Articles & Commentary
Articles & Commentary
Bootcamp, Certificate, or Master’s in Data Science: How to Choose
The question is usually framed as a ranking: which credential is best. That framing produces bad decisions, because these three formats are not competing versions of the same product. They solve different problems, on different timelines, for people at different starting points. The better question when weighing a data science bootcamp... More
BU Welcomes First Cohort to Its Online MS in Software Engineering for AI
Artificial intelligence is changing both what software engineers build and how they build it. Engineers are incorporating AI into products, using AI-assisted development tools, managing new types of data and models, and making decisions about reliability, security, transparency, and responsible use. These changes are happening quickly and software professionals cannot... More
Can You Get a Data Science Master’s Without a Computer Science Degree?
Can You Get a Data Science Master's Without a Computer Science Degree? The answer is yes. And the assumption that you cannot is one of the common reasons qualified people never apply. Pursuing a data science master's without a computer science degree is a well-established path, and the applicant pools for... More
Data Science Master’s Prerequisites: How to Tell If You’re Ready
One of the hardest questions for prospective data science students is also one of the most basic: am I actually ready for a master’s program? People often answer that question too narrowly. Some rule themselves out because their undergraduate degree was not in computer science, mathematics, or another technical field. Others... More
Data Analyst to Data Scientist: What Actually Changes in the Work
Most professionals who want to move from data analyst to data scientist already know how to work with data. They write SQL. They own recurring dashboards. They are the person leadership asks when a number looks strange. For some, the challenge is not competence but the possibility of reaching a... More
More Than a Virtual Class: How BU Virtual Brings the Classroom to Students Around the World
For a student logging into a live session in one of Boston University's online graduate programs, the experience can look deceptively simple: a faculty member appears on screen, classmates join from around the world, and the class begins. What students don't see is everything happening around that moment. Behind each live online... More
BU Welcomes First Cohort of Online MS in AI in Business Students
From finance and technology to healthcare and retail, organizations are navigating a new era shaped by artificial intelligence. As AI continues to influence how businesses operate and make decisions, professionals across industries are seeking the knowledge and tools to help their organizations adapt. This fall, more than 200 professionals will begin... More
MPH After College or After Working: How to Decide
If you are asking, “Should I get an MPH after college or work first?” focus on what each path will help you accomplish. An MPH after college can provide early professional direction and core public health skills. Working first can give you practical context and a clearer understanding of where... More
From AI Experimentation to Enterprise Transformation: The Leadership Decisions That Matter
Artificial intelligence is prompting organizations to rethink how work gets done. Significant experimentation is already underway across industries, changing how software is developed, how research and analysis are conducted, and how organizations make decisions and deliver value. The larger leadership challenge is not simply adopting new tools. It is understanding how... More
Lifelong Learning Is Now a Career Strategy – Here’s How to Choose Your Next Credential
Not long ago, education followed a fairly predictable path: earn a degree, begin a career, and rely on experience to advance over the next several decades. While professionals have always continued learning on the job, formal education was often viewed as something completed early in life. Today, that model is changing. More
Why Data Science Matters in the Age of AI
Data science matters more in the age of AI, not less. Every AI system rests on choices made long before anyone types a prompt: what data was collected, how it was prepared, what the model learned from it, and whether anyone can tell if the result holds. Those are data science... More
Your Cohort Is Part of the Learning Experience: Inside BU’s Online MS Programs
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... More
Teaching a Field That’s Still Being Invented: Inside BU’s Online Master’s in Software Engineering for AI
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... More
Is an Online MPH Worth It? Career Value, Flexibility, and Employer Tuition Support
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... More
The Social Compiler: How BU’s Online MBA Builds Real Bonds in a Virtual Classroom
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... More
What If the Robot Lies? Why BU’s Online AI Degrees Teach Foundations, Not Just Tools
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... More
AI Skills Gap: What Industries Are Hiring AI Talent in 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... More
From One Patient to Whole Populations: How an Online MPH Expanded a Physician’s Perspective
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... More
Building and Deploying AI Systems: What Software Engineers Need to Know
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... More
Computer Science & AI: AI Runs on Infrastructure – Someone Has to Build It.
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... More