Best Online AI Degree Programs (2026)

Within Boston University's five master's, this is the technical one. It's 30 credits for $25,000 and takes 16 months, and everyone starts with a Computer Science Bootcamp two weeks before the semester. Choose it if you want to build AI systems and need the computer science base. It finishes with the CX 699 capstone.

Boston University's software engineering master's is the one to pick if you write code for a living and want to ship AI features. It's 30 credits over 16 months for $25,000 total, with no GRE. Three other BU master's cost the same, so the real difference is focus: this one leans toward building software, not strategy. Expect preparatory bootcamp work first and a two-term capstone at the end.

Oregon State is the business-minded entry on this list. Its master's in Business Analytics and Applied AI runs 45 credits at $965 each, so tuition comes to $43,425, with no extra charge for nonresidents.

Four starts a year suit working managers, and up to 22 credits from the online Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics can transfer in. The trade-off is length, plus a curriculum aimed at decisions more than model building.

Research-style study costs less here than in Capitol's MPhil, which is six credits longer. Thirty credits at $665 come to $19,950, before a $55 per-credit technology fee, and everything is online. Capitol designs it for experienced professionals who already hold an AI-related bachelor's, and it ends in a defended dissertation. If your undergraduate degree is in another field, look elsewhere.

SJSU suits working engineers who want a fixed rhythm. You take one 11-week course at a time, one evening a week, with the same cohort and a guaranteed seat in every class. At $1022 per credit across 33 credits, tuition comes to $33,726. That's high for a public school because it's a self-supported Special Session. Admission expects a 3.0 GPA and a technical degree.

Northeastern gives you two start terms a year, Fall and Spring, and a 12 to 20 month finish at an estimated $30,500 in tuition for 2026-2027, fees excluded. Concentrations include Conversational AI and Chatbots and Machine Learning for Cybersecurity. Without an engineering or computer technology degree, or statistics coursework, the school points you to its Connect version instead.

Northeastern's Connect version exists for career changers whose background would turn them away from the standard Applied AI program. You add nine credit hours of skill-building courses first, then the usual curriculum, over 12 to 24 months fully online. Estimated 2026-2027 tuition is $71,079 before fees, against $30,500 for the standard route. Choose it only if you truly lack the engineering or statistics prerequisites.

Texas A&M puts a large public computer science and engineering department behind a fully online degree. The 30-credit-hour program isn't taught on campus at all and takes 1.5 to 2.5 years depending on your course load. No total price is printed, so you run the university's tuition calculator for Engineering, remote instruction, to get your own quote. Pick it for the department's name if you can budget from that quote.

UIC is the fast, practical route for an engineer who wants a public-university credential without writing a thesis. The Master of Engineering is nine courses, 36 credit hours at $896, about $32,256 before fees, and it can be finished in as few as 12 months. It's the longest credit load in this group of ten, so check the course load against your work week.

Pick Washington if you're an engineer who wants to finish in steps. You earn two graduate certificates, choosing from five areas such as Modern AI Methods or Human Centered Artificial Intelligence, then complete a two-quarter applied capstone. The GRE isn't required. The catch is timing and cost: only one start a year, 2025-26 estimates of $40,375 to $43,088, and no admission for students needing an I-20.

George Washington is the live-class choice on this list. Sessions are 100% live online, with some asynchronous work mixed in, across 30 credits for $37,500 with eBooks included. Five starts a year keep the wait short and GRE scores are optional. You'll need a bachelor's in engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics or something close, and courses like Autonomous Systems & Robotics show the technical lean.

Maryville is a sensible middle path if you'd rather skip the GRE and keep your job. Tuition is $28,875 for 33 credits at $875 each, three starts a year, and two classes per term can finish in as few as 24 months. Remember the $775 technology fee each semester, which isn't in that total. The capstone is a real-world applied project.

Colorado Boulder is the way in for people without a bachelor's degree or a strong transcript. Instead of applying, you pass a three-course pathway in machine learning or statistical learning with a B or better in each. Total tuition is $15,750 for 30 credits, paid by session, with 8-week courses and six start dates a year. It runs through Coursera, and the program says no internships are available.

Georgetown fits a professional who wants to lead AI projects rather than build the models. Courses are asynchronous, there are three starts a year, and you can finish in as little as one year. Any bachelor's degree qualifies, with a 3.0 GPA recommended and no minimum. The cost is the catch: 30 credits at $1,752 each comes to $52,560, so you're paying for the brand and the speed.

Pick this if you work in healthcare and want AI for clinical decisions, not a general degree. Saint Louis University asks for an application, transcripts and a resume, with no GRE and no computer science or advanced math background. It's 30 credits fully online, and courses include Reinforcement Learning for Clinical Decision Making. The trade-off is focus: it's tuned to medicine, so a software career needs a broader program.

Illinois Tech makes the list on its computing pedigree. The Master of Artificial Intelligence (M.A.S.) requires at least 30 credits and is offered on campus and online, at a Chicago school with a 75% graduation rate.

Ask admissions for the online per-credit rate and multiply by 30 to compare it with the others here. Choose it if a Chicago technology school's name matters to you and you don't mind gathering details yourself.

Grand Canyon works if monthly cost matters most and you can transfer credit. It charges $610 per credit, the lowest rate in this group, but the degree is 46 credits, so tuition lands at $28,060 before fees. Up to 12 credits, one third of the program, may transfer in. The trade-off is that the school's public details on courses, admissions and class format are thin, so ask before you apply.

West Virginia is the budget pick for someone who already has a computer science or related degree. At $805 per credit hour for 30 credits, tuition is $24,150 before fees. Eight-week courses start in Fall, Spring and Summer, and you can choose a Machine Learning or Intelligent Systems concentration. Admission wants a 3.0 GPA, and other majors need a year of AI or ML experience.

Bridgeport is the open door on this list for career changers. Any bachelor's degree qualifies, the first semester is an onramp, and four concentrations include Robotics and Automation and Deep Learning and Computer Vision. You can pick a nine-course project or an eight-course thesis. Tuition is $1,100 per credit for 30 credits, $33,000, plus a $510 program fee and $25 per credit in textbooks.

Drexel is for people with a solid computer science background who want four start dates a year and a defined finish line. It's 45 quarter credits at $1,400 each, which is $63,000 before fees, and you can finish in as little as two years. The cost is the main drawback here. Drexel's Graduate Certificate in Computer Science can serve as an entry point if you're short on background.

Duke belongs here for working engineers who want a top-name credential and can pay for it. At $2,555 per credit, 30 credits come to $76,650, among the priciest options on this list. The schedule is 24 months part-time, and internship courses carry no tuition. The trade-off is travel: two residencies on the Duke campus are required even though the courses are online.

NJIT is the list's clearest on-ramp for career changers with a STEM degree but gaps in prerequisites. Finish its Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence with a 3.0 or higher and admission to the M.S. is guaranteed. The 30 credits run $1,284 each, $38,520 total, for in-state and out-of-state students alike. Expect about two years part-time, and a master's project or thesis.

North Texas is worth a look if you live in Texas and want to test the field cheaply. UNT estimates $18.7K in tuition and fees for a resident over the 33-credit program, and out-of-state costs vary. A 12-hour online graduate certificate counts toward the master's, so you can start small. Concentrations include Machine Learning and Autonomous Systems. The trade-off is that UNT publishes no per-credit rate.

Pick this one if you manage people or budgets and want AI strategy rather than model building. Any bachelor's field qualifies with a B average, and the 30 credits cost $34,800 out of state or $34,350 for Ohio residents. Courses are asynchronous with two starts a year. Eight concentrations, from finance to marketing, let you point the degree at your own industry.

City University of Seattle fits adults who want an AI master's without a programming background, since preparatory courses and an undergraduate certificate cover the basics. Tuition is $775 per quarter credit in 10-week courses, and active-duty servicemembers get discounts and can use the GI Bill. The catch is the credit total: the page lists 39 to 59 including prep, so price your own path.

UAB is a second medical-AI option beside Saint Louis University's, built for both current and future medical professionals. Its page says the program can be taken completely online and covers the legal and ethical side of AI in medicine. Pick it if you're a public-university health worker or student who wants those skills. Ask admissions for the credits and total tuition before you apply.

Iowa State earns a spot because its computer science department runs a fully online M.S. in Artificial Intelligence, separate from the original in-person degree. It suits readers who want a public research university in Ames and don't mind doing some homework first. Credits, tuition and schedule aren't confirmed here, so ask the department for them before you budget or apply.

WGU suits self-starters who want to move fast and keep costs flexible. Tuition is $4,385 per six-month term rather than per credit, so every course you finish sooner saves money. The pace is self-paced and asynchronous, with a typical length of 19 months. Note the diploma reads Computer Science with an AI and machine learning specialization, not an AI-titled degree.

Arizona gives career changers a quick route: a fully online, 12-month master's open to any bachelor's field with a 3.0 GPA. The Eller College of Management runs it, so the focus is AI strategy and business use. Tuition is a flat $1,250 per credit, $37,500 for 30 credits. Expect an entry test on statistics, Python and SQL, plus six credits of business coursework.

Yale's Master of Health Science comes from the School of Medicine and runs two years part-time for $51,100 in total. Courses range from neural networks to large language models, FDA regulation and clinical risk management. It suits technical or clinical professionals living in the U.S., Canada or Mexico. The catch is travel: every semester opens with a one-week in-person immersion in New Haven.

Choose this over Cincinnati's business master's if you already hold an engineering or computer science bachelor's and want to build models. It's 30 credits, non-thesis, fully online, with a hands-on AI capstone and three starts a year. The GRE is only required if your GPA is under 3.0 or your degree is in another field. Some students finish in as little as a year.

DePaul is the open door among the master's programs here. You need a 2.5 GPA and two calculus courses, not a computer science degree, and it enrolls in four quarters a year. Intro programming, data structures and statistics courses are available if you lack the background. Pick it if you're switching fields. The cost is 48 quarter credits at $1,003, or $48,144 before the comprehensive fee.

Michigan-Dearborn works for employed STEM graduates who want the GRE off the table. You can finish the 30 credits fully online, entirely on campus, or by mixing the two, and classes meet late afternoons and evenings. Four concentrations include computer vision and machine learning. The trade-off is price clarity: the cost figures are general graduate rates, not an online-specific per-credit price, so ask for a quote.

Penn State's AI Engineering Option suits you if you want to build and ship models and like a public university name on the diploma. It's 30 credits at $1,089, so $32,670 in 2026-27 tuition, and you can collect up to three related graduate certificates on the way. Part-time students should plan for the 2027-28 rate, which is higher than today's.

Choose Penn State's Applied and Generative AI Option over its engineering twin if you'll use AI tools at work more than you'll build them. The two options share the same 30 credits, the same $1,089 per credit and the same $32,670 total. Both end in a capstone paper built on an applied project. Expect the price to climb after 2026-27.

Christian Brothers asks for a 3.0 undergraduate GPA and nothing else we could confirm, which keeps the entry bar modest. The degree is 34 credits, fully online, and finishes with a 3-credit AI Master's Project. The trade-off is price. No tuition figure is published, so ask who bills you, since the program runs through a partnership with Lewis University.

Montclair State is the business-minded pick for working analysts who want AI added to their toolkit. It can be finished online in as few as 21 months, and the capstone is a practicum solving real problems for organizations. Plan for a required 3-5 day domestic trip, plus a 25-30 hour online statistics module you finish before classes start.

UMGC fits working adults and veterans who already have college credits, since it accepts up to 90 transfer credits toward the 120. Maryland residents pay $337 per credit, about $40,440 total, while others pay $499, about $59,880. Military students pay $250. Coursework leans toward AI inside organizations, finishing with the AI Capstone, so it suits applied roles more than research.

South College makes sense when you want computer science first and an AI concentration second, from a school accredited by SACSCOC. It ends with two capstone courses where you evaluate a business problem and build a solution. The warning is size: 184.5 credits is far above a 120-credit bachelor's, and no tuition is published, so get the full cost in writing.