Rice University is to launch a dedicated Master of Artificial Intelligence in Houston in autumn 2027, offering advanced training for computer science graduates and technical professionals seeking careers designing and deploying AI systems.
The programme, developed by the university’s Department of Computer Science, will build on Rice’s undergraduate artificial intelligence degree and is intended to address what academics describe as a shortage of specialist training in the field.
Chris Jermaine, chair of the department, said many traditional computer science degrees did not provide enough depth in artificial intelligence for students who wanted to pursue it professionally.
“AI majors are still quite rare out there,” he said. “Computer science undergraduate degrees tend to not have a lot of AI, and so as a result, you have people who graduate with an undergraduate degree and want to know more about AI.”
Rice’s Master of Artificial Intelligence programme
The on-campus Rice MAI will be a 30-credit, non-thesis degree, normally completed over three semesters, or around 12 to 16 months of full-time study. It will combine advanced computer science teaching with practical work aimed at preparing students to build and operate AI systems at scale.
The curriculum will include artificial intelligence, deep machine learning and large-scale systems for AI, covering areas such as transformers, large-model training, GPU acceleration and distributed computing.
Students will also complete a team-based capstone project involving the design, construction and evaluation of a working AI application. The programme includes an internship and seminar element, with Rice positioning the course as a route into industries including healthcare, energy, aerospace and finance.
The university says the programme is aimed at recent computer science graduates as well as engineers, scientists and technologists with relevant technical backgrounds. Applicants are expected to have studied subjects including programming, data structures and algorithms, computer systems, calculus, linear algebra and probability.
Rice has begun accepting applications for the inaugural cohort. The early deadline for applicants seeking scholarship consideration is February 10, 2027, while the domestic application deadline is July 1.
The new degree is designed to provide deeper technical preparation than a short-term AI certificate, according to the university. While certification courses can help workers add specific skills to their CVs, the MAI is intended to train graduates to develop, deploy and maintain complex systems rather than simply use existing tools.
Robert Vaughn, a regional manager at Robert Half Tech & Staffing Solutions, said employers were increasingly placing a premium on AI expertise, although the long-term career impact of newly established specialist degrees remained to be seen.
“AI has changed the landscape of how companies are run and how organizations are structured and it’s not going away,” Vaughn said. “So it’s evolving and everybody needs to evolve with it.”
