MS-AIB in Tempe academics
Leverage AI to future-proof your career and organizations around the world. The ASU Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Business (MS-AIB) program incorporates an applied curriculum and career coaching to prepare you for success in emerging roles across industries. Taught by world-renowned faculty, the MS-AIB degree develops technical and professional skills needed to thrive in the constantly evolving landscape of technology and business.
Curriculum
The master’s degree in AI for business requires 30 total credit hours. Students who select the Tempe program can learn in a daytime or evening format. The evening cohort is a unique offering for working professionals. Students also have the option to add a third-semester track, which extends the program to 43 credit hours and includes a summer internship.
Students take core courses that prepare them to manage and lead meaningful and responsible innovation — by embedding AI into transformation strategies that substantially and sustainably improve business outcomes and impact the community. The program culminates with a capstone experience focusing on transforming business with AI.
Takeaways for students
- Learn how to analyze diverse business situations and apply AI to further business goals
- Develop technical skills for building machine learning models using both structured and unstructured data
- Understand and effectively communicate the impact of AI transformations
- Practice mindful AI and pay attention to ethics, bias, welfare, privacy, and trust
- Lead cross-functional conversations and collaboration for effective implementation
- Advance your career and solve pressing challenges for global businesses
Sample MS-AIB courses
Provides the foundations of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) and business fundamentals in relation to AI, and explores AI's applications within companies and across industries to enhance decision-making, improve processes and achieve positive outcomes. Also explores impacts of AI at the societal, organizational and individual level.
As AI moves from generating content to autonomously executing multi-step business tasks, organizations must rethink how they design workflows, use data, and create strategic value. This course focuses on agentic AI and data analytics strategy, teaching students to identify high-value opportunities, design AI-enabled workflows, integrate tools and proprietary data, and evaluate business impact, governance, and risk. Through strategic analysis and hands-on projects using low- and no-code platforms, students develop practical frameworks for implementing AI and analytics solutions that are reliable, scalable, and aligned with organizational goals.
Students will benefit from understanding practical ramifications of Information and Information Technology governance decisions, how they support broader business objectives, and implications of geopolitical differences. Business students will gain insights into best practices of governing data analytics, artificial intelligence/advanced algorithms (AI), cloud platforms, information and cybersecurity, as well as understand their pivotal role in supporting global business strategy.
AI capstone project
Integrate and apply your technical expertise, business acumen, and ethical considerations to solve real-world business challenges. Individually or in teams, students will design an AI-driven transformation project that addresses a specific business problem while demonstrating mindfulness and ethical considerations.
Through the semester-long capstone, MS-AIB students at ASU’s Tempe campus will navigate the complexities of managing and deploying AI solutions in business settings, with an emphasis on creating sustainable and impactful transformations.
MS-AIB optional track
An optional third-semester track is available for students who want to extend their program and gain internship experience over the summer. Talk to a recruiter to learn more about this valuable program add-on.
Concurrent degrees
Maximize your time in graduate school. The W. P. Carey School of Business has partnered with the Thunderbird School of Global Management to create dynamic offerings for motivated ASU students.
Pair your master’s degree in AI with an internationally recognized MGM from Thunderbird. Available from the moment you apply, future MS-AIB students can opt in to pursue the MGM with a concentration in global business or global digital transformation.
- Choose your concurrent degree while applying for the MS-AIB program
- Pair AI with comprehensive global management and leadership training
- Earn two innovative ASU master’s degrees in as little as two years
- Prepare to drive digital transformation in diverse, international contexts
Professional preparation
As AI's role in business operations becomes increasingly significant, there is a growing demand for professionals with combined expertise in AI and business. Anchored in the triad of mindful AI — business domain knowledge, technical understanding, and ethical awareness — the MS-AIB program at ASU aims to cultivate a highly skilled workforce proficient in thoughtfully applying AI across various industries and sectors.
One of the things that surprised me most at W. P. Carey is how much the curriculum incorporates real-life scenarios. We worked on assignments that mirror actual tasks you’d encounter in roles like cybersecurity, which makes the learning feel immediately applicable.
Tyler Lai, MS-AIB graduate
STEM designation
Our record of excellence and impact attracts motivated, diverse scholars from all over the world: over 120 countries are represented in the W. P. Carey student body alone. As a STEM-designated program, eligible MS-AIB graduates on student visas have access to an Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension for up to 36 months. This longer work authorization term may help international students gain additional skills and experience in the U.S.
Faculty
Faculty in the W. P. Carey Department of Information Systems conduct impactful research that helps push the frontiers of business, incorporate advanced technology and knowledge in teaching, and seek meaningful engagement with students, corporate stakeholders, and society.