Program Overview

MSc Applied Artificial Intelligence

Introduction

Advance your career with our conversion Master’s degree in Applied Artificial Intelligence. Study part-time by distance learning and develop the skills you need to analyse complex data and develop AI applications to support business decision-making.

Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to provide the tools to enhance technology, business models, and decision-making across a range of sectors, from industrial automation, manufacturing, transport, banking, and cybersecurity to health, human resource management, and social care.

If you're planning to reorient your career towards the ever-growing and popular field of artificial intelligence, and your undergraduate degree did not prepare you for it, the MSc Applied Artificial Intelligence conversion course provides you with an excellent opportunity. As this is a conversion course, MSc Applied Artificial Intelligence is designed to accommodate candidates with no prior exposure or relevant degree in computing or AI focus.

Course Options

• 3 years part-time
• September start date
• Distance learning

Key Facts

• STUDY OPTIONS: 3 years part-time
• START DATES: September
• LOCATION: Distance learning
• FEE (UK AND EU STUDENTS): £8,600 Distance learning students starting 2025/26 (total cost)

Teaching and Assessment

Whole Course

This course offers practical data analytics and machine learning skills, tailored to comply with the current market demands, technologies, and industrial practices. It takes you, step by step, through the major building blocks of AI in an applied fashion and will allow you to gain highly marketable skills such as programming, data acquisition and cleaning, data analysis and feature extraction, and machine learning.

In addition, you'll gain the required knowledge and will acquire appropriate skills to conduct an end-to-end AI research and development project through the postgraduate master project module, based on a real-life scenario.

The incorporation of real-world datasets and industry-simulated projects and practices into various modules of this course helps you better understand the challenges, constraints, and limitations that businesses and industries are facing and provides you with an opportunity to craft your skills and expertise accordingly. You'll become familiar with advanced AI tools and techniques, such as deep learning and generative models.

As well as the four core modules, you'll complete 30 credits' worth of optional modules.

Modules are subject to change and availability.

Assessment

We'll assess you in several ways including time-constrained assessments, coursework assignments, presentations and a project.

Our dissertation project and module case studies assess your ability to analyse situations, identify key issues, select, synthesise and apply techniques and skills from different modules, and evaluate the appropriateness of solutions when compared to industrial practice.

The dissertation artefact will be based on a real-world scenario.

Core Modules

• Analytical Techniques
• Programming with Python
• Machine Learning Techniques
• Postgraduate Major Project

Optional Modules

• Prompt Engineering and Generative AI (30 credits)
• Advanced Time Series Analysis (15 credits)
• Research Methods (15 credits)

Entry Requirements

• Applicants will normally hold a first or second class first degree in any subject.
• Candidates with other degrees, including foundation degrees, but with relevant work experience may also be considered. You will have normally worked for over three years in a professional environment regardless of the discipline. You will be expected to attend an interview where an assessment will be made to determine your ability to succeed at postgraduate level.
• If English is not your first language, you will be expected to demonstrate a certificated level of proficiency of at least IELTS 6.5 or equivalent English Language qualification as recognised by ARU. You’ll need at least 5.5 in each of the four skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing.
• As a distance learner, you'll also need a suitable computer with internet connection, together with sufficient IT competence to make effective use of our online Learning Management System (LMS) with high-speed internet and email.

Fees and Paying for University

• Tuition fees for distance learning students (2025/26): £8,600 Distance learning students starting 2025/26 (total cost)
• ARU graduates may be eligible for an Alumni Scholarship and get a 20% fee discount.

Facilities

• Outstanding student support
• Learn from expert staff who will guide your research interests and career development
• Receive full support from our Employability Service, while you're studying with us and after you graduate
• Access support, should you need it, with study skills, health and wellbeing, and more.

Careers

This course is designed from the start with employability and market demands in mind, allowing candidates with minimal skills and an interest in computer science to gain highly marketable applied artificial intelligence and trends prediction skills in a short amount of time opening a wide range of career possibilities and opportunities.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to confidently undertake a wide range of applied computing careers including Artificial Intelligence Technologist, Data Analyst, Data Scientist, and Business Analyst for data-driven business strategies, in various domains such as healthcare, human resource, marketing, retail, e-business technologies, IT system development and design and IT project management.

Graduation doesn't have to be the end of your time with us. You might decide to continue your academic career and join a research programme at ARU. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and save £400 on your fees.