Florida Atlantic University Online Professional Master's Degree Program in Artificial Intelligence

Florida Atlantic's Professional M.S. in Artificial Intelligence is one of the lowest-priced AI master's degrees we reviewed. It costs $800 per credit, or $24,000 for all 30 credits. Courses run 4 weeks each and the GRE is not required. The tradeoff is a thinner program: it's course-based with no thesis, and FAU's institutional graduation rate is 63%.

Florida Atlantic University is a public university in Boca Raton, Florida. Its College of Engineering and Computer Science describes its MS in Artificial Intelligence as Florida's first, and the Professional Master's Degree Program in Artificial Intelligence is the version built for people who work.

FAU says the program is designed specifically for working professionals. It can be completed on campus or fully online, so you choose the format. The degree is 30 graduate credits and course based, which means no thesis.

FAU also offers a standard MS with a major in artificial intelligence, with thesis and non-thesis options. Its page names the Boca Raton campus and doesn't state an online option, so we don't rank it here. The professional program is the online route.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Tuition is a flat $800 per credit-hour, and FAU puts the total for 30 credit-hours at $24,000. The program fees cover tuition, meals for on-campus Saturday classes, course materials and graduation activities. A flexible payment plan and financial aid methods are available.

Because the rate is flat, you pay the same per credit whether you live in Florida or not. That's unusual for a public university, where out-of-state students often pay more, and it makes the price easy to plan.

The $24,000 total is the price FAU prints with the per-credit rate. The same page also shows a different tuition and fees figure in its cost-of-attendance table, so ask FAU for a written cost sheet.

30 credits at $800 a credit comes to $24,000 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• You work full time and want a fast, structured pace. FAU built the program for working professionals, with evening, weekend and online course formats, and says you can finish in 1.5 years.
• You want to keep the bill low. A flat per-credit rate and a published total make this easy to budget.
• You have the math and coding background. FAU expects calculus and statistics, programming proficiency, and knowledge of data structures and algorithm analysis, plus a desirable bachelor GPA of 3.0 in your last 60 credits.
• You want to attend on your terms. FAU says the program can be completed on campus or fully online, so you can pick the format that suits your week.

Who Should Skip It

• People without a math and programming background. The admissions list includes calculus, statistics and programming, so you'd need to build those first.
• Anyone who wants a thesis or research experience. The program is course based and non-thesis.
• Students who want a long list of concentrations.

The page names three courses that shape the start of the program: Computational Foundations of Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Mining and Machine Learning. They cover the core ideas, from the basic foundations through how systems learn from data.

The degree is course based, so you complete 30 credits of classes and don't write a thesis. That keeps the path simple, and it also means you won't be building a large project as part of the degree unless a course asks for one.

Ask FAU for the full course list and the elective options before you apply. The three courses we can name are a start, and you'll want to see what the rest of the 30 credits look like.

Courses the School Names

• Computational Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
• Artificial Intelligence
• Data Mining and Machine Learning

Standout Features

• All-inclusive program fee covers tuition, meals for on-campus Saturday classes, course materials and graduation activities
• Built for working professionals with evening, weekend and online course formats
• Can be completed on campus or fully online
• Florida's first MS program in Artificial Intelligence

Each course lasts 4 weeks, and FAU says students can complete the program in 1.5 years. That's a fast rhythm. You'll start and finish a subject quickly, and a short course leaves little room to fall behind.

The course format includes evenings, weekends and online material using Canvas. That gives working students several ways to attend. FAU says the program can be completed on campus or fully online, and the program fees cover meals for on-campus Saturday classes, which tells you Saturday sessions exist for people who attend in person.

Ask FAU how many start dates there are each year and whether online classes meet live.

The degree is a Professional Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence from a public university.

FAU's institutional graduation rate is 63%, and its admit rate is 66%. Federal data shows 99 awards in this field at the university. The graduation rate is on the low side among the schools we rank, though the figure covers the whole university and not this program. Ask FAU how many students in this specific program finish.

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

• The program is course based with no thesis, so you don't get a research project.
• The institution's graduation rate is 63%, which is lower than many schools we rank.
• The prerequisites are real. FAU expects calculus, statistics, programming proficiency and knowledge of data structures and algorithm analysis.
• Four-week courses move fast, so a busy month at work can put you behind.

• Do online students ever need to attend Saturday classes on campus, or is that only for the on-campus format?
• I haven't touched calculus in years. How does the program handle that prerequisite before a 4-week course starts?
• Beyond Computational Foundations of Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining and Machine Learning, what electives or specializations can I choose?
• How many start dates are there each year, and when is the next application deadline?
• What share of students in this program finish, and how long does it take them?
• Which cost sheet is correct, the $24,000 program total or the cost-of-attendance table?

A public university in Boca Raton, Florida. Its College of Engineering and Computer Science describes its MS in Artificial Intelligence as Florida's first.

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