Master's in Artificial Intelligence Programs in Illinois

Are you interested in earning your Master’s in Artificial Intelligence in Illinois? We’re here to help you find an AI degree that meets your needs. Illinois has the fourth-most AI graduate degree programs in the nation, so you have plenty of options. Choose from top schools, including Illinois Institute of Technology and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. And career opportunities for AI graduates in Illinois are plentiful. A quick search highlights AI jobs with big businesses, including Deloitte, Capital One, and Allstate. Use the list below to start your search for an Illinois Master’s in AI degree!

Artificial Intelligence Education in Illinois

Illinois is an excellent area for students pursuing artificial intelligence degrees in the midwest. You will find AI master’s programs targeting a variety of disciplines like machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, and data science.

Just minutes from downtown, the Illinois Institute of Technology is one of the state’s most reputable universities offering artificial intelligence graduate programs. IIT offers three different AI master’s programs. The M.A.S. in Artificial Intelligence allows students with a bachelor’s degree in computer science to complete the program in three semesters plus one summer course. Or, students can participate in innovative research within state-of-the-art laboratories in the M.Eng in Artificial Intelligence – Computer Vision and Control program. Finally, IIT offers an M.S. in Autonomous Systems and Robotics for students interested in self-driving cars and other unmanned vehicles.

Illinois Tech has long been a leader when it comes to AI education. It was the first university in the midwest to offer an undergraduate degree in AI, and it is Chicago’s only tech-focused college. The C.S. department has forged strong partnerships over the years with the city’s growing tech community, which has allowed it to offer various off-campus research opportunities.

Northwestern University also offers a couple of master’s degrees in AI, including the M.S. in Artificial Intelligence. This program allows students to choose from a traditional track to create complex AI systems directly in industry or a MSAI+X track for students wishing to transform their field through a deep understanding of AI tools and techniques. Students will complete an AI internship within the traditional track, while MSAI+X students enroll in summer boot camp to develop and refine programming and mathematical skills.

Finally, students interested in the intersection of healthcare and AI/ML should consider the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Bioengineering Department, where researchers are currently attempting to map the human brain, offers a Master of Science in Biomedical Image Computing and a Graduate Certificate in AI in Medicine. For traditional engineering students, Illinois offers an accelerated, one-year M.Eng. in Autonomy & Robotics.

Online Master’s in Artificial Intelligence Programs in Illinois

Illinois is home to a few online AI master’s programs and certificates, including Northwestern’s online Master’s in Data Science – Artificial Intelligence. The program includes five specializations and emphasizes Python, R, and Go. The university’s MSDS Student Leadership Council is helpful for both in-person and online students as it fosters relationships between students, alumni, and industry professionals.

DePaul University offers the M.S. in Artificial Intelligence as an online program. The university is one of the first to offer such a degree, and 93% of reporting School of Computing master’s graduates were employed, continuing their education, or not seeking employment within six months of graduation.

The last online AI master’s program is the University of Illinois at Chicago’s online M.Eng – Machine Learning, ranked #37 in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report for online M.Eng programs.

The Artificial Intelligence Landscape in Illinois

Illinois is making significant progress in integrating AI throughout the state. Towards the end of 2020, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced an investment of over $140 million to establish seven AI institutes in the U.S. Two of these institutes were given to Illinois, led by teams at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. For example, UIUC’s AIFARMS (Artificial Intelligence for Future Agricultural Resilience, Management, and Sustainability) applies advances in artificial intelligence to the agriculture industry and societal needs. Their work addresses challenges such as improving labor efficiency while protecting animal welfare, protecting soil health through predictive AI, and creating autonomous farming technology to alleviate labor concerns.

The state’s public sector is also leveraging AI for good. More recently, the Illinois Department of Employment Security began using AI to deploy virtual agents to help over 1 million citizens file unemployment claims after losing their jobs. The initiative served as a model for using AI to lessen the economic impact of COVID-19.

Another big investment of $200 million came in 2021 when the University of Illinois and IBM began collaborating to drive innovation and boost workforce skills. The initiative brought about the Discovery Accelerator Institute on the Urbana-Champaign campus, a 10-year research project focused on solving global challenges in AI, quantum technology, accelerated materials discovery, and sustainability.

The state’s most promising city for AI, Chicago, is becoming a hotbed of startup funding. More specifically, the city is emerging as a leader in AI and life sciences, with companies like Tempus achieving an $8.1 billion valuation. The company is working to eradicate disease and enable citizens to live healthier lives through AI technologies.

Whether it’s the state’s impressive academic institutions, the public sector, or the growing startup scene in Chicago, Illinois is working towards becoming an AI-driven state. It provides many great opportunities for students to pursue AI master’s programs and land exciting careers within a wide range of industries.