thesis is the center of the degree. Ask how supervision works, how often you meet, and how a topic gets approved, because those answers shape the final stretch.

There are no concentrations to choose from. You are building toward a single research project.

Courses the School Names

• DS 502 Predictive Analytics
• AIT 711 Computer Vision and Deep Learning
• DS 710 Big Data

Standout Features

• AI Center of Excellence (AICE) and virtual CAILIE learning environment backed by local and international industry partnerships
• Ranked among the most affordable master's in AI programs in 2025 by MastersinAI.org

The page states the degree is 100% online, with no on-campus classes or residencies required. That matters for a research degree, because some programs still ask you to show up for a defense or a lab week. Here, the page says you won't need to.

Ask the admissions office whether classes meet live or run on your own schedule, and how much of your week to set aside.

The virtual CAILIE is the online space the school highlights for hands-on work, alongside AICE and its industry partnerships.

You earn a Master of Philosophy in Artificial Intelligence, a research-based degree in the European style that the page positions as a stepping stone to a PhD in AI. Capitol also offers a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and a PhD in Machine Learning.

The page does not name a programmatic accreditor, and we don't assume one. If an employer or doctoral program will ask, get the school's accreditation details in writing.

How it differs from its sibling: the MRes in AI is 30 credits, built on research methods courses and a dissertation, and aimed at professionals who already hold an AI-related bachelor's. The MPhil adds applied courses like computer vision and deep learning, plus internship and mentoring through AICE. Pick the MPhil if you want more applied coursework before your thesis.

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

• A thesis and oral defense are required, which takes self-direction and writing time that a coursework master's does not.
• Tuition is only part of the bill. The $55 per credit technology fee is added to every credit, and independent study costs $877 per credit.
• No term length, start dates or typical finish time appears on the program page, so you can't plan your pace without asking.
• Prior learning is not accepted, so earlier work won't shorten the 36 credits.

• How are thesis topics approved, who supervises me, and how often do we meet?
• What is my total cost for the full 36 credits once the Information Technology Fee is included, and could any of my work be billed as independent study at $877 per credit?
• When are the start dates, and how long do students usually take to finish while working full time?
• Do classes meet live at set times, or can I work through them on my own schedule?
• How do the internship and mentoring opportunities through the AI Center of Excellence work for an online student?
• Would a PhD in AI at Capitol accept my MPhil work, and what would doctoral tuition look like?
• What is the difference in outcomes between the MPhil and the MRes for someone with my background?

Private nonprofit technical university in Laurel, Maryland, in the Washington D.C. and Baltimore corridor. Its AI master's and doctoral programs are offered 100% online while undergraduate programs are delivered on campus.

• Best Online AI Degrees Rank 6 of 49, master's
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• Master of Research (MRes) in Artificial Intelligence

  MRes, Master's

  Fully Online $665 per credit Score 72.1

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Artificial Intelligence

  Ph.D., Doctorate

  Fully Online $980 per credit Score 100.0

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Machine Learning

  Ph.D., Doctorate

  Fully Online $980 per credit Score 98.1

• Columbia University in the City of New York

  Online Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence

  New York $2,700 per credit Score 76.0

• Florida Atlantic University

  Professional Master's Degree Program in Artificial Intelligence

  Florida $800 per credit Score 75.6

• Boston University

  Online Master of Science in Enterprise AI

  Massachusetts Score 74.5

• University of San Diego

  Master of Science in Applied Artificial Intelligence (Online)

  California $995 per credit Score 78.1