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1. Study
2. Postgraduate
3. Taught Courses
4. Masters
5. Artificial Intelligence for Business Transformation

Course Fact File

Code	MSCAI
Duration	1 Year Full-time; 2 Years Part-time
Teaching Mode	Full-time, Part-Time
Qualifications	MSc
NFQ Level	Level 9
EU Fees	Full-time: €12,114 Part-time: €6,164 See Fees and Costs for full details.
Non-EU Fees	€21,914
Closing Date	Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.
Non-EU Closing Date	Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.
Start Date	6 September 2027

Course Outline

The MSc in Artificial Intelligence for Business Transformation (MSc AIBT) prepares graduates to lead the adoption of AI inside organisations — combining the technical ability to build and deploy AI systems with the strategic, organisational and regulatory understanding needed to turn that technology into real business change. The programme is jointly delivered by the Cork University Business School (College of Business & Law), and School of Computer Science & Information Technology (College of Science, Engineering & Food Science), with the School of Law, giving graduates a distinctive blend of engineering, management and governance capability that sets the programme apart from purely technical or purely analytical master's degrees.

Students develop hands-on skills across the full spectrum of AI-driven transformation — machine learning and AI strategy, agentic and generative AI and change management, optimisation and data engineering alongside responsible and legal practice — learning to build AI systems and to embed them effectively in organisations. The programme culminates in a substantial applied Capstone Project in which multidisciplinary teams deliver an end-to-end AI solution to a real-world business challenge.

The MSc is a 90-credit programme (NFQ Level 9) and is available both full-time (over 12 months) and part-time (over 27 months).

Programme Content

Part I — Taught modules (60 credits)

Semester 1:

• CS6531 – Foundations of AI for Business Transformation (5 credits)
• IS6640 – AI Fluency and Human-AI Interaction (5 credits)
• CS6533 – Agentic AI Development and Orchestration (5 credits)
• IS6641 – Designing AI-Driven Business Transformation (5 credits) *
• LW6678 – Artificial Intelligence: Law, Regulation and Governance (5 credits) *
• CS6532 – Resource Allocation and Optimisation (5 credits) *

Semester 2:

• CS6534 – Trustworthy & Responsible AI (5 credits)
• IS6642 – Managing AI-Driven Business Transformation (5 credits)
• CS6319 – Applied Machine Learning (5 credits)
• CS6535 – Data Infrastructure & Pipelines for AI (5 credits) *
• IS6643 – Evaluating AI-Driven Business Transformation (5 credits) *
• IS6644 – Applied AI Research Methods (5 credits) *

Part II — Capstone (30 credits)

• IS6645 – Applied AI Capstone Project (30 credits) *

 Modules ending with * are part of the second year for part-time students.

Exit Award

Postgraduate Diploma in Artificial Intelligence for Business Transformation

In the event of an applicant failing to pass Part II, and failing to achieve a pass standard following permitted minor corrections, the applicant will be offered an award of Postgraduate Diploma in Artificial Intelligence for Business Transformation (NFQ Level 9, Major Award), worth a total of 60 credits.

Course Practicalities

The MSc runs full-time over 12 months from first registration, or part-time over 27 months, beginning in September. Teaching takes place on UCC's campus, Cork, with additional online learning activities.

Full-time students take six modules per semester in Part I, so a typical week comprises roughly 12 hours of lectures and 6 hours of labs/seminars. The programme emphasises on-campus activities, with online content provided for each module to support flexibility.

Part-time students take the same modules over two years (3 per semester in Part I), attending a weekly one day on-campus and working through the online content at their own pace around professional commitments.

Assessment is predominantly continuous and applied, and includes laboratory work, software development, written work, presentations, and individual and group projects, as well as some in-class and written examinations. The programme concludes with the applied, team-based Capstone Project, undertaken over the summer (June–August for full-time students, June-November for part-time students).

Why Choose This Course

This master’s bring computer science, business and law together specifically to prepare graduates to lead AI-driven transformation — not just to build models, but to embed them responsibly and strategically in organisations.

Graduates leave with genuine technical depth — machine learning, agentic and generative AI, optimisation and data engineering — set alongside the strategy, change-management and governance skills needed to deliver value from AI. The programme is industry-engaged, with a substantial applied Capstone solving a real business problem, and includes dedicated coverage of trustworthy AI and of the legal and regulatory landscape, including the EU AI Act.

Its blended, recorded-lecture model and full-time and part-time routes make it accessible to working professionals, and it is delivered by a research-active, internationally ranked university with strong industry links.

Skills and Careers Information

This MSc Artificial Intelligence for Business Transformation programme is designed to provide you with both the technical skills to build and deploy modern AI systems and the strategic, organisational and regulatory understanding to turn them into real business change. You will combine expertise in machine learning, generative and agentic AI, optimisation and data engineering with the ability to lead AI-driven transformation responsibly — skills consolidated in the applied, team-based Capstone Project.

Graduates are well positioned for roles such as AI transformation lead, AI product manager, AI/data consultant, AI solutions architect, machine learning engineer and digital transformation manager, as well as further doctoral research.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Applicants must have a Second Class Honours Grade 1 in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) in computer science or information systems or in any other discipline with at least 30 ECT of quantitative or computer programming content. 

Applicants who do not meet the entry requirements can apply to be considered under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) if they have an undergraduate degree (NFQ, Level 8) (in any discipline) and a minimum of 3 years of verifiable relevant industrial experience.  

Applicants who do not have a primary degree will only be considered if they have a minimum of 5 years of verifiable relevant industrial experience. 

Shortlisted applicants who do not meet the standard entry requirements will be invited for an interview.

Applicants from Grandes Écoles Colleges are also eligible to apply if they are studying a cognate discipline in an ENSEA or EFREI Graduate School and are eligible to enter the final year (M2) of their programme. 

 

Fees and Costs

The EU fee for this course is Full-time: €12,114 Part-time: €6,164.

The Non-EU fee for this course is €21,914.

How To Apply

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)

Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following question:

• You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.

The closing date for non-EU applications is Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

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