SDSU Computer Science Department to Launch New Master’s Program in Artificial Intelligence and Technology

San Diego State University Computer Science department will have a new Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Technology (AIT), starting in Fall 2026. The program is designed to meet the growing demand for skilled professionals in the foundations of artificial intelligence and the applications of AI in future technology.

The two-year master’s program covers theoretical analysis of AI techniques and their applications in real-world problems, giving students solid theoretical foundations and real-world experience needed to thrive in today’s fast-changing tech landscape. 

Students in the AIT master’s program take 10 courses, plus one seminar, totaling 31 semester units to complete the degree. In addition, they need to either pass a comprehensive exam or write a research thesis.  Students who choose the exam option can also take CS 797 or CS 798 courses as an elective course to work on hands-on projects and explore AI research supervised by the computer science and AI faculty.

Applications open in October 2025 on CalState Apply.

The AIT Master’s program requires the following 6 courses (16 units).

CS 549 – Machine Learning, Units: 3 
CS 553 – Neural Networks, Units: 3
CS 601 – Graduate Seminar, Unit: 1 
CS 652 – Foundations of Deep Learning, Unit: 3
CS 653 – Data Mining, Units: 3
CS 654 – Reinforcement Learning, Units: 3

The remaining 15 units for the AIT Masters are taken from the following courses.

CS 556 – Robotics, Units: 3 
CS 559 – Computer Vision, Units: 3
CS 561 – Deep Learning for Natural Language Processing, Units: 3 
CS 581 – Computational Linguistics, Units: 3 
CS 582 – Introduction to Speech Processing, Units: 3 
CS 656 – Advanced Robotics, Units: 3 
CS 657 – Intelligent Systems, Units: 3 
CS 659 – Visual Perception and Learning, Units: 3
CS 668 – Large Language Models, Units: 3
CS 677 – Data Quality Assurance, Units: 3
CS 682 – Speech Processing, Units: 3 
CS 514 – Database Theory and Implementation, Units: 3
CS 574 – Computer Security, Units: 3 
CS 575 – Network Traffic Analysis, Unit: 3
CS 577 – Principles and Techniques of Data Science, Unit: 3
CS 649 – Big Data Tools & Methods, Units: 3
CS 663 – Algorithms For Big Data, Units: 3
CS 679 – Advanced Multimedia Networks, Units: 3
CS 797 – Research, Units: 1-3 
CS 798 – Special Study, Units: 1-3

Students in the Computer Science MS program are eligible to apply for transfer to the AIT MS program in Fall 2026. Not all Computer Science courses can be applied to the AIT Master’s program.

For more information about the new Artificial Intelligence and Technology MS program,
contact Dr. Wang or Dr. Whitney.