Verdict
Is Dakota State University Worth It?
Choose Dakota State's Artificial Intelligence in Organizations BS if you want to apply AI inside a company instead of building it from scratch. The program page says it covers what AI means for businesses and organizations. It sits in the College of Business & Information Systems and costs the same $373.80 per credit hour as the technical AI degree, for 120 credits.
This is a bachelor's degree from Dakota State University, a public school in Madison, South Dakota. The program page lists Online among the ways to take it. The 120-credit degree is the business-side sibling of DSU's technical Artificial Intelligence BS.
The university's graduation rate is 51%, and DSU admits 88% of applicants.
The two DSU degrees cost the same, so the choice comes down to the kind of work you want and the college you want to study in. 80 per credit hour, which makes the total $44,856 before fees for either one, and both start in Fall, Spring or Summer.
Dakota State enrolls 3,774 students, which makes it a smaller public school where an online student is less likely to get lost in the crowd.
Score
Why It Ranks Among the Top Three
Each factor is scored 0 to 10 against other online bachelor's programs. The weights are the same for every program, and the overall score is relative to the top online bachelor's program, which scores 100.
Online Program Score 100.0 / 100
Darker bars mean stronger factor scores. Every bar also shows its number.
The full rubric is on the methodology page.
Cost
What It Costs, With the Military Rate
Tuition is $373.80 per credit hour for online undergraduate students in 2026-2027. At 120 credits, that is $44,856 before fees.
Students who pay the non-resident rate should read the fine print. 70 is added to the base rate. The school also says additional credit fees may apply to certain courses. Because this is a business degree, ask which of your courses carry the CSC label and which do not, so you can estimate the real total.
Active military students pay a discounted undergraduate rate of $250 per credit hour and get one-on-one help from a veteran benefits coordinator. That rate applies to every one of the 120 credits, so ask the coordinator how it compares with your out-of-pocket cost.
120 credits at $373.80 a credit comes to $44,856 in tuition, before fees.
- Cost per Credit
- $373.80 per credit
- Credits Required
- 120 credits
- Estimated Tuition
- $44,856
- Military Rate
- $250 per credit
- Military Benefits
- Discounted active military tuition for undergraduate courses at $250 per credit hour; one-on-one help from a veteran benefits coordinator.
- Fees and Notes
- 2026-2027 online undergraduate tuition of $373.80 per credit hour; 120 credits x $373.80 is $44,856 before fees. Non-resident online CSC courses are $491.50 per credit hour, which adds a delivery fee of $117.70. Additional credit fees may apply to certain courses.
Sources: dsu.edu (cost and aid), dsu.edu (cost and aid), verified September 30, 2026
Fit
Who Should Apply, and Who Should Not
Who It Fits
- Students aiming at business, operations, management or analyst roles who want AI literacy rather than a computer science degree.
- Working adults finishing a first bachelor's who care about price and want three start terms a year.
- People who want a business college credential with AI in the title.
Who Should Skip It
- Students who want to build models or write software for a living. The technical AI degree is the closer match.
- Anyone who needs a published course list before applying.
Curriculum
Curriculum
The only description of the content on the program page is its focus, what AI means for businesses and organizations. What the placement tells you is that the degree lives in the College of Business & Information Systems, not the computing college.
Ask an advisor for the degree plan and compare it line by line with the technical AI degree. Check how much programming each requires, because that is the real dividing line between the two.
Online
The Online Format
Online is listed as an available delivery option for this program, and the school is in Madison, South Dakota. Ask what a typical week looks like, including live sessions, due dates and proctoring.
Three terms start each year, in Fall, Spring and Summer, which helps if your schedule or your aid timeline is uneven. Terms run 16 weeks with Fall, Spring and Summer starts, so you can begin three times a year.
- Terms
- Semester terms with Fall, Spring and Summer starts.
- Start Dates
- 3 starts a year
Source: dsu.edu (format and schedule), verified September 30, 2026
Credentials
Accreditation and Where It Leads
You earn a B.S. in Artificial Intelligence in Organizations from a public university.
Federal data records 1 degree award at Dakota State in the matching computer science category, so there is little track record to point to. Ask the school about internships, employer partners and where recent graduates work, since those answers will matter more than the title.
Where this degree can lead: Data Scientist Jobs, Jobs You Can Get With an AI Degree.
Trade-Offs
Drawbacks to Weigh
- A 51% graduation rate for the whole university is modest.
- Non-resident online CSC courses carry a $117.70 delivery fee on top of the base rate.
- The public track record is thin.
Before You Apply
Questions to Ask Dakota State University Before You Apply
- Can this degree be finished entirely online, and are any exams on campus?
- How does the degree plan differ from the Artificial Intelligence BS, and how much programming is required?
- Which courses count as CSC courses and carry the higher non-resident rate?
- What credit fees apply beyond the $373.80 per credit hour?
- How many credits will you accept from my earlier college work?
- Where do recent graduates work, and does the college help with internships?
School
About Dakota State University
A public university in Madison, South Dakota.
- Degree
- B.S., Bachelor's
- School
- Dakota State University, Madison, SD
- Institution Type
- Public
- Delivery
- Fully Online
Source: dsu.edu (program and school), verified September 30, 2026
- Graduation Rate
- 51%
- Admit Rate
- 88%
- Total Enrollment
- 3,774
- Bachelor's Completions a Year in This Field
- 1
- Campus Setting
- Town
Source: nces.ed.gov (school data from ipeds), verified September 30, 2026
Rankings
Rankings This Program Appears In
Rank is the program's position among the online programs on that list at its degree level.
- Best Online AI Degrees Rank 1 of 14, bachelor's
- Best Online Bachelor's Programs Rank 1 of 14, bachelor's
- Cheapest Online Programs Rank 1 of 5, bachelor's
- Best for Military Students Rank 1 of 8, bachelor's
- 100% Online Programs Rank 1 of 13, bachelor's
- Public University Programs Rank 1 of 8, bachelor's
Same School
Other Online Programs at Dakota State University
-
B.S., Bachelor's
Compare
Online Bachelor's Programs With Similar Scores
Other online bachelor's programs with the closest scores.
-
Indiana University-Bloomington
Online Bachelor of Arts in Artificial Intelligence
-
Online Bachelor of Science in AI Engineering
-
Indiana University-Indianapolis
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence
-
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Online Bachelor of Science in Applied Artificial Intelligence
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dakota State University's Online Artificial Intelligence in Organizations, BS a Good Program?
It ranks #1 of 14 online bachelor's programs in our 2026 rankings, because it charges $373.80 per credit (tied for the lowest among the online bachelor's programs we rank) and its school's IPEDS graduation rate is 51% (higher than 7 of 10 other online bachelor's programs we rank).
It also places #1 among bachelor's programs on the Cheapest Online Programs list, #1 among bachelor's programs on the Best for Military Students list, and #1 among bachelor's programs on the 100% Online Programs list.
How Is This Different From Dakota State's Other AI Degree?
What Does the Degree Cost in Total?
How Many Times a Year Can I Start?
Sources
- Dakota State University's Artificial Intelligence in Organizations, BS page
- Program name: Artificial Intelligence in Organizations, BS; Credential: B.S.
- Delivery: fully-online
- Term format: Semester terms with Fall, Spring and Summer starts; Starts per year: 3
- Cost per credit: $373.80; Cost notes: 2026-2027 online undergraduate tuition of $373.80 per credit hour; 120...; Estimated tuition: $44,856
- Credits: 120
- Military benefits: Discounted active military tuition for undergraduate courses at $250 per...
- IPEDS Data Center
All sources retrieved .