Students can apply for a new master’s degree in the Online Engineering Program that teaches advanced technical skills and explores the ethical and societal implications of artificial intelligence.

Students pursuing the Online Master of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will complete at least four nine-week virtual sessions to complete the program. The 10 required courses cover topics like neural networks, natural language processing, computer vision, deep learning, robotics and autonomous systems to prepare students for careers in technology, finance, healthcare and transportation, according to the program’s website.

Logan Boydstun, the program manager of GW online engineering programs, said the Online Master of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning program is currently recruiting its first cohort of students, and is set to begin sessions later in the spring or summer. Boydstun said there is no requirement for submitting GRE scores in the “spirit of inclusivity,” an admissions precedent for GW online engineering programs since COVID-19.

“We know that some people are really bad at taking tests,” Boydstun said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re not suited for the program.”

Boydstun said U.S. News & World Report ranked GW’s online master’s in engineering programs No. 11 out of 115 programs in 2023, tying with programs at Arizona State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The program’s creation follows the launch of GW’s online Doctor of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning program, which officials created in fall 2023. Boydstun said the master’s program’s aims to prepare students for the doctorate program and encourage students to continue their engineering education at GW.

“The field is exploding, it is definitely the next big thing, the next technological leap. There’s huge demand right now for a qualified, knowledgeable workforce and so we’re just trying to fill that void,” Boydstun said.

The master’s program consists of 30 credits, which cost $1,195 per credit hour for the 2023-2024 academic year. The tuition includes a $495 deposit and there are no additional fees for course materials, like software and e-books, because program officials will provide the resources, according to the program’s website.

Boydstun said the master’s program has been receiving a “huge variety” of applicants from different fields.

“There’s not really a stereotypical applicant to this program,” Boydstun said. “They’re coming from every industry far and wide, so I think it goes to show that AI is very much becoming a part of everything.”