Capitol Technology University Online Master of Research (MRes) in Artificial Intelligence

A 30-credit research master's in AI, fully online, aimed at experienced professionals with an AI-related bachelor's. Tuition comes to $19,950. It is the shorter of Capitol's two AI research master's, and it suits you when research is the goal and you want to reach the dissertation quickly.

Capitol Technology University sits in Laurel, Maryland, a private nonprofit technical school near Washington D.C. and Baltimore. Classes for this program are all online.

The Master of Research (MRes) in Artificial Intelligence is built around producing research. By the end you will have produced, presented and defended your master's dissertation, and the page lists preparing for doctorate programs as a reason to pursue it.

The admissions note is specific: experienced professionals with AI-related undergraduate degrees. If your bachelor's is in an unrelated field, ask Capitol whether you would be admitted before you apply.

The school also offers a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in AI, and the credentials section explains how the two differ.

Tuition is $665 per credit across 30 credits, or $19,950. A $55 per credit Information Technology Fee applies on top for Fall 2026 to Summer 2027, so get the full number in writing.

Military rates run $350 per credit for active duty and $550 for retired. Independent study is $877 per credit, so ask whether any dissertation work could be billed that way.

MastersinAI.org ranked the school among the most affordable AI master's programs in 2025, a fair reason to shortlist it. Your own bill still depends on fees and credits finished.

30 credits at $665 a credit comes to $19,950 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• You already have an AI-related bachelor's degree and several years of professional experience, which is who the page says the program is designed for.
• You want a research degree, with a dissertation you present and defend, and you are not looking for a pile of applied electives.
• You are thinking about a doctorate. The page names preparing for doctorate programs as a reason to choose the MRes.
• You are military. Capitol prices active-duty servicemembers at $350 per credit and retired servicemembers at $550.

Who Should Skip It

• Your undergraduate degree is outside AI. The page describes the program as designed for people with AI-related bachelor's degrees, so a career changer may not fit.
• You want a hands-on, tool-heavy curriculum. The courses the page names are graduate research courses, not applied machine learning labs.
• You want credit for earlier coursework. Capitol does not accept prior learning toward this degree, so you complete all 30 credits with the school.
• You want to see a named lab or internship. The page highlights the Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence (AICE) for research and industry collaboration but describes no internship.

The degree is 30 credits. The two courses the page names are MRS 700 Fundamentals of Graduate Research I and MRS 710 Fundamentals of Graduate Research II. They are research methods courses, which tells you the emphasis: framing a question, reviewing the literature and carrying out a study.

The finish line is a dissertation that you produce, present and defend. Much of your learning will happen inside your own project, so ask how supervisors are assigned and how a topic is chosen.

You won't pick a track. You are choosing a research question instead.

Courses the School Names

• MRS 700 Fundamentals of Graduate Research I
• MRS 710 Fundamentals of Graduate Research II

Standout Features

• Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence (AICE) for AI research, education and industry collaboration
• Ranked among the most affordable master's in AI programs in 2025 by MastersinAI.org

Capitol says the degree is delivered with no on-campus classes or residencies. For a degree that ends in a defense, that is useful to know up front, since you won't need to plan a trip to Laurel.

The page calls it research-intensive and built for working professionals with AI backgrounds. It does not say whether classes meet live or run on your own schedule, so ask. Also ask how often you will meet your supervisor, because independent research can feel isolating when everything is remote.

AICE is the research and industry-collaboration hub the school points to.

You earn a Master of Research in Artificial Intelligence, a research degree in the European style that the page treats as a route into doctoral study. Capitol's own PhD in Artificial Intelligence and PhD in Machine Learning sit one step above it.

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

How it differs from its sibling: the MPhil in AI is 36 credits, lists applied courses such as computer vision and deep learning, offers internship and mentoring through industry partners, and ends in a thesis. The MRes is 30 credits and centers on research methods. Choose the MRes if you already know AI and want to research. Choose the MPhil for more applied coursework first.

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

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Admission is aimed at professionals with an AI-related bachelor's degree, so people changing fields may not qualify.
• The degree ends in a dissertation you present and defend, which demands sustained writing and self-direction.
• A $55 per credit Information Technology Fee sits on top of the $665 rate, and independent study runs $877 per credit.
• Earlier coursework earns no credit here, and no term length or start dates are listed, so ask before planning your pace.

• Does my bachelor's degree count as AI-related, and what experience do you expect from applicants?
• How is a dissertation supervisor assigned, and how often do we meet?
• What is my full cost for 30 credits including the Information Technology Fee, and could any work be billed as independent study?
• When are the start dates, and how long does a working professional usually take to finish?
• Do classes meet live, or can I work asynchronously?
• How does the MRes compare with the MPhil for someone planning to enter Capitol's PhD in AI?

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 16 of 49, master's
• Best Online Master's Programs Rank 16 of 49, master's
• Cheapest Online Programs Rank 4 of 15, master's
• Best for Military Students Rank 3 of 14, master's
• 100% Online Programs Rank 16 of 46, master's
• AI Master's With Thesis Option Rank 2 of 6, master's
• Best Online Programs in Maryland Rank 3 of 3, master's

• Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Artificial Intelligence

  MPhil, Master's

  Fully Online $665 per credit Score 76.1

• 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

• San Jose State University

  MS in Artificial Intelligence (Special Session)

  California $1,022 per credit Score 71.4

• Oregon State University

  Business Analytics and Applied AI

  Oregon $965 per credit Score 73.0

• Northeastern University

  Master of Professional Studies in Applied AI (Online)

  Massachusetts Score 71.0

• Northeastern University

  Master of Professional Studies in Applied AI Connect (Online)

  Massachusetts Score 71.0