University of Colorado Boulder Online Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (Coursera)

This is the most unusual door into an AI master's on our list. You earn admission by passing a three-course pathway with a B or better in each course, with no traditional application and no bachelor's degree required. Total tuition is $15,750. The tradeoff is that it's delivered through Coursera and has no internships. The Higher Learning Commission accredits the 30-credit degree.

The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university, and its Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence comes in two forms. One is a residential professional master's on campus. The other, which this review covers, is a 100% online degree delivered through Coursera.

The online version is a non-thesis degree of 30 credits. Courses are self-paced within 8-week sessions, and there are six start dates a year. The school says you can finish in as little as 12 months, and the listed range is 12 to 24 months.

What sets it apart from its on-campus sibling is the way in. The campus program is a two-year residential degree that lists professional internships and asks for a bachelor's degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA. The Coursera version asks for neither. You prove yourself in coursework first.

The degree is 100% online and self-paced, with 8-week courses. Six start dates a year means you rarely wait long to begin. You can study full time or part time, and the listed finish times run from 12 months to 24 months.

Coursera delivers the courses, so the experience is closer to a modern online learning platform than a traditional campus portal. Ask what kind of contact you can expect, such as live sessions or faculty office hours.

Self-paced doesn't mean easy. You need discipline to keep moving through 8-week sessions without a live class to anchor your week.

Who It Fits

• You don't have a bachelor's degree, or your undergraduate record is weak, and you want to prove yourself through coursework. The pathway is machine learning or statistical learning courses.
• You want self-paced courses that stay flexible. Courses run 8 weeks, with six start dates a year, and you can study full or part time.
• You'd like to see the real material before paying for the whole degree. Tuition is paid as you go by session, so you can stop between sessions.
• You want the same diploma an on-campus student gets. CU Boulder says graduates receive that diploma with no designation of online or Coursera.

Who Should Skip It

• You want a traditional campus experience or an internship. The program says no internships are available, and the campus version is the one that lists professional internships.
• You'd rather be admitted on your record than on a test of your coursework. The pathway is a real hurdle, since each of the three courses needs a B or better.

Colorado's page for this degree names the entry pathway, not a course-by-course map. The pathway is three courses in machine learning or statistical learning, and passing each with a B or better is what earns you admission. In effect, the first stretch of the program is also the audition.

The degree totals 30 credits and is non-thesis, so there's no thesis to write. Ask the school for the full course list and which courses count toward the 30 credits.

Standout Features

• Earn an Artificial Intelligence Graduate Certificate on the way to the degree
• Graduates receive the same diploma as on-campus students, with no designation of online or Coursera
• Pay-as-you-go tuition: pay only for the courses taken in the upcoming eight-week session
• Performance-based admission with no bachelor's degree or traditional application required
• Up to eight years allowed to finish; students can complete in 12 to 24 months

Colorado lists $15,750 USD total tuition, paid as you go by session. That price covers course access and exam proctoring. The degree is 30 credits and non-thesis.

Because you pay by session, you can pause between sessions, which lowers the risk of committing to the whole bill at once. The $15,750 total is the figure to plan around.

Ask whether the three pathway courses are billed separately or count toward the $15,750, and whether any fees sit outside that figure.

You earn a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence from CU Boulder. The school says the degree is fully accredited and that graduates get the same diploma as on-campus students. The Higher Learning Commission accredits the 30-credit degree.

The school's reported graduation rate is 74 percent, which describes the university overall, not this online degree.

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

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• No internships are available, so you'll need to build professional connections on your own.
• The admission pathway is a real test. A grade below a B in any of the three courses stops you.
• Delivery runs through Coursera, which some people like and others find less personal than a campus program.

• Are the three pathway courses billed in addition to the $15,750, or do they count toward it?
• If I don't earn a B in a pathway course, what are my options for retaking it?
• The program lists no internships available. How do students build professional experience or connections?
• Which courses make up the remaining credits after the pathway, and are there electives?
• How much live contact with faculty or classmates is there?
• Do any fees fall outside the listed tuition?

Delivered through CU Boulder's MS-CS on Coursera program; courses carry CU Boulder graduate credit.

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• Artificial Intelligence Graduate Certificate (Coursera)

  Graduate Certificate, Graduate Certificate

  Fully Online $525 per credit Score 78.3

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

• Maryville University of Saint Louis

  Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence

  Missouri $875 per credit Score 68.7

• George Washington University

  Online Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

  District of Columbia Score 69.2

• University of Illinois Chicago

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

  Illinois $896 per credit Score 69.3

• University of Washington-Seattle Campus

  Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Engineering

  Washington Score 69.3