Online MS in AI in Business FAQs

What is the Admissions Committee looking for?

The Admissions Committee conducts a rigorous and holistic review of each application. All aspects of an applicant’s application will be considered including work experience, undergraduate and graduate coursework and grades, short answer responses, resume, any submitted letters of recommendation (optional) or GMAT/GRE scores (optional). Typically, admitted candidates will have several years of post-undergraduate professional experience.

How do I begin an application?

We ask all interested applicants to fill out our online application and follow our admission procedures.

When is the deadline to apply?

We have several deadlines throughout the year. You can view the upcoming deadlines here: Online MS in AI in Business Application Deadlines.

Can I apply to the Online MBA and another Questrom program?

You can only apply to one Questrom MBA program per entry term. For example, you may not apply to both the Online MBA and the MS in AI in Business for the same entry term.

What restrictions and licensing requirements are there?

To comply with OFAC restrictions and licensing requirements, Boston University does not offer online programs to individuals physically located in certain areas of the world. A full list of areas and more information can be found here.

Do I need to submit a letter of recommendation?

It is your choice to decide if you’d like to submit an letter of recommendation for our consideration with your application. Who to ask to write your letters of recommendation is up to you, but we suggest recommendations come from an employer or someone you have worked with in a professional setting. Letters should come from the recommender directly to us at BusinessAIAppDocs@bu.edu by the posted deadline.

Are official documents, such as transcripts, required?

To expedite the admissions process, we ask that you upload unofficial documents at the time of your application submission. Admitted candidates who plan to matriculate are required to submit official transcripts for all coursework. Documents should be submitted by the start of the first module. When possible, we ask that documents be submitted directly from your University to Questrom via email to BusinessAIAppDocs@bu.edu. If your University prefers to mail the documents, they can send them via mail to:

Boston University Questrom School of Business Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid Office, Suite 115 Rafik B. Hariri Building 595 Commonwealth Ave Boston, MA 02215.

How long will I have to wait for my admission decision?

If your application is submitted in its entirety by the required deadline, we aim to release the decision to you in four weeks. Please see our deadlines for the timeline of application deadline and decision release.

Do I need a four-year degree to apply?

We require that applicants hold a four-year Bachelor’s degree from an accredited US institution or its international equivalent. If you have earned a three-year degree that is the equivalent of a four-year degree in the US, it will be accepted in the admissions process. For example, if you earned a three-year degree in India, your degree will qualify you to be considered for admission. Regardless of program length, if you are uncertain whether your undergraduate degree meets our qualifications, please contact BusinessAI@bu.edu before starting the application process.

Do I need a technical background or coding experience? 

You do not.  There will be a self paced book camp to provide some initial technical fluency before you start the official program.  You will not be building tools, but you will have to understand how they work (their strengths and weaknesses) and how they work collectively in providing a set of capabilities to address business problems.

Do I need a business background? 

Given it is a business problem first approach to AI, we value a business background as a starting point. This ensures two things: first, that there is already some minimal business fluency and second, you come primed and motivated to apply AI in Business.

Do I need familiarity with data sets and using excel? 

Data is at the core of how good AI can be so an appreciation of data sets, how they are created and they all have limitations provides a needed base of understanding in this degree.  Excel, although not AI, does model or approximate many of the analytical approaches that AI uses to analyze data and develop insights from it.  So an appreciation of Excel or another spreadsheet tool provides another key baseline of understanding.

Even though GMAT/GRE scores are not required, should I submit them anyway?

The Online MS in AI in Business is a rigorous program that requires quantitative aptitude. The admissions committee will look for evidence of this in your application via previous coursework. If you feel that you do not have sufficient evidence in your previous coursework to demonstrate this aptitude, you may want to consider submitting a GMAT or GRE score to enhance your application or taking part in a third-party preparation course like MBA Math or GMAC Fundamentals. If you’re interested in learning more about these prep programs, please email BusinessAI@bu.edu.

Can you waive my TOEFL/IELTS/DuoLingo scores?

 Candidates who have earned or will have completed at least two years of a bachelor’s or master’s degree at an institution in which the language of instruction was solely based in English are eligible for an automatic TOEFL/IELTS/PTE waiver. Candidates must present evidence of language of instruction with the application for admission. Appropriate documentation includes a transcript cover sheet, an official statement from the university, or a link to the institution’s website that specifies that the mode of instruction is English. Additionally, candidates who have or will have worked for at least two years in a full-time, post-bachelor’s degree position in the US are eligible for an automatic waiver. If you do not meet these criteria but would like to be considered for a waiver, you can submit a written request highlighting your experience with and proficiency in the English language to BusinessAI@bu.edu prior to the submission of your application. The admissions committee will consider these requests on a case by case basis. If you are submitting test results with your application, please be advised that tests are valid for two years.

What is the minimum TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/DUOLINGO score you accept?

TOEFL: Minimum scores of 600 on the PBT or 90 on the IBT are recommended. BU’s TOEFL code is 3087, and the department code is 02. IELTS: Competitive applicants typically score a minimum of 6.5 on each band. PTE: As more candidates submit the PTE, we are developing updated standards for our requirements. As new information becomes available, it will be posted here. Duolingo: We recommend a score of 120 or higher.

Are there any prerequisite courses? Do I need an undergraduate degree in business or a professional business background?

There are no prerequisites for our Online MS in AI in Business program. The admissions committee looks for strong quantitative skills, leadership and analytical ability, and excellent verbal expression. You can demonstrate these competencies through a variety of undergraduate majors and professional experiences.

What is the time commitment of this program?

Each module is 8 graduate credits and is comparable to the workload of two- three individual courses. As such, you should expect to work between 15-20 hours per week on the program components – both synchronous (live) and asynchronous (on your own).

What happens in the live sessions? 

Live sessions are not lectures, but are used by the faculty in various ways to ensure mastery or competence in particular skills and perspectives covered in a given week.  Mastery can be addressed at one extreme by working on a coding example or at another having students engage in breakout rooms to discuss how “human judgement” needs to be embedded in a given workflow.

Will I learn specific AI tools?

Yes you will and some have been listed above.  This degree is “business-problem first” and so frames AI tools as providing various capabilities to address those business problems.  So yes, we will teach specific tools, but over your career the tools will change but the capabilities we teach you to address business problems will not change.

When does the program start?

For students starting in the Fall semester, Module 0 will begin in mid-August. For students starting in the Spring semester, Module 0 will typically begin in Late December or early January.

What degree is earned at the end of the program?

Students earn a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Business from Boston University Questrom School of Business. There is no mention of the word “online” on your diploma.

Can I take the modules in any order?

No, this is a deliberating accumulative curriculum where each of the four modules builds upon each other.  Leveraging Human-AI augmentation to re-architecting your business requires an accumulating fluency with AI tools and how they can be used to drive improvement and innovation.

Am I able to take a semester off?

Yes. Students in the Online MS in AI in Business may take up to six years to complete the program. Students will work with their Student Success Specialist to plan their enrollment each semester, as well as any planned semesters off, to ensure timely completion of their masters degree.

Can I begin the program in January?

Yes. We enroll Online MS in AI in Business students in both August and January.

Am I able to transfer in graduate courses from another program?

The BU Questrom Online MS in AI in Business provides learners with the globally-recognized masters degree through an integrated and accumulative curriculum design. As such, there are no one to one equivalents with other graduate courses and they may not be counted toward the degree requirements.

Can I take more than one module at a time?

No, you can only take one module at a time.

Can I take any other BU or Questrom courses while enrolled in the MS in AI in Business program?

Students in the Online MS in AI in Business program are only able to be enrolled in that particular program and are not allowed to take classes outside of the MS in AI in Business curriculum.

How will the modules be graded?

The modules will be graded according to BU’s Graduate Academic Policy. This is on a 4.0 GPA scale. You will receive grades for each assignment and a final grade for each module. In accordance with University policy, grades are due within 72 hours of the last day of exams.

Are there any in-person requirements for the program?

The Online MS in AI in Business program is 100% online and there are no in-person requirements. Online students may attend any on-campus events that are not restricted to a certain population, and are invited to participate in BU Commencement events.

How much does the program cost?

Tuition for the Online MS in AI in Business is $6,250 per module or $25,000 total tuition. Students are billed by module and take one module per semester.

Are books included in the tuition? What other expenses should I budget for?

Books and other course materials are not included in the tuition costs. You are only billed for direct expenses (tuition and fees) charged by the university. However, we encourage you to think about your budget for things like electronic books, course materials, and incidentals and plan accordingly. We recommend budgeting between $350-$450 a semester for books and course materials. Please note, summer budget items are subject to change, but tuition will remain at $6,250 per module.

Is Financial Aid available?

Federal Unsubsidized Loans are available to US citizens and US permanent residents. Learn more about our financial aid offerings.

Does the University offer scholarships?

Unfortunately, institutional scholarships are not available to online students; however, scholarships are available from a variety of external sources. Visit our financial aid pages for more details.

Are tuition payment plans available?

Tuition payment plans are available to eligible students. You can read more about payment plan options here.