MSAI Builds One of the World’s Largest AI Talent Pipelines

The University of Texas at Austin’s online Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence, developed and administered by Computer and Data Science Online (CDSO), is expanding access to advanced AI education at a scale rarely seen in graduate education. Since welcoming 733 students in its first cohort in spring 2024, MSAI has grown to more than 2,000 enrolled students. That rapid expansion has made it one of UT Austin’s largest graduate programs and one of the largest pipelines of university-trained AI talent in the world.

The program combines technical rigor with an accessible delivery model. Offered fully online at a total tuition cost of approximately $10,000, MSAI enables working professionals and other students to pursue an advanced degree without relocating or leaving the workforce. Its interdisciplinary curriculum draws on expertise across computer science, statistics and data science, electrical and computer engineering, and related fields.

MSAI is also a principal broadening-participation initiative supported by the Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning. By reducing the financial and logistical barriers associated with traditional residential graduate programs, it extends access to UT Austin’s AI expertise across a large and geographically diverse community of learners.
That effort now includes a four-course graduate certificate in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Drawing directly from the degree curriculum, the certificate provides a more focused pathway for students who want rigorous AI training but do not need or wish to complete the full master’s program.

The curriculum continues to evolve alongside the field. A new generative AI course taught by computer scientist Qiang Liu expands the program’s coverage of modern generative modeling, including the approaches underlying today’s image-generation systems and large language models. The course also features guest lecture materials from leading researchers Jason Lee and Ludwig Schmidt.

Together, the degree and certificate demonstrate how UT Austin and IFML are translating research strength into education at scale, preparing thousands of students to develop, evaluate, and responsibly apply the next generation of artificial intelligence technologies.

Learn more about the MSAI program: cdso.utexas.edu/msai