Perspectives | BU Virtual

BU Virtual Connects Podcast

Listen to Season 1 of the BU Virtual Connects Podcast where we explore a diverse range of topics and perspectives that drive value, impact, innovation, and transformation in the world of higher education.

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Inside BU Virtual

Inside BU Virtual takes you behind the scenes to explore the people, perspectives, and innovations shaping Boston University’s online programs—making them adaptable, inclusive, and high-impact. Through open Q&A conversations with faculty, staff, and students, the series spotlights award-winning instructors who blend academic excellence with inventive online teaching practices, shares learners’ experiences in virtual environments, and showcases how these programs equip students with the skills needed to thrive in an ever-changing workforce.

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Articles & Commentary

Articles

Your Cohort Is Part of the Learning Experience: Inside BU’s Online MS Programs

July 22nd, 2026

When prospective students evaluate a graduate program, they often begin with the curriculum, faculty, flexibility, and cost. Those are critically important considerations. But for working professionals, another element shapes the experience: the people you learn alongside. Across Boston University's online AI graduate programs, students learn in cohorts designed to bring together experienced professionals from different […]

Articles

Teaching a Field That’s Still Being Invented: Inside BU’s Online Master’s in Software Engineering for AI

July 15th, 2026

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). […]

A stethoscope with digital graphics depicting medical analytics

Articles

Is an Online MPH Worth It? Career Value, Flexibility, and Employer Tuition Support

July 7th, 2026

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 […]

Articles

The Social Compiler: How BU’s Online MBA Builds Real Bonds in a Virtual Classroom

July 5th, 2026

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 […]

Articles

What If the Robot Lies? Why BU’s Online AI Degrees Teach Foundations, Not Just Tools

June 28th, 2026

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? […]

Articles

AI Skills Gap: What Industries Are Hiring AI Talent in 2026

June 27th, 2026

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 […]

Articles

From One Patient to Whole Populations: How an Online MPH Expanded a Physician’s Perspective

June 23rd, 2026

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 […]

Articles

Building and Deploying AI Systems: What Software Engineers Need to Know

June 16th, 2026

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 […]

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