The ultimate graduate degree in artificial intelligence is a doctoral degree, also referred to as a Doctor of Philosophy or PhD. Many PhDs in artificial intelligence are in computer science or engineering with a specialization or research focus in artificial intelligence. PhD students will learn advanced subjects in the discipline, like algorithms, decision theory, stochastic processes, and optimization.
What are PhD Programs in Artificial Intelligence?
As mentioned above, PhD programs in artificial intelligence are usually PhDs in computer science with a concentration in artificial intelligence. There are other PhDs with specializations in artificial intelligence, as you will see in the titles of many of the degrees listed below. These may include Mechanical Engineering, Machine Learning, and Computational Linguistics.
Types
Most classes in a PhD program will be on-campus, but there may be a few offered online. (Only one PhD program in AI is offered completely online, as you will see in the list below). Some colleges and universities require PhD students to attend school full-time, while others admit part-time students.
Cost
According to EducationData.org, the cost of a Doctor of Philosophy averages $106,860 as of 2023. Programs vary widely in their cost, however, depending upon whether the university is public or private and how much financial assistance is available.
Who Should Study for a PhD in Artificial Intelligence?
Those who get PhDs in artificial intelligence are often interested in research positions, teaching, or software engineering.
Jobs
Jobs that are commonly held by those with PhDs in artificial intelligence include, but are not limited to:
- Research scientists
- Professors
- Software engineers
- Executives in business (Chief Technology Officer, etc.)
- Principal scientist
- Lead data scientist
- Machine learning engineer
- Computer scientist
Salary
According to Payscale.com, the average salary for a person holding a PhD in Artificial Intelligence as of 2023 is $115,000 annually. The highest salaries are earned by executives such as Chief Technology Officers holding PhDs in AI, who average $198,235 annually. Computer scientists with PhDs in artificial intelligence fall at the lower end of the salary range, making $91,926 per year.
What are the Admissions Requirements for PhD Programs in Artificial Intelligence?
In order to be admitted to a PhD program in artificial intelligence, you will need at least a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree in a related field. You must provide a resume, transcripts, a solid academic background, a personal statement of interest, and strong personal and professional recommendations. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) may or may not be required. Check with the school(s) in which you are interested in applying for their GRE policies for doctoral students.
Be prepared for a long period of study, as the average PhD program takes three to six years to complete. Keep in mind that, once admitted, many doctoral programs in AI will require you to maintain a 3.5 GPA in order to remain in the program.
What is Studied in a PhD Program in Artificial Intelligence?
Classes
Courses that you will study in a PhD program in artificial intelligence will vary depending upon the specialization you choose, as well as your prior education. Some schools will give you credit for your master’s degree classes, while others will not. Expect courses in algorithms, analytics, statistics, machine learning, and robotics, among others.
Dissertation
The dissertation is the culmination of your doctoral degree studies, and shows the published research you have conducted on artificial intelligence and/or your specialization. It will take about two years to research and write a dissertation, and you will start working on it during the second or third year of your PhD program.
Specializations
Potential specializations in PhD programs in AI are listed in the degrees below. They include, but are not limited to:
- Statistics
- Data Science
- Automotive Systems
- Computational Linguistics
- Robotics
- Machine Learning
- Autonomous Systems
Doctoral Programs in Artificial Intelligence
Below you will find a list of PhD programs in various fields of artificial intelligence across the U.S., as of 2023.
PhD. Programs in Computational Linguistics and Natural Language Processing
District of Columbia
- Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Indiana
- Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN
Massachusetts
- Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
New Jersey
- Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
New York
- City University of New York Graduate Center
- Cornell University
Texas
- University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Washington
- University of Washington Seattle, Seattle, WA
Doctoral Programs in Machine Learning
Florida
- University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Georgia
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Illinois
- Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL
Massachusetts
- Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Pennsylvania
- Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Washington
- University of Washington-Seattle, Seattle, WA
Doctoral Programs in Robotics and Autonomous Systems
California
- University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Colorado
- University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
Florida
- University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL
Maryland
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Massachusetts
- Boston University, Boston, MA
- Tufts University, Medford, MA
Michigan
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI
Nevada
- University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV
New Jersey
- Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ
North Carolina
- Duke University, Durham, NC
Ohio
- Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- Offers BS-PhD and MS-PhD paths
Pennsylvania
- Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Texas
- University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Utah
- University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Doctoral Programs in Artificial Intelligence
Arizona
- Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
California
- University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA
Colorado
- Colorado State University-Fort Collins, Fort Collins, CO
Illinois
- Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL
Indiana
- Indiana University-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN
Maryland
- Capitol Technology University, Laurel, MD
- Online program
Massachusetts
- Boston University, Boston, MA
- Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Nebraska
- University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE
New Jersey
- Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ
New York
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
- Long Island University-Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
Oregon
- Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Pennsylvania
- Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
- University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Texas
- University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX