10 Best Online MBA in Artificial Intelligence Programs 2027

Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from a specialized technical concern to something that touches nearly every business function, from how companies forecast demand to how they screen job candidates. That shift has created demand for managers who can do more than greenlight an AI project — people who understand what the technology can realistically deliver, where it tends to fail, and how to build a team around it. If that’s the direction you’re headed, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with an AI focus gives you the business foundation and the technical fluency to lead those conversations.

Below, you’ll find the best online MBAs in artificial intelligence, chosen for their accreditation, flexibility, and the depth of their AI coursework. Each program on this list lets you earn an MBA without stepping away from your current role, whether through a named AI concentration, a specialization, or a stackable certificate. Keep reading for a closer look at what these programs cover, what they cost, and how to tell which one fits your career goals.

What Is an Online MBA in Artificial Intelligence?

An online MBA in artificial intelligence is a graduate business degree that pairs standard MBA core coursework with focused study in AI, machine learning, and data-driven decision-making. You still cover the fundamentals — finance, marketing, operations, strategy, organizational leadership — but your electives and capstone work point toward how AI reshapes those functions. The emphasis is managerial rather than purely technical: you’re learning to evaluate and deploy AI tools, not to build them from scratch.

Schools structure this focus in a few different ways. Some offer a formal concentration or specialization you declare within the MBA, typically three to five courses in the AI track. Others package the coursework as a graduate certificate you can stack onto the degree or earn on its own. A smaller group builds the entire MBA around AI, weaving the subject through the curriculum rather than isolating it in electives. Program length varies accordingly, with most online MBAs running somewhere between 30 and 54 credits.

Coursework commonly includes machine learning applications in business, predictive analytics, data management, and AI strategy, alongside courses on the ethical and governance questions that come with automated decision-making. Many programs also build in a practicum or capstone where you apply AI tools to an actual business problem. Because the field moves quickly, it’s worth checking how recently a program updated its AI curriculum — a concentration built around tools from five years ago won’t serve you the same way.

Best Online MBAs in Artificial Intelligence

The programs below stand out for their accreditation, the depth of their AI coursework, and how well they fit around a working schedule. Each one offers a clear pathway into AI, whether that’s a declared concentration, a specialization, or a certificate you can stack onto the degree. 

1. Arizona State University

Based in Tempe, Arizona, Arizona State University (ASU) holds regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), and its W. P. Carey School of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The fully online MBA runs 51 credit hours across roughly 18 classes, with five-week course blocks and a typical completion time of about 21 months. No GMAT is required to apply. 

Artificial intelligence is one of eight concentrations available, and you declare it by completing at least three electives within that discipline — the same core business curriculum applies regardless of which focus you choose. W. P. Carey also accepts up to nine transfer credits toward electives, which can shorten the path if you’ve already done relevant graduate work.

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business delivers its Online Hybrid MBA from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, combining live online coursework with periodic in-person Access Weekends held at CMU locations nationwide. The university carries regional accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), and Tepper holds AACSB accreditation. The program runs about 32 months, with an accelerated track available if you already have a business background.

The AI for Business concentration covers machine learning through to the legal and ethical questions around deploying AI in business settings, and Tepper updates the course list frequently as the school expands its work in the area. Concentrations here aren’t formally declared — take three or more electives in a subject and it’s applied automatically.

3. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton is home to Florida Atlantic University (FAU), which holds regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and AACSB accreditation through its College of Business. The fully online MBA takes 16 to 23 months including semester breaks, and GMAT and GRE scores aren’t required for qualified applicants, though about four years of work experience is recommended.

The AI concentration adds four specialized courses on top of the MBA core. Two are required — one on managing AI product development, including low-code and no-code tools, and one on business innovation with AI — and you choose two more from electives spanning marketing, finance, economics, accounting, and analytics. The approach is deliberately business-first, with several courses requiring no coding background at all.

4. Johns Hopkins University

The Online Flexible MBA at Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School runs 54 credits and takes roughly 2.7 years, mixing coursework with project-based learning and occasional in-person residencies. Johns Hopkins is based in Baltimore, Maryland, regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), with Carey holding AACSB accreditation.

Artificial Intelligence for Business is one of eight specializations on offer. It pairs AI’s technical foundations with applied business strategy, and it puts real weight on responsible AI, governance, and human-AI collaboration rather than treating ethics as an afterthought. If you expect to be the person answering for how an AI system makes decisions, that emphasis is worth something.

5. North Carolina State University

NC State’s Jenkins MBA in Raleigh, North Carolina, leans hard into analytics and STEM, and the 40-credit program carries a STEM designation to match. The university holds SACSCOC accreditation and the Poole College of Management is AACSB-accredited. You can finish in as little as 21 months or stretch it to six years, with a Raleigh residency and PACKed Saturdays built in for online students who want face time.

The Business AI certificate is a recent addition, covering how to evaluate, manage, and apply AI tools in a business setting. Like all Poole certificates, it’s 12 credit hours, open to online MBA students, and it appears on your diploma.

6. Ohio University

With more than 90 years of business education behind it, Ohio University runs its MBA out of the College of Business in Athens, Ohio. The university is regionally accredited by the HLC and the College of Business holds AACSB accreditation. No entrance exam is required, you can transfer in up to six credits, and OHIO confers more MBAs than any other school in the state.

The Artificial Intelligence in Business concentration runs three courses and nine credits, moving from AI fundamentals and business applications through analytics and into implementation — building, deploying, governing, and monitoring AI systems end to end. One note for planning: all online MBA students attend a weekend Leadership Development Conference in Athens at least once.

7. Penn State World Campus

Penn State World Campus delivers its online MBA in partnership with the Smeal College of Business, and the program’s calling card is range: more than 30 concentrations, two of them focused on AI. Penn State holds regional accreditation from the MSCHE, and Smeal’s AACSB accreditation puts it among a small share of business schools worldwide. The 48-credit degree is fully online, and GMAT and GRE scores aren’t required — or accepted.

AI: Practice and Analytics is the more technical path, covering machine learning, generative AI, and responsible AI. AI Strategy, Leadership, and Business Impact is explicitly non-technical, aimed at leaders weighing how AI reshapes teams and org structure.

8. University of Cincinnati

The Lindner College of Business runs its MBA entirely online from Cincinnati, Ohio, and motivated students can finish in about a year. The University of Cincinnati holds regional accreditation from the HLC, with Lindner accredited by AACSB. There’s no GMAT or GRE requirement, courses start in spring, summer, and fall, and you have the option to take some classes in person at the Uptown campus if you’re local.

The curriculum pairs 26 credits of core coursework with 12 elective credits, and those electives are what fund a certificate. Artificial Intelligence in Business is one option, focused on applying AI to real business problems; Applied AI in Finance is a second route if your work sits closer to the financial side.

9. University of Delaware

Few programs here let you go as deep into AI as the University of Delaware does. The MBA in Artificial Intelligence can be taken as a concentration (three courses, nine credits) or as a full major (five courses, 15 credits), so you decide how much of the degree points at AI. Delaware is accredited by the MSCHE, and its Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics has held AACSB accreditation for over 50 years.

Based in Newark, Delaware, the program runs 38 credits — 44 with a major — entirely online with no residency requirement, and full-time students can finish in as little as 12 months. The AI track centers on generative AI and assumes no technical background.

10. University of North Texas

Most schools on this list treat AI as something you add to an MBA. The University of North Texas built the whole degree around it. The MBA in Artificial Intelligence runs 36 credits online over about two years, with coursework in AI governance and risk management, designing AI solutions for business, machine learning, and emerging information technologies.

UNT sits in Denton, about 40 miles north of Dallas-Fort Worth, which puts students near the fourth-largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the country. The university is regionally accredited by the SACSCOC, and the G. Brint Ryan College of Business holds AACSB accreditation.

How We Rank Schools

To create this list, we review data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), along with program-level details published by each university.

AI concentrations are new enough that quality varies more than it does in established fields like finance or marketing, so we looked closely at what each program actually teaches rather than just whether “AI” appears in the name. A concentration built on a single survey course is a different proposition than one covering machine learning, governance, and implementation. Here’s what we weighed:

• Accreditation: We prioritize regionally accredited universities whose business programs hold AACSB, ACBSP, or IACBE accreditation, so the degree carries weight with employers and other institutions.
• Online availability: Programs must deliver the AI coursework itself online, not just the MBA core. We verified that the AI track is available to online students rather than reserved for those who can attend on campus.
• Career alignment: We looked for curricula that prepare you to evaluate, deploy, and govern AI rather than build it from scratch, since most MBA graduates will manage AI initiatives rather than engineer them.
• Student outcomes: We consider graduation rates, reported salary outcomes, and program reputation to identify schools that deliver long-term value relative to cost.

Learn more about our ranking methodology. 

What Will You Learn in an MBA in Artificial Intelligence Program?

You’ll spend most of the degree on the same material any MBA covers: accounting, finance, marketing, operations, strategy, and organizational leadership. That foundation matters more than it might seem. The value of an AI-focused MBA comes from being able to connect what the technology can do to what the business actually needs, and you can’t make that connection without understanding how the business runs.

The AI coursework then layers on top. Most programs cover a recognizable set of topics:

• AI fundamentals and business applications: What the technology does, where it’s being deployed across industries, and what it realistically can and can’t deliver.
• Machine learning and predictive analytics: How systems learn from data, the difference between supervised and unsupervised approaches, and how to turn model output into decisions.
• Generative AI: Working with foundation models, prompt design, and finding practical applications for tools that didn’t exist a few years ago.
• AI governance, ethics, and risk: Bias and fairness, regulatory exposure, and who answers when an automated system gets something wrong.
• Implementation and change management: Taking an AI project from business case through deployment, monitoring, and the organizational friction that comes with it.

Most programs are built for people who will manage AI work rather than write the code themselves, and several say outright that no technical background is required. Many also close with a capstone or practicum where you apply what you’ve learned to a real business problem.

How Long Does it Take to Earn an MBA in Artificial Intelligence Online?

Most online MBAs with an AI focus take between one and three years, depending on credit load and whether you enroll full-time. Programs on this list run roughly 36 to 54 credits, and that spread drives much of the difference in completion time.

On the fast end, a few programs let full-time students finish in about 12 months, usually because they’re shorter degrees with accelerated course blocks. More typical is 21 months to about three years, which is what you’d expect if you’re working full-time and taking one or two courses per term. Several schools also allow five or six years to finish, which gives you room to slow down when work gets busy.

If AI is specifically why you’re enrolling, check how the concentration courses are scheduled. Some AI courses carry prerequisites from the core curriculum, which means you may not be able to start them in your first term. A few are also newer additions that run only once or twice a year. Neither is a dealbreaker, but both can affect your timeline more than the total credit count does.

How Much Does an Online MBA in Artificial Intelligence Cost?

Cost varies widely, and the biggest factor is usually whether the school is public or private. Tuition is typically charged per credit hour, so the total depends on how many credits the program requires and whether you qualify for in-state rates at a public university. A 36-credit program at a public school and a 54-credit program at a private one can differ by a factor of several.

There’s no meaningful AI premium at most schools. Because AI is usually structured as a concentration or certificate built from elective credits you’d be taking anyway, it rarely adds to the total. The exception is a program where the AI track is a full major rather than a concentration — that can add credits, and therefore cost. Worth checking before you commit to the deeper option.

Beyond tuition, budget for application fees, technology fees, and any required in-person components. Several programs on this list build in a residency, leadership weekend, or immersion, and while the coursework is online, travel and lodging for those sessions aren’t usually included in the sticker price.

Financial Aid for Online MBAs in Artificial Intelligence

Paying for an online MBA usually means piecing together a few sources rather than relying on one. Several schools on this list also offer discounts worth asking about before you apply. Here’s what’s typically available:

• Federal student aid: Complete the FAFSA to see what federal loans you qualify for, even if you don’t expect need-based grants at the graduate level.
• Employer tuition assistance: Many employers reimburse part or all of a graduate business degree, and an AI focus is an easy case to make if your company is investing in the technology. Some schools also have formal partnership programs that cut the per-credit rate for employees of participating organizations.
• Scholarships and fellowships: Many schools award merit-based scholarships automatically based on your application, with no separate submission required. Others offer targeted awards for alumni, recent graduates, or applicants who’ve experienced job loss.
• Graduate assistantships: Some programs offer tuition discounts or stipends in exchange for research or teaching support, though these are usually limited to full-time students and less common in fully online formats.
• Military and veteran benefits: Programs accepting the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Yellow Ribbon funding, or Tuition Assistance can substantially reduce costs. Several schools also offer flat tuition scholarships for active-duty and retired service members.
• Institutional payment plans: Most schools let you spread payments across a term rather than paying in a lump sum, and some offer employer reimbursement deferment so you’re not fronting tuition before your company pays you back.
• Transfer credits: Not aid exactly, but it functions the same way. Many programs accept six to nine transfer credits, which can trim real money off the total if you’ve done relevant graduate coursework.

How To Choose the Right MBA in Artificial Intelligence

Once you’ve narrowed to accredited programs that fit your schedule, a few factors separate a good fit from a frustrating one. These matter more in AI than in established fields, simply because the programs are newer and vary more.

Accreditation

Regional accreditation confirms the university meets baseline academic standards, while programmatic accreditation from AACSB, ACBSP, or IACBE confirms the business program specifically clears a higher bar for curriculum and faculty. Both matter. AACSB is the most selective of the three and the one most commonly recognized by employers, though ACBSP and IACBE accreditation still represent legitimate external review. A program with no business accreditation at all is worth a harder look.

Depth of the AI Curriculum

This is where programs differ most. Some AI tracks are three courses; others are five or more, and a few schools build the entire degree around AI. Look at the actual course list rather than the concentration name. A track that moves from fundamentals through machine learning into governance and implementation will prepare you differently than one survey course plus two loosely related analytics electives. If a school publishes course descriptions, read them.

Technical vs. Strategic Focus

AI programs split roughly into two camps, and picking the wrong one wastes the degree. Some are hands-on, with machine learning, model building, and work in actual tools. Others are explicitly non-technical, aimed at executives who need to make decisions about AI without writing any code. Several schools say outright which they are, and a few offer both. Be honest about which role you’re preparing for.

Format and Flexibility

Programs range from fully asynchronous to hybrid formats with live sessions or required residencies. Check whether the AI courses specifically are available asynchronously — a program can be marketed as online while a particular concentration course meets during business hours. Also confirm whether any in-person component is required, since several programs on this list build in a residency or leadership weekend that means travel at least once.

Cost and Return on Investment

Compare total cost against what you can realistically expect to earn afterward, factoring in whether you qualify for in-state rates at a public university. Because AI concentrations are usually built from elective credits you’d take anyway, they rarely add to the price, with full AI majors being the exception. A strong regional program at a lower price point can deliver a better return than a prestigious one, depending on your field and location.

Curriculum Currency

AI moves fast enough that a curriculum built four years ago may already be dated. Several programs on this list launched or expanded their AI tracks within the past year or two, and some schools say explicitly that they update the course list frequently. Newer isn’t automatically better, but a concentration that hasn’t been revised since before generative AI went mainstream is a legitimate concern.

Career Outlook With an Online MBA in Artificial Intelligence

An MBA with an AI focus points toward roles where business judgment and technical fluency overlap, and several of those occupations are growing considerably faster than the labor market overall. For context, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects total employment across all occupations to grow just 3% from 2025 to 2035.

Computer and information systems managers — a category that includes CIOs, CTOs, and IT directors — earned a median annual wage of $175,140 in May 2025, with employment projected to grow 16% through 2035 and roughly 53,500 openings each year. BLS specifically cites AI adoption as one of the forces driving that demand, alongside cloud computing and cybersecurity.

Data scientists show the steepest growth of any occupation in this neighborhood, at 35% from 2025 to 2035, with a median wage of $120,230 and about 24,800 annual openings. BLS attributes part of that to organizations integrating AI systems into their workflows and needing people who can help the business actually use them.

On the consulting side, management analysts earned a median of $101,860 in May 2025, with 10% projected growth and roughly 94,100 openings annually. BLS notes that some employers prefer candidates holding an MBA, and that growth is expected to be strongest at firms specializing in specific business functions, information technology among them.

One important thing to note: the BLS doesn’t track “AI manager” or “AI product manager” as distinct occupations, so no official projection exists for the roles these programs most directly target. The figures above are the closest established categories, and your actual path will depend as much on your industry and prior experience as on the degree itself.

FAQs About the Best Online MBAs in Artificial Intelligence

A few questions come up repeatedly for people weighing an AI-focused MBA against a general one, or against a more technical degree.

Is an Online MBA in Artificial Intelligence Worth It?

For most people aiming at management roles where AI is part of the picture, yes. You get the same credential and business foundation as a general MBA, plus coursework in an area most organizations are actively investing in. Because the AI concentration is usually built from elective credits you’d be taking regardless, it rarely costs extra, which makes the calculation simpler than it looks. Whether it pays off for you specifically depends on program cost relative to your expected salary bump, but if your employer is deploying AI and you want to be in those conversations rather than downstream of them, the specialization gives you a reason to be there.

Is an Online MBA in Artificial Intelligence Respected by Employers?

Yes, with the same caveat that applies to any online MBA: accreditation matters more than format. Employers look at whether the school holds regional accreditation and whether the business program is accredited by AACSB, ACBSP, or IACBE, not whether you attended in person. Most diplomas don’t distinguish between online and on-campus delivery, and several schools on this list say so explicitly. The AI focus itself is new enough that some hiring managers won’t have a strong prior about it, which cuts both ways — you may need to explain what the coursework actually covered rather than assuming the concentration name speaks for itself.

Who Should Consider an MBA in Artificial Intelligence Program?

This degree fits people who will manage AI work rather than build it: product managers, operations leaders, consultants, and functional managers whose teams are starting to deploy AI tools. It’s also a reasonable path for career changers moving toward technology from another industry, and for technical professionals who want to move into leadership and need the business fundamentals to do it. Most programs expect two to three years of professional experience, and the coursework lands better when you have real organizational problems to apply it to. If you want to build models yourself for a living, a master’s in data science or machine learning is the better investment.

Do You Need a Technical Background to Enroll?

No. Most AI-focused MBAs are built for people without a programming background, and several say so directly — one program on this list describes its AI marketing course as requiring no coding or data science skills at all. What you will usually need is comfort with quantitative work, since the core MBA includes statistics and data analysis. A few schools ask applicants lacking recent coursework in statistics or calculus to complete a foundations course before starting. The more technical AI tracks, particularly those covering machine learning in depth, may also carry prerequisites from the MBA core, so you may not be able to jump straight into them.

What’s the Difference Between an MBA in AI and a Master’s in Data Science?

They prepare you for different jobs. An MBA in AI is a general management degree with an AI focus: you cover finance, marketing, operations, and strategy, then layer on coursework about applying and governing AI in a business. A master’s in data science or AI is a technical degree focused on building the systems — statistics, programming, modeling. The MBA prepares you to decide whether an AI project is worth doing, budget for it, and manage the people doing the work. The MS prepares you to do the work. If your goal is a director or executive track, the MBA fits better; if you want to be the person writing the code, it doesn’t.

Will an AI Concentration Still Be Relevant in Five Years?

The underlying skills should hold up better than the specific tools. Courses on AI governance, risk management, change management, and evaluating business cases teach judgment that transfers across whatever technology comes next, while a course built around a particular platform will date faster. That’s a reason to weigh curriculum structure when you’re comparing programs, and to favor schools that say they revise their AI course lists regularly. Several on this list do, and at least one notes it expects frequent updates as the field moves.

Explore Online MBAs in Artificial Intelligence

The right program comes down to matching a school’s accreditation, format, and AI curriculum to where you actually want to end up, not just picking the most recognizable name. Browse business school resources on Learn.org and reach out to programs directly to ask about admissions, cost, and how recently they’ve updated their AI coursework.