Editor’s Choice: Our Top Picks for the Very Best Master’s and Graduate Certificate Programs in Artificial Intelligence

There’s no question that artificial intelligence is going to change the world. The big question is how. That very question is being answered today concretely, and with great nuance and depth. It’s the top graduate schools in the country offering degrees in AI that are providing those answers.

If you want to take the wheel in advancing this revolutionary technology, you can’t settle when it comes to your education.

Master’s-level studies are a practical requirement for jobs in any field as complex and earth-shaking as AI. But when you’re talking about a technology with the potential to replicate and eventually surpass even human cognition, you want a program that lives on the leading edge of high-tech innovation.

There are a handful of universities in the United States today that are involved in pushing the boundaries of what is possible in AI. If you’re serious about learning from the smartest minds in the field, working alongside a cohort of the best and the brightest, while exploring your own ideas in the age of thinking machines, these are the places to be.

Graduate Studies in Artificial Intelligence Are at a Unique Stage

It’s an exciting time to be involved in artificial intelligence. But not just anyone can show up and explore the very nature of what it means for machines to think, or how to push them to new heights in human-level reasoning… or beyond.

For the elite prospects who are developing the algorithms and processes that will run the AI platforms of tomorrow, a fundamental grounding in the best AI thinking happening today is essential. And these universities are where it is happening.

AI is a technology that is being incubated in the research centers of major American universities.

While the hottest new applications in AI are coming out of private corporations, they’re all being built on basic research that has spent decades cooking in academic computer science and engineering departments.

If you’re serious about being a game-changing contributor in the field of AI engineering, then, you don’t just want a master’s degree or post-bacc certificate… you want one from the best school you can find.

How We Selected the AI Graduate Programs Worthy of Being Called the Best

But what exactly goes into picking the best university graduate programs in artificial intelligence? In such a new and formative field there are a lot of different ideas and approaches.

We’ve used time-tested human methods to identify extraordinary programs from elite schools – the ones that get to know you and your potential during the admissions process; the ones that recognize your talents and work with you to develop them; the ones that will make any hiring committee sit up a little straighter and lean in when they see the name on a resume.

Elite Graduate Studies Are Led by Elite Instructors

Rock star instructors go right to the top of our list of things to look for in elite AI engineering programs. This is a field where inspired individuals are having a big impact. It’s the ideas and research projects of visionaries that are changing the face of modern AI, after all. When you can learn directly from those professors, tap into their ideas, and assist in their research, that’s an invaluable leg up in your own education in the field.

These schools meet that test and more, with faculty members who include IEEE fellows, among those with other distinctions, and many with illustrious careers behind them.

At these schools you’ll find some of the best mentors and mentorship available in AI graduate education today.

Top Programs Deliver the Resources to Support Modern AI Research

While a lot of what is going on in modern AI is pure theory and mathematics, there’s also plenty of hardcore processing happening. It takes significant computational horsepower to train and operate many of the most impressive AI tools today.

So we’ve identified schools that have the computer science resources to match your AI ambitions. Many of them run dedicated centers for AI research and development. They have serious IT support staff and state-of-the-art centers where you can put your ideas to the test.

Great AI Graduate Schools Earn Great Reputations

Reputations are still being made in the small circles of cutting-edge AI researchers. But if you ask around to see what universities everyone is talking about, it’s the names on this list you’ll be hearing.

Reputation isn’t everything, but in a major where the yardsticks aren’t yet fully developed, it counts for a lot.

These are universities whose findings are published in major research journals, and who are named as top recommendations in respected publications. If there is an AI engineering graduate program that is turning heads in multiple fields today, chances are good it’s on this list.

Success in AI Graduate Studies Requires Connections to the AI Industry

We also looked for schools that have strong ties to industry. Anytime you have a CompSci department whose alums are creating hundreds of startups raising billions of dollars in funding, you know you are dealing with a university that is fostering the right qualities in their students.

And those alumni connections are important in a small industry that is growing by leaps and bounds. These are programs with big but tight-knit alumni networks, ones that will continue to help you make connections and build your expertise long after graduation.

Academic Excellence Is a Must in AI Graduate Studies

Finally, we understand that the basics are all still important even in the most futuristic learning environments. So we looked for schools that check the right boxes in basic academic and research support: well-funded teams and specialty resources to help deal with thorny problems of knowledge or administration.

We also looked for schools with notable research going on, with full funding for the future. AI is still in the phase where a lot of the learning is happening through basic research. These are the schools that are conducting that research and giving graduate students the opportunities to participate and make real contributions.

Giving You the Data You Need to Complete Your Analysis of the AI Graduate Program That’s Right for You

No future AI engineer worth their salt is just going to take our word for how terrific these programs are, though. It’s in your nature to dive deep, to ask penetrating questions, and to work out all the angles.

We wouldn’t expect anything less. And that’s why we’re also giving you the data you need to dig deeper.

We give you a standard set of data points for each of these programs as a basis. Then, we flesh it all out with some of the highlights that show exactly how these programs distinguish themselves. Big funding drops that power groundbreaking research efforts; top rankings by industry journals or college rating organizations; unique ties to related industries or a track record of alumni hires in the industry.

You’ll also see exactly what the philosophy and orientation of the program is, whether it’s hardcore engineering or one that leans into the philosophical underpinnings of machine intelligence research.

Editor’s Choice: Our Top Selections of the Best AI Master’s Degree and Certificate Programs

This list offers a penetrating view into the most esteemed AI graduate degree programs today. Artificial intelligence is in our future, and it will touch the lives of everyone. But it’s the graduates of these master’s degree and certificate programs who will be building and shaping that world.