MSc Artificial Intelligence

The MSc Artificial Intelligence is a taught postgraduate degree aimed at graduates of disciplines with a large mathematics component, other than computer science.  The degree includes specialised, intensive training in programming and AI, with a wide choice of elective modules, a group project and a large individual project.  There is also the possibility of doing the individual project as an internship, with a company working on AI.

The MSc draws its students from those with previous degrees in subjects such as: mathematics; physics; some types of engineering; or mathematical economics.  The essential pre-requisite is that students should have covered enough mathematics in their previous university education—for more details on this mathematics requirement, see later on this page, including the FAQs.  The degree is not for students with a substantial university education in computer science or artificial intelligence—such candidates would be more suited to one of our other MSc degrees, such as the MSc Computing (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning).

The MSc Artificial Intelligence enables graduates to acquire the mathematical skills for understanding and implementing modern statistical machine learning methods, to master the logical foundations of AI, to become well-versed in a variety of current AI and machine learning techniques and develop insight into problems involved in their application, to develop the ability to evaluate the effectiveness of particular implementations, to develop the ability to deal with real-world data and scenarios, and to apply and adjust techniques to realistic applications.  Through an intensive module on Python programming with a focus on AI applications, and the use of Python in other modules on machine learning, the degree will also enable students to graduate as skilled AI programmers.

If you have further questions regarding the degree which are not answered on this page , please contact the admissions team for the MSc Artificial Intelligence, at doc-mscadmissions@imperial.ac.uk.

Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Computing

The Department of Computing at Imperial College London has active research groups in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Visual Computing. Many other groups and members of our research staff also work on theory, methods and applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning, and there are many collaborations with other departments at Imperial, as well as with industry.

We also house dedicated research centres, including the Dyson Robotics Lab, the Data Science Institute, the Centre for Integrative Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, the Hamlyn Centre for Medical Image Computing and Robotics, and more. Also, see the Imperial AI network for coordinated AI activity and collaboration throughout the college.

Graduates of the department with a focus on AI have gone on to work in the AI sections of such leading companies as DeepMind, Facebook, Google, and Twitter; many also progress to PhD research at Imperial and elsewhere. A graduate of the department recently had an AI company he co-founded valued at $1 billion, and two other graduates sold their AI startup to Twitter for $150 million.

Throughout the year, leading companies visit the department to give presentations on the Applications of Computing in Industry.  Many of these are on AI, and are a great opportunity to learn about the relevance and application of what you are studying, and speak directly with people working on industrial applications.  We also have dedicated extracurricular tutorials on Machine Learning from guest lecturers, and a seminar series on Applications of AI which has included talks on subjects ranging from state-of-the combinations of machine learning with symbolic AI, to the ethical implications of using AI to extend human cognition.

Applying and entry requirements

Applications for entry in October 2025 are now open, and will close no later than July 31, 2025.  However, we do reserve the right to close applications sooner.

Applicants for this degree must possess a first-class degree, or accepted international equivalent, in: mathematics, physics, or branches of engineering, economics or other disciplines with a substantial mathematics content.  It is recommended to have a grounding in linear algebra, calculus, probability, and statistics.

For the MSc Artificial Intelligence, it is not necessary to have previous knowledge of programming, computer science, or AI.  We do not admit candidates to the MSc Artificial Intelligence who have a substantial amount of university computer science or AI education.  (See the FAQ at the bottom of the page for more details.)

English language requirements apply to applications for the MSc.

Scholarships for MSc degrees in the department can be searched for using the Imperial Scholarships Search Tool.

You can apply for the MSc Artificial Intelligence here.

Degree structure

The MSc Artificial Intelligence consists of six compulsory modules (inculding the individual project or internship) and five chosen modules.  For the chosen modules, students select at least four from the list of selective modules, at most one from the list of optional modules, summing to five in total.  The group project mostly runs in the spring term; the individual project or internship runs over the summer.

Individual project or internship

From mid-May to mid-September, you work on the Individual Project.  This gives the opportunity to work on a larger, in-depth project—putting into practice the knowledge, programming techniques, and other skills that have been taught throughout the degree.

The Individual Project can be done in two ways, either:

1.  as an individual research project, based at Imperial College; or
2.  as an internship, based in industry or at a research institution (including Imperial).

In the first case, (1), supervision is led by an academic in the Department of Computing, or by a member of staff in another department at Imperial College.  There may be significant industrial involvement, and these projects can range from embracing applications of AI and machine learning in industry, to cutting-edge research, whether theoretical or more practically applied.  You work closely with experienced researchers, on scientifically and industrially important problems.

In the second case, (2), the internship is supervised by the industrial partner or research institution.  In order to secure an internship, students must pass through screening held by the internship supervisor.  You are based within the company or research institution.  These internships can be research-focused, or devoted to applications of existing and recent techniques in AI and machine learning.  The company you work with can be in a wide variety of spaces—bringing AI to healthcare, finance, engineering, etc., and using techniques in vision, NLP, deep learning, reinforcement learning, on real-world data and problems.

The internship is an excellent way of getting in-depth industrial experience as part of your degree.

Module list

Please note that the following list of modules offered may be subject to change.  Click on a module name to be taken to a detailed syllabus for the module.

Graduate destinations

The MSc Artificial Intelligence prepares you for both a career in industry, and a PhD in AI and machine learning.

Our graduates have moved into a wide variety of positions in industry—whether in London's vibrant AI and ML economy, or further afield.  MSc Artificial Intelligence students have gone on to work at companies or institutions such as Amazon, Google, Wayve, the Alan Turing Institute, Huawei, InstaDeep, the UK government—as well as joining AI-focused startups in areas such autonomous driving, AI in healthcare, AI in finance, computer vision, AI in space, applied reinforcement learning.  MSc AI students have also founded their own successful startups, attracting funding through YCombinator and CreatorFund.  The introduction of our internship programme to the MSc Artificial Intelligence—see below for more about this—will also gives those students following it a wealth of industrial experience while on the MSc itself.

The degree is also a suitable preparation for PhD studies.  Previous MSc Artificial Intelligence students have progressed to a PhD at world-leading universities, including Imperial College, Cambridge, Oxford, UCL, LSE, and Columbia.  The combination of in-depth training in fundamental methods of modern AI and machine learning, acquired in the various taught modules, with the possibility of an individual research project with world-leading academics, offers rigorous training in AI as a scientific discipline.