Northeastern University Master of Professional Studies in Applied AI Connect (Online)

Northeastern's Applied AI Connect is the on-ramp for people who don't have an engineering, computer technology or statistics background. You earn the same kind of Master of Professional Studies, but you pay for a bridge first, and the $71,079 estimated tuition reflects that.

It's a real option for career changers who want the Northeastern name, and an expensive one. The school's 91% graduation rate is a point in its favor, and the price is the main drawback.

Northeastern is a private nonprofit university in Boston. Its Master of Professional Studies in Applied AI Connect is delivered fully online and lists a duration of 12 to 24 months.

Connect is one of four AI master's programs at Northeastern, and the siblings matter here. The standard Master of Professional Studies in Applied AI is online too, and it's meant for people who already hold an engineering or computer technology degree, or have coursework in place of statistics.

Applicants without that background are directed to Connect. S. programs in Artificial Intelligence, including the Align version, are on-ground, so they don't compete for the same student.

Northeastern's overall admit rate is 5%.

Northeastern lists the program as online, with a duration of 12 to 24 months. The standard version lists 12 to 20 months, so the bridge stretches the long end by four months.

The standard program lists entry terms in fall and spring. Confirm how many starts there are each year for Connect before you plan your timeline.

Ask whether classes are live or on your own schedule, and how full-time and part-time students typically pace the 12 to 24 months, because that range is wide.

Who It Fits

• You're switching into AI from a field like business, healthcare or the arts, and the standard Applied AI program would turn you away because you lack the degree or the statistics coursework it asks for. Northeastern's own admissions note sends applicants without that background to Connect, so this is the intended door for you.
• You want to finish in 12 to 24 months, fully online, and you're comfortable with the bridge adding nine semester hours of skill-building courses before the standard MPS curriculum starts.
• You value a Northeastern credential and have the budget for it, or an employer who will help pay.

Who Should Skip It

• You hold an engineering or computer technology degree, or have statistics coursework. The standard Applied AI program lists $30,500 and doesn't need the bridge.
• You want the lowest-cost route into AI. Several online master's programs on our list cost far less.
• You want an M.S. in Artificial Intelligence. Northeastern's two M.S. programs are on-ground.

Connect adds nine additional credit hours of skill-building courses before the standard MPS curriculum. Those nine hours are the bridge, and they're why the total is higher.

The standard Applied AI program lists concentrations in Conversational AI and Chatbots, Machine Learning for Cybersecurity, and AI for 3D Imaging. Ask Northeastern whether the same options are open to you once the bridge is done.

Ask what the final requirement looks like.

Standout Features

• Nine credits of skill-building courses build a foundation for students from any professional background

Northeastern estimates $71,079 in total tuition for Academic Year 2026-2027, and that figure excludes fees. It includes the nine additional credit hours of bridge courses.

The sister program, the standard Master of Professional Studies in Applied AI, lists $30,500 in estimated tuition. So Connect costs more than double. That gap is the price of starting without the technical background.

If you already have a technical degree or statistics coursework, ask whether you can apply to the cheaper version. Fees come on top, so ask what they add up to for a full-time and a part-time student.

The degree is a Master of Professional Studies from Northeastern University. The program page we reviewed doesn't name a program-specific accreditation or an industry certification.

The value is mostly the school behind it and the route it opens. If you don't have a technical background, Connect is the way into the same Northeastern program that more technical applicants enter directly.

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

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• At $71,079 in estimated tuition before fees, it's the most expensive path to a master's on our list that we reviewed here.
• The bridge adds nine credit hours before you reach the standard curriculum.
• A 12 to 24 month range is wide, so the timeline depends on how much you take each term.

• Does my current degree or coursework qualify me for the standard Applied AI program, so I can skip the Connect bridge and its extra tuition?
• What does the nine-credit bridge cover, and can I test out of any part of it?
• What does the $71,079 estimate leave out beyond fees, and how does the total change if I take the full 24 months?
• How many start terms does Connect have each year?
• Can I choose from the same concentrations the standard program offers?
• Are classes live or on my own schedule?

• Best Online AI Degrees Rank 19 of 49, master's
• Best Online Master's Programs Rank 19 of 49, master's
• Best AI Engineering Degrees Rank 7 of 16, master's
• Best Machine Learning Degrees Rank 3 of 11, master's
• Best Applied AI Degrees Rank 5 of 9, master's
• Accelerated Online Programs Rank 3 of 14, master's
• 100% Online Programs Rank 19 of 46, master's
• Best Online Programs in Massachusetts Rank 7 of 7, master's

• Master of Professional Studies in Applied AI (Online)

  M.P.S., Master's

  Fully Online Score 71.0

• Graduate Certificate in AI Applications

  Graduate Certificate, Graduate Certificate

  Fully Online $328 per credit Score 100.0

Also at Northeastern University, but not counted here because they are not fully online: Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (master's, on campus); Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence Align (master's, on campus).

• San Jose State University

  MS in Artificial Intelligence (Special Session)

  California $1,022 per credit Score 71.4

• Capitol Technology University

  Master of Research (MRes) in Artificial Intelligence

  Maryland $665 per credit Score 72.1

• Texas A&M University-College Station

  Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (Distance)

  Texas Score 69.9

• University of Illinois Chicago

  Online Master of Engineering with a Concentration in AI and Machine Learning

  Illinois $896 per credit Score 69.3