What Do You Study in a Master’s of Science in Business and AI?
Ethical and Effective Targeted Business Application
Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just coming; it’s already here. In fact, a recent survey from Bain & Co. reports that 74% of companies rank AI as a top-three strategic priority, and that figure continues to climb.
However, there’s a significant difference between merely adopting the technology and fully leveraging the efficiency, insight, and value it can deliver.
The Master of Science in Business and Artificial Intelligence program blends business strategy with technical AI expertise. It is more focused on business application than a traditional tech degree and more technical than a traditional business degree.
It equips you with an interdisciplinary skill set as you delve into strategy, systems, data, and user experience. You’ll direct the path AI takes within your organization rather than follow it.
Why Business Leaders Need Applied AI Skills Now
Technical skills are only half the story. Today, employers demand a blend of technological literacy and distinctly human traits: creative thinking, resilience, flexibility, curiosity, talent management, and social influence.
Leaders who focus solely on the IT mechanics of AI often miss the bigger picture and limit their opportunities. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that over 70% of the skills employers seek today are expected to remain relevant in the age of AI. Leaders must learn how to use AI to amplify, not replace, their existing human strengths.
By building on your existing professional foundation, the curriculum teaches you how to bridge the gap between technical capability and business impact to generate real value from AI, something many organizations struggle to implement beyond surface-level use.
Skills Gained through the Business and AI Master’s Curriculum
Some people spot opportunities where AI can boost strategic value. Others design the solutions that put it to work. This program prepares you to do both.
Here are the core skills you gain through the program curriculum:
Foundations of AI Literacy for Business
To apply AI effectively in the workplace, you need to understand its underlying capabilities and limitations. That doesn’t mean being an advanced coder, but it does require a working knowledge of how machine learning and LLM models operate, where they succeed, and where they fall short. That foundation helps you determine which AI solutions are a good investment and which may not deliver meaningful business value.
Database Management
Data-driven decision-making has transformed how businesses analyze risk, forecast demand, and uncover opportunities. But while AI can generate results in moments that might once have taken hours or days, its output is only as good as its input. Business and AI programs emphasize data governance, data literacy, and building data-driven cultures, while also teaching how to interpret results from analytical models.
Ethical Judgment and Responsible AI Usage
The potential shortcomings of AI are well documented. Biases introduced through training data, a lack of transparency in understanding how models reach conclusions, and concerns around copyright, privacy, and security are real and growing. Master’s programs in AI teach students to use AI responsibly and comply with emerging regulations.
Project and Product Management
As AI fundamentally transforms how businesses plan, track, and execute initiatives, mastering the intersection of AI and operational strategy has never been more critical. You will lead initiatives from concept to execution through structured project lifecycles and adaptive Agile frameworks, gaining practical expertise in strategic planning, budgeting, and risk mitigation. By blending core product management principles with advanced AI capabilities, you will graduate ready to steer high-impact product strategies, align cross-functional teams, and drive large-scale digital transformations.
User Experience and Design
As artificial intelligence reshapes how businesses personalize and optimize customer touchpoints, designing user experiences that are both intelligent and trustworthy has become a competitive advantage. You will gain hands-on expertise in rapid prototyping, user testing, and business-aligned product development, while mastering the nuances of smart experiences, including human-in-the-loop workflows, predictive personalization, and ethical bias mitigation. You will graduate ready to build intuitive, AI-driven digital products that balance user trust with strategic business value.
Client- and Server-Side Application Development
Modern organizations require technology leaders who can rapidly build and scale full-stack, AI-powered digital solutions. The Master’s in Business and AI program bridges client- and server-side development, preparing you to engineer complete application architectures using cloud-native infrastructure and secure data storage. You will gain hands-on expertise designing responsive user interfaces, implementing natural language components, and managing foundational MLOps to scale AI/ML services. Throughout the curriculum, you will leverage AI-assisted coding tools to maximize software engineering productivity while ensuring rigorous code validation, security, and business alignment.
Strategic Leadership in the Age of AI
AI has become part of daily operations for many organizations, and those that use it most effectively to support their strategy gain a competitive edge. A Master’s in Business and AI ensures you know how to develop a roadmap for AI application and prepare your workforce to adapt. The curriculum highlights how the technology can be implemented into such areas as supply chain management, forecasting, digital transformation, and process automation. Because AI initiatives can affect entire organizations, you need exceptional communication skills to explain their impact and guide adoption across teams.
Hands-On Learning in a Master’s in Business and AI Program
As AI evolves in real time, your education should keep pace. In the Master’s in Business and AI program, you learn directly from real-world exercises and feedback from professionals who use AI daily. Throughout your studies, you will:
Analyze Case Studies
Evaluate how AI is actively disrupting industries such as healthcare, finance, logistics, and retail.
Complete a Capstone Project
Solve actual, complex business problems for real-world clients through industry partnerships and consulting projects.
Is a Master’s in Business and AI Degree Right for You?
If you already have three to seven years of professional experience, you likely recognize AI’s potential within your organization. Rather than becoming a backend developer, you want to lead AI deployment and strategy.
With a specialized master’s degree in business and AI, you can boost both your company’s ROI and your own career growth. The demand for candidates with AI-related skills has risen sharply, and employers are willing to pay a premium for hybrid, AI-fluent leaders.
How You Can Apply the Master’s in Business and AI in the Workplace
AI is reshaping how organizations operate across nearly every industry. And as nearly every organization plans to increase its AI spend by 2028, according to McKinsey, they want AI-fluent business leaders to oversee the change.
Graduates apply AI systems in functional areas such as:
- AI Management: Oversee internal AI projects and cross-functional deployment
- AI Strategy: Advise external clients on AI roadmaps and digital transformation
- C-Level AI/Data Leadership: Set enterprise-wide data governance and AI strategic vision
- Digital Transformation: Modernize legacy business infrastructure using automation and AI
- Product Management: Lead the lifecycle and user experience of AI-driven software products
Expand Your Business and AI Skill Portfolio at UGA’s Terry College of Business
If you are ready to help organizations navigate AI adoption and implementation, the online Master of Science in Business and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business is designed for you.
Delivered entirely online, this AACSB-accredited program allows you to advance your education without pausing your career and complete the degree in under two years.
Over five terms, you will complete a 10-class curriculum guided by industry insights and emerging business needs, covering database management, user experience, and digital transformation strategy. The coursework and hands-on practice in current AI frameworks give you the confidence to lead AI initiatives within your organization and industry.
You’ll join Terry’s network of 85,000+ alumni who form an interconnected community driving innovation in business.
Step into the next phase of your career with technical expertise and strategic vision through UGA’s online Master of Science in Business and Artificial Intelligence.
The Spring Application will close at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 1.