City University of Seattle Online Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSAI)

City University of Seattle's online MSAI charges $775 per quarter credit, runs 10-week courses and gives people without a programming background a clear way in. It suits adult career changers and military students. The credit count is a range, so confirm your own total before you budget.

City University of Seattle is a private nonprofit school that has served adult professionals since 1973. It offers courses online, hybrid and in person, and the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSAI) is listed as an online program.

The school's page lists the format as online and the total number of courses as TBD, so the shape of your degree depends on your starting point. Courses run 10 weeks, with quarterly starts, and the school describes the structure as accelerated with flexible start dates.

CityU also offers a Master of Science in Data Science and a Master of Science in Technology and Product Management. We don't rank either one here because neither is an AI-titled degree. If you want the AI label on your diploma, the MSAI is the one to look at.

CityU lists the MSAI as an online format, and the 10-week course length is the main thing that shapes your day to day. A shorter course means a faster rhythm of readings, assignments and deadlines, and a new term arrives quickly after the last one ends. Quarterly starts mean you don't wait long to begin, and a missed start isn't a lost year.

Ask whether classes meet live or run on your own schedule before you enroll. We've published it as fully online. CityU does not require standardized testing scores for admission, so there's no entrance exam standing between you and an application.

Who It Fits

• Career changers. Preparatory courses are available if you lack programming, database, networking and operating systems background, and CityU's Undergraduate Certificate in Foundations of Systems Development is an accepted route in.
• Military students. CityU offers tuition discounts to active-duty servicemembers and their spouses, accepts the Post 9/11 GI Bill and Tuition Assistance, and is a Yellow Ribbon school.
• Working adults who want quarterly starts. CityU has served adult professionals since 1973, so the school is set up for people who study around a job.
• People who want to skip the entrance exam. CityU does not require standardized testing scores for admission.

Who Should Skip It

• People who want a fixed price tag. The page lists 39-59 total credits including preparatory courses, so the final cost depends on your background.
• Students who want live classes with a cohort, since you'd need to confirm how classes meet first.
• Anyone who wants a research thesis or a named specialization. The page lists a capstone and an optional internship, but no thesis and no concentrations.

The core covers AI programming, machine learning and deep learning, natural language processing, agent-based systems and cloud computing. The course list includes AI 500 Artificial Intelligence Overview, AI 510 Artificial Intelligence in Cloud Computing, AI 520 Natural Language Processing for Artificial Intelligence, DS 620 Machine Learning & Deep Learning, AI 610 Agent Based Systems and AI 620 Emerging Topics in Artificial Intelligence.

The program ends with AI 687 Artificial Intelligence Capstone, worth 3 credits. You can also take an optional internship, AI 680 Artificial Intelligence Internship, for 3 credits in place of electives. To be eligible, students complete three CS 650 seminar courses first, which prepare them for the internship.

Courses the School Names

• AI 500 Artificial Intelligence Overview
• AI 510 Artificial Intelligence in Cloud Computing
• AI 520 Natural Language Processing for Artificial Intelligence
• DS 620 Machine Learning & Deep Learning
• AI 610 Agent Based Systems
• AI 620 Emerging Topics in Artificial Intelligence

Standout Features

• Applied capstone project that simulates real-world experience
• Breadth-first (6 credit) and depth-first (20 credit) preparatory course options for students without a technical background
• Core courses cover AI programming, machine learning and deep learning, natural language processing, agent-based systems and cloud computing
• Optional internship in place of electives, preceded by three master's seminar courses
• Yellow Ribbon school with military tuition discounts

Tuition is $775 per credit, and these are quarter credits, so they run smaller than the semester credits most universities use. The page lists 39-59 total required credits including preparatory courses. Multiply the rate by the credit count in your own degree plan to get your tuition.

The low end of that range is for students who arrive with the technical background. The high end adds the preparatory courses, which people without programming, database, networking or operating systems experience take first. The capstone is 3 credits, and the optional internship is another 3.

Military students have extra options. CityU offers tuition discounts to active-duty servicemembers and their spouses, accepts the Post 9/11 GI Bill and Tuition Assistance, and is a Yellow Ribbon school. Ask your advisor for a degree plan that names every prep course so the quarter credits don't surprise you in the second year.

The degree is a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence. CityU is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, which is the institutional accreditation that matters for transferring credits and for employer tuition programs. If a certification matters for your target job, ask the admissions office which exams the courses prepare you for.

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

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Quarter credits and a wide credit range make this price harder to compare with semester programs.
• Ten-week courses leave little slack beside a full-time job, so a busy stretch at work can put you behind quickly.
• Our data holds no graduation rate for the university, so you can't judge your odds of finishing from federal figures.
• Ask whether you can tailor the degree toward a specialty such as language or vision.

• Which prep courses will I need, and how many credits do they add to the 39-59 range?
• Do classes meet live, or can I work through each 10-week course on my own schedule?
• Is the internship, AI 680, realistic for someone studying online outside Seattle?
• What military discount applies to my status, and does it stack with GI Bill benefits?
• How many quarters do students usually take to finish, and what share of students in this program complete it?
• Will a certificate in Foundations of Systems Development count toward my admission if I don't have the coursework?

Private nonprofit university in Seattle, Washington serving adult professionals since 1973, with courses offered online, hybrid and in person.

• Best Online AI Degrees Rank 37 of 49, master's
• Best Online Master's Programs Rank 37 of 49, master's
• Best for Career Changers Rank 6 of 8, master's
• Best for Military Students Rank 8 of 14, master's
• 100% Online Programs Rank 36 of 46, master's
• Programs With Internships Rank 6 of 8, master's

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