Georgia Tech Wins Approval for Online Master's in AI

Georgia Tech said on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, that the University System of Georgia Board of Regents has approved its new Online Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence, a degree aimed at working professionals who want to apply AI within their own industries. The program, known as OMS AI, is planned to launch in 2027 with six concentrations, and every student will complete an AI practicum with a company or organization, according to the Georgia Tech announcement. The university says more details will be announced later this year.

What the Georgia Tech OMS AI degree includes

Georgia Tech describes the degree as interdisciplinary, combining its AI research and technical expertise with applications tailored to particular fields. The six initial concentrations are AI in Business, Decision-Support AI, Foundations of AI Theory, Health AI, Human-AI Interactions and Predictive AI.

The announcement says students will study the responsible use of AI throughout the curriculum, covering ethics, privacy, safety, accountability and governance. In the university's words, the program is meant to teach how AI works, how organizations can deploy it responsibly and how to apply AI capabilities within a profession.

Georgia Tech contrasts the degree with graduate programs that focus mainly on technical specialization. It says OMS AI pairs foundational AI knowledge with discipline-specific concentrations, so that a student interested in health care or business can follow a track aligned with that field.

The practicum is the one requirement the university spells out for every student. Each participant will work with a company or organization so they can apply what they learn to real situations. Georgia Tech has not yet said how partner organizations will be chosen or how long the practicum will run.

The university also says the degree will keep changing. Future concentrations and curriculum updates are meant to track new technologies and workforce demands across more disciplines, and the curriculum will be guided by faculty expertise.

How it differs from the existing OMSCS AI track

Georgia Tech already offers AI coursework online through its Online Master of Science in Computer Science. That program's Specialization in Artificial Intelligence sits inside the computer science degree and requires 15 credit hours. Students take an algorithms course plus two core courses chosen from computer vision, artificial intelligence, knowledge-based AI, machine learning, deep learning and natural language processing.

The OMSCS specialization page lists electives such as Conversational AI, Large Language Models, and AI, Ethics, and Society, alongside courses in human-computer interaction and cognitive science. That track remains a computer science credential with an AI focus.

OMS AI, by contrast, is a separate degree with its own name and concentrations in applied areas such as business and health. Georgia Tech says it builds on the university's suite of online master's programs for working professionals around the world.

Several practical details are still missing from the announcement. It does not give tuition, total credit hours, admission requirements, application deadlines or the exact term in 2027 when the first students will enrol. Prospective applicants will have to wait for the further details the university has promised later this year.

What Georgia Tech leaders said about the degree

Provost Raheem Beyah tied the program to the university's history with technological change. "Georgia Tech has always prepared people to lead through periods of technological change, and AI is the newest iteration," he said. Beyah added that the degree responds to what industry and working professionals need, which he described as "the ability to pair deep human expertise with the skills to understand, apply, and lead with AI."

Larry Jacobs, executive vice provost for education and learning, said the aim is to develop leaders across disciplines who understand the technology well enough to decide what to do with it, where to use it and how to use it responsibly. He said the curriculum combines the university's AI research and technical application with its culture of practical problem-solving, so that it applies to professionals in a wide range of emerging fields.

President Ángel Cabrera thanked the provost's team and faculty, and said Georgia Tech is committed to developing a new generation of leaders who can harness AI "to improve the human condition."

Other AI education moves announced the same day

Georgia Tech's announcement landed on the same day that MIT launched MIT for America, an initiative to strengthen STEM education from kindergarten through community college. MIT News said one of its three priority areas is living, learning and working with AI, including teacher education that helps instructors bring AI into classrooms and AI skills programs for technical-vocational schools and community colleges.

MIT News also reported that a related program, Pathways for AI Training and Hiring, launched on 1 October with Georgia State University as its first partner, aiming to bring workplace AI training to two-year and four-year colleges. MIT said about 1 million students took part in its RAISE program's Day of AI event earlier this year.

The two announcements are aimed at different learners. Georgia Tech's degree is designed for working professionals seeking a graduate credential, while MIT's initiative focuses on school and community college students and their teachers.

PromptCrates has tracked similar shifts in higher education, including UT Arlington's move to replace business analytics with AI degrees, the University of Florida's push to scale AI across every college and EDUCAUSE placing AI at the top of its 2027 priorities.

• Georgia Tech News Center: new Online Master's Degree in Artificial Intelligence
• Georgia Tech OMSCS: Specialization in Artificial Intelligence
• MIT News: MIT announces the MIT for America initiative
• PromptCrates: UT Arlington replaces business analytics with AI degrees
• PromptCrates: University of Florida scales AI across every college
• PromptCrates: EDUCAUSE puts AI value hunt at top of 2027 priorities