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Artificial Intelligence

Types of Degrees Artificial Intelligence Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Artificial Intelligence have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	16
Associate’s Degree	26
Bachelor’s Degree	149
Master’s Degree	1,407
Doctor’s Degree	55

What Artificial Intelligence Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Artificial Intelligence develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Artificial Intelligence graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Artificial Intelligence emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Artificial Intelligence program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Artificial Intelligence careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Artificial Intelligence graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Processing Information	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.0 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Artificial Intelligence professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
C++	Object or component oriented development software	✓
C#	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Linux	Operating system software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
C	Development environment software	✓
UNIX	Operating system software	—
Microsoft Visual Basic	Development environment software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Artificial Intelligence graduates include:

• Computer Information Systems Instructor (CIS Instructor)
• Information Security Systems Instructor
• College Professor
• Java Programming Professor
• Computer Technology Instructor
• University Faculty Member
• Computer Science Adjunct Professor
• Lecturer
• Faculty Member
• Computer Programming Professor
• Information Technology Professor (IT Professor)
• Information Technology Instructor (IT Instructor)
• Computer Applications Instructor
• Instructor
• Computer Networking Instructor

What Can You Do With a Artificial Intelligence Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Artificial Intelligence commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary	-4.2%	$35,659	$27,803–$43,516
Business Intelligence Analysts	1.3%	$143,840	$123,227–$164,454
Data Scientists	8.1%	$106,295	$83,284–$129,306
Clinical Data Managers	-0.9%	$99,475	$83,569–$115,381
Software Developers	13.5%	$76,447	$61,199–$91,695
Computer and Information Research Scientists	8.5%	$61,002	$49,559–$72,444

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Artificial Intelligence graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	38.0%
Master’s degree	33.3%
Doctoral degree	24.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.7%
Some college courses	0.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%
Post-doctoral training	0.2%
First professional degree	0.1%
Postsecondary certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Artificial Intelligence?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 73.4% of Artificial Intelligence degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	440	26.6%
Men	1,213	73.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Artificial Intelligence graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	379	22.9%
Asian	194	11.7%
Hispanic or Latino	95	5.7%
Black or African American	68	4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.1%
Two or More Races	35	2.1%
Race Unknown	68	4.1%
International Students	812	49.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Artificial Intelligence Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Artificial Intelligence graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$69,148
4 years	$77,570
5 years	$88,131

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $88,131 — roughly 27% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Artificial Intelligence Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Artificial Intelligence. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	2
Bachelor’s	3	1
Master’s	16	7
Doctoral (Research)	2	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Artificial Intelligence Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Artificial Intelligence graduates earn a median of $77,570 four years after completion — roughly 104% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Computer and Information Sciences, General	118,381
Computer Science	79,857
Computer and Information Sciences, General	67,926
Information Technology	42,322
Information Science/Studies	22,425
Informatics	3,067
Computer and Information Sciences, Other	2,635
Cloud Computing	1,229
Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation	1,028
Human-Centered Technology Design	778

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.