M.S. in Artificial General Intelligence
An accredited online master’s for the future of intelligence.
The CIHS M.S. in Artificial General Intelligence is the world’s first accredited master’s program dedicated specifically to AGI. It prepares students not merely to use AI tools, but to understand general intelligence, advanced AI systems, cognition, consciousness, ethics, safety, and responsible development.
Designed for technically capable students from multiple backgrounds, the program offers a rigorous graduate pathway into one of the defining fields of the 21st century: the study and development of increasingly capable artificial systems, and the human responsibilities that come with them.
Program Distinction
Technical depth joined with mind, consciousness, and responsible development.
Most AI programs focus primarily on machine learning tools, data systems, or applied AI. CIHS’s M.S. in AGI is built around a broader question: what it would take to understand, evaluate, and help develop artificial systems capable of more general forms of reasoning, learning, adaptation, agency, and responsibility.
Advanced AI Systems
Foundation models, cognitive architectures, neuro-symbolic systems, agentic systems, knowledge representation, evolutionary learning, robotics, and future intelligence architectures.
Mind, Cognition & Consciousness
Cognitive science, neuroscience, philosophy of mind, consciousness studies, attention, motivation, embodiment, emergence, and theories of intelligence.
Responsible AGI
AI safety, value alignment, ethics, governance, societal impact, human-AI coexistence, and responsible development.
Who Should Apply
A program for technically capable students from multiple paths.
The M.S. in AGI is designed for students who want to engage advanced AI seriously, whether they come from technical, scientific, philosophical, policy-oriented, entrepreneurial, or interdisciplinary backgrounds.
AI & Software Professionals
For builders ready to move beyond current machine-learning tools toward AGI systems, agents, architectures, safety, and deeper theories of intelligence.
STEM Graduates
For students interested in AI, cognition, neuroscience, complex systems, robotics, computational modeling, or future intelligence architectures.
Cognitive Science, Philosophy, Psychology & Consciousness Studies Students
For students with computational readiness who want to bring questions of mind, consciousness, agency, and intelligence into advanced AI work.
Researchers, Educators & Policy Thinkers
For those seeking a stronger technical and conceptual foundation in advanced AI, safety, ethics, governance, and societal impact.
Entrepreneurs, Product Leaders & Innovation Professionals
For those interested in how advanced AI systems may shape products, organizations, research programs, strategy, and responsible innovation.
Working Adults & Nontraditional Builders
For students seeking a fully online, accredited graduate path into one of the most consequential emerging fields.
Degree Requirements & Learning Outcomes
A 58-unit graduate curriculum culminating in original AGI work.
The M.S. in AGI is structured as a six-quarter graduate program moving from foundations of intelligence and mind through computational models, ethics, emergence, advanced AGI systems, and an original final project.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the M.S. program will be prepared to:
- PLO 1: AGI Theory & Cognitive Science Synthesize theoretical foundations of AGI with consciousness studies and cognitive science to develop frameworks for intelligent systems research.
- PLO 2: Computational Architecture Design computational models and architectures for AGI systems using advanced algorithms, neuro-symbolic integration, evolutionary learning, and cognitive architecture design.
- PLO 3: Research Methods Apply quantitative and qualitative research methods to investigate cognitive dynamics, emergence, and consciousness in artificial systems.
- PLO 4: Transdisciplinary Communication Communicate AGI research through written and oral work integrating neuroscience, philosophy, computer science, and consciousness studies.
- PLO 5: Ethics & Global Impact Evaluate AGI development through ethical frameworks, value alignment, sustainable development, and implications for human existence and global society.
Degree Requirements
The M.S. includes required AGI coursework, advanced electives, and a final project sequence.
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Curriculum
Six quarters from foundations to original AGI work.
The M.S. in Artificial General Intelligence is a 58-quarter-unit program completed over six quarters. The curriculum moves from theoretical, philosophical, and technical foundations through computational models, ethics, emergence, advanced AGI systems, and an original master’s final project.
Quarter 1
Foundations of Intelligence and Mind
Students begin with the history of AI and AGI, theories of intelligence, philosophy of mind, cognitive psychology, algorithms, data structures, and consciousness studies relevant to AGI design and implementation.
Quarter 2
Computational Models and Architectures
Students study multimodal foundation models, transformer architectures, knowledge graphs, predictive coding, probabilistic logic, computational neuroscience, cognitive architectures, AGI evaluation protocols, and reproducible research methods.
Quarter 3
Cognitive Dynamics, Ethics, and Emergence
Students examine goal decomposition, transfer learning, embodied AI, temporal reasoning, social intelligence, machine consciousness, fairness and bias, value alignment, AGI governance, existential risk, and responsible AI development.
Quarter 4
Advanced Electives and Final Project Development
- AGI 511 · Logical & Creative Reasoning for AGI
- AGI 512 · Computational Creativity
- AGI 513 · Evolutionary Learning for AGI
- AGI 519 · Robotics for AGI
- AGI 520 · Advanced Topics in AGI
Students choose two advanced electives while continuing to develop their final project. This quarter allows students to deepen a specialized area of inquiry while refining the direction of their original AGI work.
Quarter 5
Advanced AGI Systems
Students study motivation, attention, consciousness measures, cognitive frameworks, economic and geopolitical impacts, AGI governance, human-AGI coexistence, rights and personhood questions, and supervised final project research.
Quarter 6
Culmination
Students examine recursive self-improvement, goal stability, alignment, dynamical systems modeling, AGI safety mechanisms, and the nature of superintelligence while completing and presenting their master’s final project.
Program Total: 58 quarter units.
Master’s Final Project
Build, research, question, and contribute.
The program culminates in an original final project developed across the final project sequence. Projects may be technical, theoretical, mathematical, empirical, ethical, implementation-focused, or some combination of these approaches.
Students may pursue work involving technical AGI systems, cognitive architecture design, ethical and societal analysis, computational modeling of consciousness, embodied or robotic intelligence, decentralized or quantum AGI, AI safety and alignment, or another approved area within the program’s scope.
Technical Readiness
A technical program with more than one way in.
The M.S. in AGI is a technical graduate program. Students should be prepared to work seriously with computational systems, but a traditional computer science degree is not the only possible path into the field. CIHS recognizes that AI-assisted coding tools, interdisciplinary study, and hands-on building have changed how capable students develop technical fluency.
Computational Ability Is Required
Students should be able to work actively with computational systems: generating, running, inspecting, testing, and explaining non-trivial AI or software artifacts. The program is not designed for passive users of AI tools; it is designed for students ready to understand how intelligent systems are built and evaluated.
AI-Assisted Workflows Are Encouraged
Students may use coding agents and AI-assisted workflows throughout the program. The goal is not to prohibit emerging tools, but to develop the judgment to use them responsibly, verify their outputs, understand their limits, and explain the systems being built.
Nontraditional Backgrounds Are Welcome
Students may come from computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, cognitive science, neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, consciousness studies, policy, education, entrepreneurship, or related fields. What matters is the capacity to engage technical work seriously and grow within a rigorous AGI curriculum.
Demonstrating Technical Ability
Applicants without a STEM or software background may be asked to submit a small technical artifact, such as a working demo, Python notebook, GitHub project, AI-assisted build, or similar example showing that they can produce, run, and explain something non-trivial.
Why CIHS?
A graduate university built for frontier questions in intelligence, consciousness, and technology.
CIHS is an accredited nonprofit graduate university and research center dedicated to serious inquiry at the frontiers of science, consciousness, health, technology, and human transformation. Artificial General Intelligence belongs naturally within that mission. Few fields raise more urgent questions about mind, intelligence, responsibility, reality, and the future of human civilization.
Innovative, One-of-a-Kind AGI Degree
CIHS launched the world’s first accredited master’s degree dedicated specifically to Artificial General Intelligence. The program gives students a distinctive academic home for studying advanced AI systems, cognition, consciousness, ethics, safety, and responsible development together.
World-Class Faculty
Students study with scholars, researchers, builders, and practitioners working across AGI, neuroscience, consciousness, complex systems, ethics, and future-facing technology. The program is led by faculty committed to helping students engage one of the defining fields of the 21st century.
Meet the AGI faculty →Accessible, Online Format
The M.S. in AGI is offered online for students who want rigorous graduate study without relocating. Live faculty-led learning, peer dialogue, and flexible access support working adults, distance students, and students entering the AGI field from multiple backgrounds.
Built for Frontier Questions
CIHS programs inhabit the frontier of science, consciousness, technology, and human development. AGI is exactly the kind of field CIHS was built to engage: technically demanding, philosophically profound, ethically urgent, and central to the future of global society.
Consciousness - AGI Intersection
At CIHS, the relationship between consciousness and AGI is not an add-on to technical AI study. It goes to the heart of the fundamental questions raised by AGI, including what intelligence is, how minds arise, and how increasingly capable artificial systems should be understood and developed.
An Integrative Curriculum
The M.S. curriculum includes consciousness studies for AGI, explores human consciousness and artificial minds, and brings an integrative mind-body perspective on AI to questions of cognition, agency, embodiment, ethics, safety, and responsible machine intelligence.
Admissions
How to apply.
The CIHS admissions process is designed to be clear, personal, and program-specific. You can begin by requesting information, speaking with Admissions, or starting an online application when you are ready.
A clear path from inquiry to application.
Applicants should hold a bachelor’s degree, or foreign equivalent, from a regionally accredited institution. Admission is subject to transcript review and may be subject to additional prerequisites depending on prior academic preparation.
Application Materials
To apply, applicants submit materials through the CIHS online application process.
- Completed online application
- Non-refundable application fee
- Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended
- Two letters of recommendation
- Personal essay describing your interest in CIHS and the program
- Current CV or resume, if applicable
- Representative academic or professional writing sample
Next Program Start Date
Fall 2026CIHS accepts and reviews applications throughout the year. For the M.S. in Artificial General Intelligence, new student starts are available in the Fall and Spring terms. We recommend beginning the admissions process early so there is time to review materials, answer questions, and prepare for the next available Fall or Spring start date.
Faculty-Guided Application Process
CIHS admissions is not an anonymous pipeline. Prospective students may connect with admissions staff and program leadership who understand the field of study and can offer thoughtful guidance about readiness, timing, program expectations, and next steps.
State Authorization for U.S. Residents
U.S.-based distance students must reside in a state where CIHS is authorized to offer distance education. Please review CIHS’s State Authorization information or contact Admissions for the most current guidance before applying.
International Applicants Welcome
Applicants living outside the United States are welcome. CIHS works with students from many backgrounds and locations, and our admissions team can help applicants understand transcript review, program format, and documentation requirements.
Students whose native language is not English must submit a satisfactory English proficiency score through an approved test such as IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge CEFR, Duolingo, or Pearson Test of English Academic.