California Master's in Artificial Intelligence Programs

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Are you interested in a California-based Master’s in Artificial Intelligence program? You’ve come to the right place! California is home to 35+ graduate degree programs in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and related fields. Use our program directory to compare Master’s in AI programs from top tech schools like Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UCLA, and USC. To help you explore every possibility, we’ve also included graduate certificate programs in AI from a large number of Californian universities.

Artificial Intelligence Schools in California

California is not only one of the leading states for advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies—it’s also a top choice for artificial intelligence education. There are scores of master’s programs throughout the state, and you can study nearly any specialization. Whether you want to concentrate on autonomous vehicles, Edge AI, computer vision, deep reinforcement learning, machine learning, or one of the other sub-fields of AI, there is a program in our directory for you.

Stanford University, which has established itself as one of the world’s leading AI universities, is home to the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL). Founded in 1963, SAIL was one of the first institutions to begin studying and researching artificial intelligence. It offers courses, manages outreach to schools, and works with a large number of industry affiliates, including Google, Toyota, and Accenture.
UC Berkeley is one of the world’s top educational players in artificial intelligence, and has developed all kinds of prestigious AI initiatives. In particular, the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research (BAIR) lab has over two dozen faculty members and more than a hundred graduate students. Thanks to its location, UC Berkeley has also forged partnerships with a number of Silicon Valley companies. For proof, take a look at the sponsors of the Sky Computing Lab.
In 2024, UC San Diego launched a new School of Computing, Information and Data Sciences (SCIDS), which pulls on the strengths of the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) and the Halicioğlu Data Science Institute (HDSI). HDSI runs a number of outreach events, bootcamps, workshops, and seminars.

Besides offering degrees, California R1 universities and labs are also responsible for many of the developments and much of the latest AI research coming out of the field. For example, Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) releases an annual AI Index. The index is an independent program developed by an interdisciplinary team of individuals in academia, industry, and governments. It comprehensively tracks AI’s impact and progress each year by analyzing patterns on everything from job growth to national economies and diversity.

Online Master’s in Artificial Intelligence Programs in California

Given its large size and importance to the AI industry, it’s no surprise California universities offer plenty of online artificial intelligence degrees and graduate certificates. Although R1 universities are still a little wary of 100% online master’s programs in AI, online certificate programs in AI in California are particularly popular. Look for the “Offered Online” tag in our directory to evaluate your distance learning options.

Notable online master’s programs in AI and Machine Learning (ML) within California include Stanford’s highly respected Online Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) – Artificial Intelligence, UC San Diego’s Online Master of Science in Applied Artificial Intelligence, and San Jose State University’s Online Master of Science in Statistics – Machine Learning. Alternatively, you could customize a program such as USC’s Online Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) or San Diego State University’s Online Master of Science in Computer Engineering with relevant project work in AI.
Stanford also offers quicker online certificate programs in artificial intelligence. The first is its popular 100% Online Artificial Intelligence Graduate Certificate, which features at least one required course in AI and/or ML and electives in AI sub-fields. The second program is its comprehensive, 7-course Online Artificial Intelligence Professional Program with coursework in all the greatest AI hits, including ML, deep learning, neural networks, NLP, computer vision, and more.

The Artificial Intelligence Landscape in California

Outside of academia, the artificial intelligence landscape is massive in California. Silicon Valley, Stanford, and big players in the UC System like UC Berkeley are fueling investment & innovation. Thanks to state interventions, AI is also drastically changing the structure of goods and services in California’s economy.

Silicon Valley & AI Startups: According to a 2025 Brookings Metro report on Mapping the AI Economy, San Francisco and San Jose accounted for 13% of all job postings with AI skills in Q1 2025. That’s not a surprising statistic when one realizes that San Francisco is home to OpenAI, Databricks, and Anthropic and San Jose is the realm of Google, NVIDIA, and Apple. These two metro areas also generate a huge amount of startup energy, including 34% of AI patents. As of 2025, 31% of private AI startups founded after 2014 operated in San Francisco & San Jose and nearly a third of total seed & early-stage VC funding for AI startups went to companies in these cities.
State Government & AI: In 2023, Governor Newsom issued an Executive Order that called for an exploration of the development, use, and risks of AI within California (e.g. risk-analysis of threats and vulnerabilities in California’s energy infrastructure). In 2024, the state launched a state worker GenAI training program, convened a Joint California Summit on Generative AI with Stanford and UC Berkeley, and announced a public-private collaboration with NVIDIA that sought to train hundreds of thousands of students, faculty, developers, and data scientists, including students in the California community college system. Visit California GenAI for the latest developments in state agencies.

But California also faces some headwinds, including—literally—drought and fire. As JLL’s North America Data Center Report – Midyear 2025 notes, “power is the new real estate.” To mitigate against extreme weather events, data centers are migrating to cooler climates in the Midwest where land is cheap and plentiful. The extraordinarily high cost of living in the Bay Area means some younger workers in tech are also eyeing opportunities in more “life-friendly” regions.

California Artificial Intelligence Resources

Explore California’s thriving AI ecosystem with this handpicked list of top artificial intelligence conferences, networking communities, and university research centers in CA. Find out which organizations are shaping the future of AI across the state.