Do You Need a Coding Background to Get a Master’s in Business and AI?
You don’t need to be a software developer to get a master’s in business and AI. While you will learn Python, coding is not the main focus of the program. What you will need, however, is business acumen, intellectual curiosity, and the drive to lead in a world increasingly shaped by AI.
A business and AI master’s gives you the knowledge to understand how artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and data science can generate meaningful business results. It covers building agile tech strategies, guiding AI adoption and putting those tools to work.
What “AI” Actually Means in a Business Master’s Program
Many organizations have started experimenting with AI, but few have generated strong returns from it. According to a 2025 report from EY, only 28% of companies are positioned to achieve high-value outcomes from this game-changing technology.
A master’s degree in business and AI equips leaders and solution engineers who can fill that gap.
In the program, you have multiple pathways to influence AI models either building them if an ideal one does not exist for your business use or employing your strategic knowledge to use AI to amplify results. You might use it to reduce operational costs, identify gaps in a product lineup, or discover process efficiencies. By the time you graduate, you’ll know how to apply, evaluate, and strategize around AI.
At the moment, it’s easier for businesses to buy AI tools than it is to identify leaders who can use them well — people who can spot opportunities, align teams, and implement solutions that deliver results such as greater profits, increased efficiency, or improved customer satisfaction.
There’s no shortage of data scientists or ML engineers, but there are far fewer professionals who can connect technical applications to business strategy. An M.S. in business and AI prepares you to transform workplace cultures so AI is seen as a partner, not a threat, and teams can capitalize on new opportunities.
Skills You Need When Starting a Master’s in Business and AI
The people best equipped to navigate the challenges and expectations AI brings to every sector are nimble, analytical thinkers unafraid of exploring new solutions that have never been tried before.
Businesses need AI-fluent experts who are able to make decisions based on data and envision how AI tools fit business needs. They can manage a project, identify problems and their respective solutions, lead teams implementing strategies, and build adaptive tools that propel businesses forward.
You should be comfortable working with data at a conceptual level. You can either come straight from your undergraduate degree program or have several years of experience in finance, operations, or marketing. Above all, you are an imaginative, flexible thinker, willing to engage with new tools and unfamiliar concepts.
Introductory Programming Pathway
While you don’t need experience building or deploying AI/ML models or an undergraduate degree in computer science or another technical field, many master’s programs require a baseline familiarity with Python, R, or another programming language.
If you do not have that experience, you can still be admitted to a program, but you will take an accelerated Python course prior to beginning your graduate studies to ensure you have the baseline skills to succeed in the program.
This expectation isn’t about turning you into a programmer — you won’t spend all your time coding — but about ensuring you have a technical perspective of how AI models work, where they fall short, and how to judge the results those models return.
How Much Technical Skill Will You Have When You Graduate?
Employers aren’t looking for business leaders who can code. They’re looking for leaders who can connect AI’s potential to results. That calls for someone able to communicate with the boardroom as well as the development teams implementing these emerging AI solutions and using AI to spot opportunities in a dataset.
Solving those challenges may be even more complex than the technology itself. With a master’s in business and AI, you add to the business skills you’ve already learned and become the kind of tech-fluent leader companies need today.
Get the most out of AI. Get the most out of your career.
Become the kind of leader who can get the most out of AI with a Master of Science in Business & Artificial Intelligence at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. You can complete this all-online program in just five semesters, taking classes without interrupting your career.
Our curriculum is vetted by a panel of industry experts, and our AACSB-accredited business school is ranked among the world’s best. You will learn from experts and meet other professionals driven to excel. The program concludes with a capstone experience integrating AI concepts into business strategy, solving a challenge for a real-world client.
Want to Learn More?
We’re here to answer any questions you may have about the Master of Science in Business and Artificial Intelligence program.
- Graduate Program Administrator, Master of Science in Business and Artificial Intelligence, Department of Management Information Systems