Best Online Applied AI Degrees (2026)

The title says it plainly: applied AI paired with decision analytics, with courses like AI Integration Strategy and Implementation and a capstone project. At 30 credits and $810 each, the tuition comes to $24,300, the lowest master's price among these applied options. Good for non-technical professionals who will use AI in decisions. Extra charges may apply beyond tuition.

If applying AI means building something you can show an employer, this program's capstone is the draw. It pairs you with classmates, instructors and potential industry partners, and past projects are showcased online. Total tuition is $29,850 over about 20 months. Classes are synchronous, so you'll need set meeting times, and student fees are extra.

Analysts who want AI added to a business toolkit will find the mix here: the College of Business teaches analytics first and applied AI second. You can bring in up to 22 credits from its online Business Analytics certificate toward the 45-credit degree. Tuition runs $965 per credit, about $43,425 in total, so it's longer than most 30-credit options.

Choose a concentration here and your applied AI work gets a clear focus: Conversational AI and Chatbots, Machine Learning for Cybersecurity, or AI for 3D Imaging. Entry requires an engineering or computer technology degree, or statistics coursework. Estimated 2026-2027 tuition is $30,500 before fees, and Fall or Spring starts let you finish in 12 to 20 months.

This is the same applied AI curriculum for people whose background doesn't meet the standard entry rules. Nine extra credit hours of skill-building come first, so the estimate climbs to $71,079 for 2026-2027 before fees, and the schedule stretches to 12 to 24 months. That's a real premium, so use it only if the standard version turned you away.

Applied here is a track you choose, next to a Computational one, inside a program that expects solid computer science preparation. Courses run in four 10-week quarters a year, and an optional co-op experience is available. At 45 quarter credits and $1,400 each, tuition is $63,000, and it takes about two years.

Managers who need to apply AI inside a department, not code it, get a business-school view of the field. Eight concentrations, from Applied AI in Finance to Health Care Administration, let you aim it at your industry. A B-average bachelor's in any field qualifies, with no GRE. Full-time takes 12 months, but part-time stretches to about 36.

This one leans toward building: the engineering option of a 30-credit Master of Artificial Intelligence, ending in a capstone paper on an applied project. Tuition for 2026-27 is $1,089 per credit, $32,670 in total, and the school says 2027-28 costs more. Three starts a year help, but the school's 34 percent graduation rate is worth asking about.

People who want to use generative AI tools, rather than engineer them, should compare this option with its engineering sibling. It's the same 30 credits, the same $32,670 in 2026-27 tuition, and the same applied-project capstone, so the choice comes down to coursework. Faculty also run an AI student group that enters DataFest and Kaggle competitions.

The only bachelor's on this list, and it's for someone starting applied AI from the ground up. Classes are asynchronous with no live sessions, and for-credit internships are offered. Tennessee residents pay $490 per credit, about $58,800 across 120 credits, while others pay $565. Plan on roughly four years unless transfer credits shorten the path.

Two starts a year and a $7,290 total for nine credits make this the easiest way on this list to test applied AI without committing to a master's. Tuition is $810 a credit, fully online. The emphasis is product design and integration strategy, so it fits analysts and managers more than coders. Admission asks for an analytics background, which rules out true beginners.

Rochester lets you decide how technical to get. Its three pathways are AI Strategy and Decision-Making, Python & Applied AI, and Generative AI Using Python, all inside the Simon Business School. At $7,500 for 7.5 credits in seven-week terms, it suits professionals who want a business-school setting. Classes are live, so you'll need to be free at set times.

Pick this if you want a recognizable name and a real machine learning core, not a survey. Four courses cover Python data science, artificial intelligence, neural networks and generative AI. It's 16 credits for $14,850 at 2026-2027 rates, with fall, spring and summer starts. BU Metropolitan College calls its certificates building blocks toward a master's, which helps if you're undecided.

Choose Brandeis if you already work with data and want to deploy models, not just discuss them. Four courses at $1,220 a credit come to $14,640, and you can finish in a year or less. That's roughly double the other two certificates here, and it expects a quantitative degree, so it fits engineers and analysts better than managers.

Finance people get the clearest aim here, since the applied AI work is pointed at finance rather than left generic. It's 12 credits at $1,145 each, $13,740 total, fully online and asynchronous, finishing in 9 to 12 months. Any bachelor's degree qualifies, but Cincinnati says some Python and information systems background is desired, so brush up first.