The University of Texas at Austin Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (Online)

UT Austin's online Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence is 30 credit hours for about $10,000 total, with no GRE required, from a flagship public university. If you have a technical bachelor's degree, it's very hard to beat on price and name. If you don't, the admission bar may be your biggest hurdle.

This degree comes from Computer & Data Science Online in the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. UT describes it as one of the first AI master's programs available 100% online, and it's a 30-hour program built around machine learning and related AI topics.

It's a serious technical degree. The admission language says a bachelor's degree, typically in computer science, engineering, mathematics or a related field, so people from other backgrounds should read the requirements carefully.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

UT Austin lists total tuition of $10,000, about $1,000 per 3-credit course. Our data computes $333 per credit across 30 credits. International student fees and late registration fees may apply on top of that.

That's a very low price for a master's from a flagship public university. Few online AI master's degrees on this site come close. Even so, ask for a full list of fees, since tuition is only part of any degree bill.

30 credits at $333 a credit comes to $9,990 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• You have a bachelor's in computer science, engineering, math or a related field and want a master's in AI at a low total cost.
• You work full time and want asynchronous, instructor-paced courses you can access on your own schedule.
• You want a flagship university name without a tuition bill in the tens of thousands.
• You've been avoiding the GRE. UT doesn't require it for any CDSO program, and scores are only considered if you submit them.

Who Should Skip It

• Your bachelor's is in an unrelated field and you have no programming or math background. Look at business-focused AI master's programs with broader admission rules.
• You want a short program. A 30-hour master's is a real commitment of time, even at a low price.
• You want live evening classes or a tight cohort. The courses are asynchronous.

The master's is a 30-hour program. Courses on the program page include Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing and Reinforcement Learning, and Ethics in AI is required. Those are core AI topics, which tells you this is a technical degree, not a management overview.

UT Austin describes the courses as asynchronous and instructor-paced, designed to be accessed on your schedule. Before you apply, review the current course catalog for electives and prerequisites, because the program expects real preparation in programming and math.

Courses the School Names

• Ethics in AI (required)
• Deep Learning
• Machine Learning
• Natural Language Processing
• Reinforcement Learning

Standout Features

• Certificate credits transfer into the MS in AI with no retakes
• Pre-recorded lectures; no set meeting times
• Taught by UT Austin faculty, with reinforcement learning led by active researchers Peter Stone and Scott Niekum

UT calls it one of the first AI master's programs available 100% online. The courses are asynchronous and instructor-paced, which means you follow a course schedule with deadlines but don't have to attend at a set hour.

Instructor-paced is a different thing from self-paced. You can't binge a course in one weekend and move on. Plan for steady weekly work, and ask the program how many courses a typical student takes at once.

You earn a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence from The University of Texas at Austin. According to federal IPEDS data, 27% of applicants are admitted, the overall graduation rate is 89% and about 53,864 students attend.

Our wage data lists a median of $137,740 for the broader field this degree feeds into. That's a field figure, not a graduate outcome for this program. A degree like this stands on its own as a credential.

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

• Admission expects a bachelor's degree typically in computer science, engineering, mathematics or a related field. Career changers from other fields face a harder path in.
• Instructor-paced courses mean deadlines. If your work schedule swings wildly, ask how the program handles missed weeks.
• Fees can add to the $10,000 tuition, including international student fees and late registration fees.

• What background do admitted students usually have, and what happens if my degree isn't in a technical field?
• How many courses do students typically take at once, and how long does the 30 hours take at that pace?
• Which electives are offered, and how often does each run?
• What fees come on top of the $10,000 tuition?
• If I start with the online AI certificate first, which credits move into the master's?
• How much programming and math should I be comfortable with before the first course?

Flagship public research university in Austin, Texas. Its online AI programs are offered through Computer & Data Science Online in the College of Natural Sciences.

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