Master in Artificial Intelligence

Master in Artificial Intelligence is one of 4 English-taught Artificial Intelligence programmes at master’s level in the register, offered by 4 institutions. 4 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 727 to EUR 1,453; this programme lists EUR 1,453 a year. 3 are at a public university, where EU, EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters.

What you study

The Master's in Artificial Intelligence at JKU Linz is an engineering degree taught in English. It focuses on modern deep learning and generative AI. In the mandatory courses you learn how to make computers understand images, sound and text, and how to train AI systems that learn from data. You practise building models that create content, work with sequences and make decisions, including for 3D shapes and connections between things. You also learn to choose and test models carefully, handle uncertainty and present findings clearly. A separate strand covers law, ethics, fairness, human-AI interaction and communication, so you can build responsible systems.

You specialise in one of four elective tracks:

• AI for Simulation: build digital twins and physics-informed models, speed up simulation for fluid dynamics, materials and coupled physical systems, and use simulators and reinforcement learning for production scheduling, energy management, traffic flow and autonomous control.
• Embedded Intelligence and Signal Processing: bring AI into sensors and devices, extract information from camera, radar, lidar, ultrasound and chemical sensor data, and make machines and factories smarter.
• Symbolic AI and Mathematical Foundations: combine AI with logic, model checking, theorem proving, software and hardware verification, computer algebra and machine learning, plus advanced analysis, numerical mathematics and statistics.
• AI and Life Sciences: apply AI to medical imaging, genomics, proteomics, chemistry and genetics, for example predicting protein structures, finding drug candidates and analysing medical images.

How the programme is organised

The degree is 120 ECTS over four semesters, full time. The programme is offered in Linz and optionally at the JKU's satellite campuses in Vienna and Bregenz. There, faculty hold courses in classrooms at the JKU campus and stream them live. All examinations are taken on site in Linz, Vienna or Bregenz. Places in Vienna are limited, and many elective courses are only offered in Linz. The programme builds on the JKU's long-standing expertise in AI and sits in a research environment closely connected to industry. You work on real-world projects and can engage in research. The Master's is an engineering degree, and you can go on to a doctorate in Technical Sciences.

Who it suits

It suits students who want to understand how intelligent systems are actually designed and built, not just use them. You should be comfortable with mathematics, programming and statistics, because the programme starts from those foundations and moves into machine learning, deep learning, reasoning, reinforcement learning, robot learning and language. It also suits people who care about the social, ethical and legal side of AI, since that is part of the mandatory content. If you want a broad computer science degree, note that this programme is more specialised: it focuses on AI methods and systems.

Admission, language and next steps

Teaching is in English at level B2, and you must prove that proficiency. If you hold the JKU Bachelor's in Artificial Intelligence, you can enrol without admission constraints. Graduates of JKU programmes such as Bioinformatics, Electronic and Information Technology, Informatics, Mechatronics, NaSciTec, Statistics and Data Science, Technical Mathematics, Technical Physics or Business Informatics (or comparable degrees elsewhere) must complete 6 ECTS in Machine Learning, which you can earn through elective courses during the Master's. Other bachelor's or diploma degrees are possible if you have relevant prior knowledge, but you then complete an additional 40 ECTS during the programme. Applications go directly to the JKU, not through a central portal; the JKU admissions page gives the application period. As a public university, JKU charges no tuition to EU/EEA and Swiss students within the standard duration plus two semesters; other students pay a fee per semester.

Deep Learning is the most modern field in Artificial Intelligence. And that is exactly what the master's programme in Artificial Intelligence focuses on. Moreover, the students can choose between four elective tracks: AI and Mechatronics, Robotics and Autonomous Systems, AI and Mechatronics, Embedded Intelligence and Signal Processing, Symbolic AI and Mathematical Foundations, AI and Life Sciences

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here Johannes Kepler University Linz. A public university sets the admission requirements and dates for this level, so read them on the programme page. Entrance examination, as the register states it: No. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.