- 1.Machine Learning Engineers earn a median salary of $164,500 with 23% projected job growth through 2032 (BLS OES 2024)
- 2.Top-ranked graduate Artificial Intelligence programs include University of California-Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology based on graduation rates, program strength, and career outcomes for doctoral candidates
- 3.Best value: University of California-Berkeley offers graduate education at $11,834/year with 96% graduation rate
- 4.50 accredited graduate Artificial Intelligence doctoral programs analyzed using IPEDS 2023 completion data
Best Artificial Intelligence Programs - Top 10 Graduate (Doctoral)
University of California-Berkeley
46 artificial intelligence graduates annually
Why Ranked #1
Ranked #1 for Artificial Intelligence based on 96% graduation rate, 46 graduates, and overall score of 95.5/100. Data from IPEDS 2023 and BLS OES 2024.
Program Strengths
- 96% graduation rate
- 46 artificial intelligence graduates annually
- Accredited institution
Carnegie Mellon University
CMU created the world's first bachelor's degree in artificial intelligence in 2018 and has led AI education and innovation since the field's inception, with the university being the birthplace of cognitive psychology and home to the first U.S. university robotics institute founded in 1979.
Program Overview
Carnegie Mellon University pioneered artificial intelligence education, creating the world's first Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence in 2018 and establishing the nation's first computer science college in 1988. The university offers comprehensive AI education through multiple pathways: the groundbreaking undergraduate BSAI program housed in the School of Computer Science, and the innovative Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Innovation (MSAII) through the Language Technologies Institute. The MSAII program uniquely combines rigorous AI and machine learning curriculum with real-world entrepreneurship experience, requiring students to develop actual AI products through a four-semester journey culminating in a capstone project suitable for startup investment or corporate integration.
Instruction spans six departments within the School of Computer Science - the Computer Science Department, Human-Computer Interaction Institute, Language Technologies Institute, Machine Learning Department, Robotics Institute, and Software and Societal Systems Department. CMU's AI research tackles real-world challenges through initiatives like the Delphi Research Group (selected by the CDC as the Center for Innovation in Outbreak Analytics), the AI Institute for Societal Decision Making, and partnerships with NVIDIA for robotics and autonomy research. The university emphasizes AI for social good, with mandatory ethics coursework and applications spanning healthcare, transportation, education, and epidemic forecasting.
Degree Programs
Research Labs & Institutes
Natural language processing, machine translation, speech recognition, and language-based AI systems
Statistical learning, deep learning, reinforcement learning, and machine learning theory
First U.S. university robotics institute conducting basic and applied robotics research
Human-AI interaction, user experience design for AI systems, and human-centered AI
Epidemiological tracking and disease forecasting, selected by CDC as Center for Innovation in Outbreak Analytics and Disease Modeling in 2023
Industry Partners
Admissions
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT houses CSAIL, the world's largest university computer science laboratory, born from the merger of the original AI Lab where foundational AI research began in the 1960s under Marvin Minsky and John McCarthy, creators of the field of artificial intelligence itself.
Program Overview
MIT doesn't offer a traditional standalone master's degree in Artificial Intelligence, but instead integrates AI education across multiple programs within its renowned Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). Students can pursue AI through the Master of Engineering (MEng) in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, or the broader SM (Scientiae Magister) in Computer Science. The undergraduate program offers Course 6-4: Artificial Intelligence and Decision Making as a specialized track. CSAIL, formed in 2003 from the merger of the historic AI Lab (founded 1970) and Laboratory for Computer Science, represents the largest on-campus laboratory at MIT and houses cutting-edge research in machine learning, robotics, and computational intelligence. The program benefits from MIT's legendary AI heritage, including pioneering work by Marvin Minsky and the development of Lisp programming language.
Degree Programs
Research Labs & Institutes
Largest on-campus laboratory covering AI, robotics, systems, theory of computation, and computational biology
Industry Partners
University of Southern California
USC created one of the first dedicated Master's in AI programs in the nation and pioneered the innovative joint AI for Business undergraduate degree, positioning students at the intersection of technical expertise and business acumen in Los Angeles' thriving tech ecosystem.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
41 artificial intelligence graduates annually
Stanford University
53 artificial intelligence graduates annually
Princeton University
30 artificial intelligence graduates annually
Cornell University
26 artificial intelligence graduates annually
University of California-San Diego
40 artificial intelligence graduates annually
Purdue University-Main Campus
38 artificial intelligence graduates annually
Best Artificial Intelligence Programs - Compare Top 5 Graduate
| School | Location | Type | Tuition | Grad Rate | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | Public | $11,834 | 96% | 95.5/100 |
| #2 Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | Private | $62,260 | 98% | 94.6/100 |
| #3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | Private | $59,750 | N/A | 88.4/100 |
| #4 University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | Private | $66,640 | 92% | 85.7/100 |
| #5 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL | Public | $14,768 | 90% | 83.8/100 |
Complete AI Doctoral Program Rankings 2026
| Program | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Stanford University | Stanford, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | University of California-San Diego | La Jolla, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Purdue University-Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | University of California-Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY | — | — | — | — | — |
| 14 | University of Maryland-College Park | College Park, MD | — | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | University of California-Irvine | Irvine, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | University of California-Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, NY | — | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | Emory University | Atlanta, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | Amherst, MA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 21 | Brown University | Providence, RI | — | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | Washington University in St Louis | Saint Louis, MO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | — | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | Texas A & M University-College Station | College Station, TX | — | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
Showing 1–25 of 50
Career Paths
AI/ML Engineer
SOC 15-1299Design and implement machine learning systems for tech companies and startups
Data Scientist
SOC 15-2051Apply statistical methods and machine learning to extract insights from complex datasets
Research Scientist
Conduct fundamental AI research at technology companies, labs, or academic institutions
University Professor
Teach AI courses and conduct research at universities and colleges
AI Product Manager
Guide development of AI-powered products and features at technology companies
AI Consultant
Advise organizations on AI strategy and implementation across industries
AI Doctoral Program Admission Requirements
Admission to top AI doctoral programs is highly competitive, with acceptance rates averaging 8-12% at leading institutions. Most programs require a master's degree in computer science, mathematics, or related field, though exceptional candidates with strong undergraduate backgrounds may be admitted directly.
Academic Prerequisites: Successful applicants typically demonstrate mastery of linear algebra, probability and statistics, algorithms and data structures, and programming proficiency in Python, C++, or similar languages. Many programs require completion of machine learning coursework or equivalent experience through projects or research.
Research Experience: Publications in AI/ML conferences (ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR) or journals significantly strengthen applications. Research assistantship experience, independent projects showcasing technical depth, and contributions to open-source AI frameworks demonstrate research potential to admissions committees.
Standardized Tests: While some programs have moved away from GRE requirements post-2020, quantitative scores above the 85th percentile remain advantageous for competitive programs. International students must demonstrate English proficiency through TOEFL (minimum 100) or IELTS (minimum 7.0) scores.
Application Materials: Strong personal statements should articulate specific research interests, demonstrate knowledge of faculty work, and outline career goals. Three letters of recommendation from research supervisors or professors who can speak to technical abilities and research potential are essential. A well-documented portfolio of coding projects, preferably on platforms like GitHub, showcases practical skills.
AI Research Specializations and Focus Areas
AI doctoral programs offer diverse specialization tracks aligned with cutting-edge research areas. Machine learning remains the most popular concentration, chosen by 34% of AI PhD students, followed by natural language processing (22%) and computer vision (18%).
Machine Learning and Deep Learning: Core areas include neural network architectures, optimization algorithms, and theoretical foundations of learning. Research opportunities span supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning paradigms. Students often work on transformer models, graph neural networks, and federated learning systems.
Natural Language Processing: NLP research covers language models, machine translation, sentiment analysis, and conversational AI. With the rise of large language models, students explore prompt engineering, fine-tuning techniques, and multilingual processing. Ethics and bias in language models represent emerging research frontiers.
Computer Vision: Visual recognition, object detection, and image generation constitute primary research areas. Students develop algorithms for autonomous vehicles, medical imaging, and augmented reality applications. Recent focus areas include few-shot learning, domain adaptation, and explainable computer vision.
Robotics and Autonomous Systems: Intersection of AI with robotics covers motion planning, sensor fusion, and human-robot interaction. Students design algorithms for manipulation, navigation, and collaborative robotics. Applications span manufacturing automation, service robots, and space exploration systems.
AI Safety and Ethics: Emerging specialization addressing alignment, interpretability, and fairness in AI systems. Research includes adversarial robustness, privacy-preserving machine learning, and algorithmic bias mitigation. This area is increasingly important for students interested in AI regulation and policy careers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on 42 programs from IPEDS 2023, BLS OES May 2024
Degree completions (sqrt normalized, capped at 500)
6-year completion rate from IPEDS 2023
State-specific salary data from BLS OES 2024
Admission rate (lower = more selective)
Institution type (R1/R2 research bonus)
CAE-CD designation, curator bonuses
Data completeness proxy
Reporting completeness
Data Sources and Methodology
Comprehensive data on PhD completion rates, funding, and career outcomes
Faculty productivity metrics, citation analysis, and research output data
Employment projections and salary data for AI-related occupations
Professional organization data on computing careers and education trends
Higher education enrollment and graduation data
Taylor Rupe
Full-Stack Developer (B.S. Computer Science, B.A. Psychology)
Taylor combines formal training in computer science with a background in human behavior to evaluate complex search, AI, and data-driven topics. His technical review ensures each article reflects current best practices in semantic search, AI systems, and web technology.