Best Accelerated Online AI Degrees (2026)

Purdue lists a 12 to 24 month window, so it speeds up only if you take the full course load. At $950 a credit, the 30 credits come to $28,500 in tuition, which is cheaper than most one-year options here. Pick it if you already have programming, calculus and linear algebra and want to be done within a year, because the technical major requires them.

Fall and Spring starts mean you can begin within months rather than waiting for one annual intake, and the program can be finished in 12 months at its fastest, 20 at its slowest. Northeastern estimates $30,500 for 2026-2027, fees excluded. It suits an engineer or analyst who wants a quick applied degree, but the entry rules send everyone else to the Connect version.

Plan on 12 to 24 months here, and note that the extra nine credit hours of skill-building courses come before the regular curriculum. That makes it the slowest and priciest entry in this chunk, at an estimated $71,079 for 2026-2027 without fees. Choose it only if you're switching fields and the standard Applied AI program won't accept your background.

UIC can be completed in as few as 12 months, which means fitting nine courses into a single year. That's 36 credit hours at $896, or $32,256 before fees, with no thesis to slow you down. It works for a working engineer who can handle a heavy load, though the degree is a Master of Engineering with an AI concentration rather than an AI-titled degree.

Eight-week courses and six start dates a year let you move as fast as your schedule allows, and the program says finishing in 12 months is possible. At $15,750 total, it's the cheapest quick degree on this list. The catch is the gate: you must earn a B or better in three pathway courses first, so the clock starts before enrollment, not after.

Georgetown says you can finish in as little as one year full time, with three starts a year and asynchronous courses you can fit around a job. Any bachelor's field is accepted. The price is steep, though. At $1,752 a credit, 30 credits total $52,560 based on the Fall entry rate. It fits a manager who values speed and the Georgetown name.

West Virginia gives you three entry points a year and 8-week courses, so you can enroll quickly and keep moving. The published pace is one to three years, so a faster finish depends on how many courses you stack. Tuition is $24,150 for 30 credits at $805 each, before fees. You'll want a computer science or related bachelor's with a 3.0 GPA.

Cincinnati is quick if you go full time, at 12 months, but part-timers should expect about 36. That 12-month path suits a business graduate with a B average who can commit to asynchronous study. At $1,145 a credit for Ohio residents, 30 credits is $34,350. A certificate in Artificial Intelligence in Business can transfer in, letting you start smaller and finish faster.

Arizona is set at 12 months, with no slower option, so it's for someone who can commit a full year. The flat $1,250 per credit means 30 credits cost $37,500. Admission takes any bachelor's field, but you must clear an entry test on statistics, Python and SQL and show six credit hours of business coursework first, which can add prep time before the year begins.

Three starts a year and a finish in as little as one year make this one of the faster engineering options. It's 30 credits, non-thesis, ending in a capstone where you build new models and algorithms. Admission goes smoothly if you have an engineering or computer science degree with a 3.0 GPA, since the GRE applies only below that. No price is published.

If speed is your filter, this is the tightest calendar you'll find here: FAU packs 30 credits into four-week courses and says you can be done in about 18 months. That's a full master's for $24,000 total. Choose it if you already have calculus, statistics and programming, because those are expected before day one. Courses are course-based with no thesis, so you won't get a research track.

USD earns its spot by never making you wait for a start: Spring, Summer and Fall entry means you can begin within a few months of deciding. You take two seven-week courses each term and finish in roughly 20 months, across five semesters. It suits someone who wants a steady, year-round rhythm. Budget past the $29,850 tuition, since student fees are added, and expect little slack when work gets busy.

CTU runs 5-week courses, the shortest terms among the bachelor's programs here, and its Fast Track exams let you earn credit for what you already know. That suits someone with work experience who wants to skip material and move through the degree quickly. The load is 183 quarter credit hours, and tuition isn't printed, so run CTU's calculator before you commit.

ASU Online breaks the 120-credit degree into 7.5-week classes, 44 in all, so you carry a short stretch of coursework at a time and can see progress often. It's a fit for someone aiming at business roles who wants a public university behind the diploma, with two capstones that build AI solutions. No start dates or price are printed, so ask admissions how soon you can begin.

Full Sail is the only bachelor's here built as a completion program, in an accelerated format with monthly class starts. Because your earlier college credit or associate degree counts, you skip repeating basics and begin within weeks. The course order is fixed, so there's no scheduling to sort out each term. A math assessment is required to enroll, and no length or tuition is published, so request both.