BU Virtual extends Boston University’s academic excellence to learners around the world. In close collaboration with faculty across BU’s schools and colleges, we design and deliver flexible online programs that carry the depth, rigor, and intellectual energy of a leading research university.
Through BU Virtual, students engage with world-class scholarship, diverse perspectives, and learning experiences that connect theory with practice—preparing them to advance their careers and contribute meaningfully to their fields and communities.
Explore BU’s growing portfolio of online programs in high-demand fields, developed in collaboration with top tier faculty and researchers at Boston University.
BU Virtual offers a coordinated suite of interdisciplinary AI online graduate programs designed to prepare professionals for leadership in the rapidly evolving world of AI. Unlike a “one size fits all” approach, our interdisciplinary ecosystem builds on Boston University’s strengths across business, computing, engineering, technology, and education to provide broad perspectives that enhance real-world relevance and impact.
Building on BU Virtual’s commitment to innovation and interdisciplinary excellence, we are excited to introduce a new suite of online graduate degrees launching in 2026, focused on workforce transformation in artificial intelligence.
These programs will equip learners with cutting-edge technical skills, ethical frameworks, and strategic insights needed to lead in AI-driven industries. Developed through close collaboration across BU’s renowned faculty, this next generation of online degrees will prepare professionals to shape the future of work, technology, and society.
The work we are doing today will shape the future of global online education tomorrow. We believe that our work at BU Virtual, which is done in collaboration with our award-winning schools and colleges, brings a new level of innovation, reach, and access to learners around the globe and reinforces our commitment to inclusion at scale. —Wendy Colby, VP and Associate Provost
Wherever you are in your life or career, BU Virtual helps you develop the knowledge and capabilities needed to navigate a complex and evolving professional landscape.
Our online programs combine BU’s academic rigor with practical, applied learning—equipping you to think critically, lead effectively, and adapt with confidence. As part of Boston University’s global community, you gain access to distinguished faculty, a powerful alumni network, and the enduring advantages of a BU education.
BU Virtual is redefining online graduate education by delivering rigorous, career-focused programs to a broad and diverse audience. Our flagship degrees, including the Online MBA, Online Master of Public Health, and Online Master’s in Data Science, combine academic excellence, innovative teaching, and flexible formats to meet the needs of today’s working professionals. Grounded in interdisciplinary collaboration and ongoing innovation, these programs empower learners to advance their careers while engaging with a vibrant global community.
BU Virtual meets learners where they are, with flexible online programs designed for working professionals and students at different stages of their academic and career journeys. Whether you want to build new skills, deepen your expertise, or prepare for new opportunities, BU offers online degree and certificate programs that support your goals.
In partnership with faculty across Boston University’s schools and colleges, BU Virtual expands access to the University’s research, teaching, and innovation. Explore online programs that connect you to BU’s academic excellence, real-world relevance, and global community.
Software engineering has been called a young discipline for almost fifty years. The version now forming around artificial intelligence is younger still, so new, says Mohamad Kassab, that "many of the terms have not been coined yet." Kassab is Program Director of Boston University's online Master of Science in Software Engineering for Artificial Intelligence (OMSE). […]
For working professionals, the return on an MPH includes more than a salary. Career scope, continued employment while studying, and available tuition benefits all affect the calculation. A master's degree is a significant investment of time and money, which is exactly why so many people ask whether an online MPH is worth it. For working […]
At a recent commencement for Boston University's Online MBA, around 350 graduates gathered in person after spending much of the program learning together online. By the end of the ceremony, more than 300 were in tears. One graduate spoke about losing family members while completing the program and about what her cohort had meant to […]
AI systems can produce persuasive answers that are incomplete, misleading, or wrong. Boston University faculty member Jeffrey Considine explains why professionals need to understand how these systems work before trusting what they say. When AI tells us what we want to hear What happens when an AI system gives a confident answer that is wrong? […]
The hardest part of the AI boom is no longer building the technology. It is finding people who can put it to work. Across nearly every sector, demand for AI talent is running well ahead of supply, and the gap is reshaping who gets hired, what they are paid, and which skills are worth investing […]
A desire to create greater impact led physician John Gamba to Boston University's Online MPH program. The experience transformed how he approaches healthcare, health equity, and decision-making. As a physician, John Gamba was trained to focus on the patient in front of him. But after years of working in medicine and the pharmaceutical industry, he […]
A model that runs in a notebook is not a system. It is a promising start. The distance between a trained model and a reliable, secure, production-grade application is where most AI projects stall, and it is exactly the distance that defines modern engineering work. Building and deploying AI systems demands a blend of disciplined […]
Most people do not spend much time thinking about the electrical grid. It is only when the lights go out that we remember how much of modern life depends on it. Artificial Intelligence works much the same way. The public sees the chatbots, copilots, and AI agents. What they rarely see are the systems underneath […]