MSc Artificial Intelligence for Business
- MSc
Overview
What is the Artificial Intelligence for Business MSc?
The Artificial Intelligence for Business MSc is a one-year master's for graduates who want to understand how AI is transforming organisations, decision-making and business strategy.
Develop expertise in AI principles and their application in business, exploring the design, implementation and evaluation of AI systems in organisational contexts. Build the analytical, technical and critical skills needed to assess the opportunities and challenges of AI adoption.
Teaching draws on expertise from the University of Bristol Business School, the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences.
Who is the Artificial Intelligence for Business MSc designed for?
This programme is for graduates with a background in computer science, data science, mathematics, engineering, economics, finance or another quantitative discipline who want to combine expertise in artificial intelligence with strategic, commercial and managerial decision-making.
What skills will you gain from this programme?
- AI and machine learning applications
- Data engineering and computational thinking
- Strategic and critical analysis
- Ethical reasoning and responsible innovation
- Problem-solving in data-driven environments
- Research and evidence-based decision-making
- Communication of technical and business insights
- Project design and research methods.
Why study the Artificial Intelligence for Business MSc at the University of Bristol Business School?
- Develop expertise in AI, machine learning, data engineering and applied business AI.
- Explore AI applications in strategy, operations and organisational decision-making.
- Learn from cutting-edge research and real-world AI innovation.
- Combine academic knowledge with practical application and professional development.
- Develop critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and leadership skills.
- Apply learning through case studies, simulations, workshops and projects.
- Examine the ethical, regulatory and organisational implications of AI.
- Complete a final project aligned with your career or academic interests.
By the end of the programme, you will have the skills to evaluate AI systems critically, contribute to AI-enabled decision-making and support strategic innovation in organisations.
Discover the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus
The new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus is a £500 million investment in your future. Learn in collaborative teaching spaces and access specialist facilities, including the Bloomberg Room, where you can develop practical skills using industry-standard financial and market data tools.
You can also bring ideas to life in the Design Factory, with access to a Hackspace, project labs and support from design experts and industry partners.
Through Bristol's innovation ecosystem, you will connect with businesses and organisations, while dedicated careers support will help you develop the skills, networks and experience to succeed after graduation.
Programme structure
Core and specialist options
You will start by combining technical AI foundations with applied business and organisational insight with more applied and critical perspectives by studying core units, which provide the methodological foundation necessary for both qualitative and quantitative inquiry, as well as for engaging with ethical and organisational complexities in applied research:
- Fundamentals of AI (Applications)
- Large-Scale Data Engineering
- Interdisciplinary Perspectives on AI for Business.
AI in Business Practice
- Introduction to AI Societies, Ethics and Futures.
You can then tailor your studies towards either technical depth or business application by choosing a specialist unit from:
- AI in the Cloud (technical pathway) OR
- Entrepreneurship in the AI Age (business and innovation pathway).
Final project
Your studies in teaching blocks 1 and 2 build the foundations for your 60-credit independent research project, completed over the summer. In this Master's Impact Project, you will plan and execute an academic, practice-based or reflective-practice project at an appropriate professional standard
Options include:
- Independent research project
- Business-based research project
- Business practice project
- Thematic research portfolio.
Visit our programme catalogue for full details of the structure and unit content for our MSc Artificial Intelligence for Business.
Entry requirements
You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in a quantitative degree (whether as a single, joint, or combined honours degree) such as:
- Accounting and Finance
- Actuarial Sciences
- Computer Science
- Data Science
- Economics
- Engineering
- Finance
- International Economics and Trade
- Maths
- Physics
- Commerce (with specialism in Accounting/Finance/A&F/Economics).
If your degree subject is not listed above, you must have evidence of an upper second-class honours degree or international equivalent which includes one unit of mathematics from the Maths qualification requirements list below, with 60% (UK equivalent) or above in this unit
OR
A-level Mathematics with grade A if no mathematics or quantitative unit in your degree.
If you are currently completing a degree, we understand that your final grade may be higher than the interim grades or module/unit grades you have achieved during your studies to date.
If you are currently completing a degree, we understand that your final grade may be higher than the interim grades or module/unit grades you have achieved during your studies to date.
We will consider your application if your interim grades are currently slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements and may make you an aspirational offer. This offer would be at the standard level, so you would need to achieve the standard entry requirements by the end of your degree. Specific module requirements would still apply.
We will also consider your application if your final overall achieved grade is slightly lower than the programme's entry requirement.
If your achieved grade is lower than our entry requirements, or if your subject is not listed above, your application may be more likely to receive an offer if you have additional relevant work experience or qualifications. If you have at least one of the following, please include your CV (curriculum vitae / résumé) when you apply, showing:
- evidence of five years' work experience in fields such as business and corporate management, finance and accounting, marketing and sales, operations and logistics, public sector or nonprofit administration, human resources, project management, data and analytics, engineering, technology, design, creative industries, innovation-related roles
- a relevant postgraduate qualification, specific module requirements would still apply, which can be met in either undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications.
See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.
Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.
If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level B.
Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.
- Accounting ('principles of', 'fundamentals' or 'intermediate')
- Advanced Maths
- Algebra
- Analysis
- Analytical Chemistry
- Auditing
- Banking
- Bayesian Modelling
- Business Analytics
- Business Economics
- Business Maths
- Business Statistics
- Calculus
- Complex Functions/Systems
- Computational Methods (including in the social sciences and research)
- Computer Science (including programming, algorithms and physical computing)
- Corporate Finance
- Cost Accounting/Analysis/Management
- Data Analytics
- Data Mining
- Data Science
- Decision Analysis and Simulation
- Decision Maths
- Decision Science
- Derivatives
- Differential Equations (including Ordinary Differential Equations)
- Discrete Maths
- Econometrics (including 'introductory', 'foundations of' and 'advanced')
- Economics
- Electrical Engineering
- Electricity Magnetism
- Electronic Engineering
- Engineering (including materials and structural)
- Equilibrium
- Experiment (including experimental design, experimental studies, experimental research and control trials)
- Finance ('principles of', 'fundamentals' or 'intermediate')
- Financial Analysis
- Financial Markets
- Financial Maths
- Financial Modelling
- Financial Reporting
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Forecasting
- Game Theory
- Geometry
- Geotechnical
- Information Theory
- Investment Analysis
- Kinematics
- Kinetics
- Linear Algebra
- Linear Programming
- Logistics Management
- Machine Learning
- Macroeconomics/Microeconomics (also called Economics III/IV)
- Management Science
- Mathematical Programming
- Maths
- Maths for Business
- Mechanics (any type)
- Mechatronics
- Method
- Modelling
- Multi Variate Analysis
- Network Science
- Number Theory
- Operational Research
- Optimisation
- Physics (any type)
- Portfolio Management
- Probability (including stochastic models/methods)
- Programming
- Proof (including introduction to proof)
- Pure Maths
- Qualitative Research Methods/Techniques
- Quantum Computing
- Quantum Mechanics
- Research Methods
- Robotics
- Simulation
- Social Network Analysis
- Statement Analysis
- Statistical Analysis/Methods
- Statistics
- Supply Chain Management
- System Dynamics
- Taxation
- Thermodynamics
- Time Series Analysis
Introductory maths does not count towards maths unit requirements.
Fees and funding
- Home: full-time
- £19,100 per year
- Overseas: full-time
- £34,500 per year
Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.
More about tuition fees, living costs and financial support.
Alumni discount
University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.
Funding and scholarships
Spärck AI scholarship
The Spärck AI scholarship is a UK government-funded programme offering full funding for master's study in artificial intelligence, including tuition fees and a tax-free stipend. Applications for 2026 are now closed, but will open again in early 2027.
Other scholarships
Scholarships for Home (UK) Students include the Business School Advance Scholarship
Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.
Career prospects
The Artificial Intelligence for Business MSc prepares you to harness the potential of AI while developing the technical, analytical and strategic skills sought by employers.
Gain a foundation in AI, data infrastructure and their real-world application. Explore how AI drives innovation, improves decision-making and creates value. Engage with ethical, societal and governance implications through Introduction to AI Societies, Ethics and Futures.
Complete a flexible Master's Impact Project (MiP) in your final term, offering a choice of applied and research-based alternatives to the traditional dissertation. Choose from four pathways, with options for individual and team-based projects focused on research or real-world business challenges:
- Business-Based Research Project with an external organisation
- Thematic Research Portfolio
- Independent Research Project (dissertation or policy paper)
- Business Practice Project focused on consultancy, planning or simulation.
Explore networking and gain a full range of careers support.
What skills are employers looking for?
- AI literacy and data-driven decision making
- Strategic and analytical thinking
- Problem solving in complex, uncertain environments
- Ethical and responsible technology use
- Communication of technical insights to non-technical audiences
- Project and innovation management
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Evaluation and deployment of AI systems in organisations
What career opportunities can this programme lead to?
- AI Business Analyst
- AI Strategy Consultant
- Digital Transformation Specialist
- Product Manager (AI-enabled products)
- Data and AI Consultant
- Business Intelligence Analyst
- Business Innovation Manager
- Responsible AI or AI Governance Lead
- Innovation or Technology Analyst
- AI Solutions Associate
- Strategy or Operations Analyst in tech-driven organisations
- Entrepreneur or Venture Creator.
Contact us
- Contact
- Enquiries Team
- Phone
- +44 (0) 117 394 1649
- choosebristol-pg@bristol.ac.uk