Best Ph.D. Programs in Machine Learning (ML) for 2022

Best Ph.D. Programs in Machine Learning (ML) for 2021

These are the best universities to pursue a Ph.D. in machine learning, with research rankings in AI and machine learning research.

Considering various factors such as the research areas, research focus, courses offered, duration of the program, location of the university, honors, awards, and job prospects, we came up with the best universities to help prospective students choose. This article is most suited for individuals who would like to pursue a Ph.D. with a focus on machine learning and need some guidance on their decision making.

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For the list of the universities, please jump at the end of the article.

Note: The universities mentioned below are in no particular order.

1. Carnegie Mellon University

Program Name: Ph.D. in Machine Learning
Research Ranking in Machine Learning: 1
Research Ranking in AI: 1
Duration: 4 to 5+ years
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Core courses: Advanced machine learning, statistics, research, statistical machine learning, data analysis, artificial intelligence.
Tracks available: Ph.D. in Machine Learning, Ph.D. in Statistics and Machine Learning, Ph.D. in Machine Learning and Public Policy, Ph.D. in Neural Computation and Machine Learning, Ph.D. in Computer Science, and others.
Focus areas: Machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP, computer vision, robotics, deep learning, data mining, web and information retrieval, and others.
Contact the Machine Learning Department at CMU.

2. University of California — Berkeley

Program Name: Ph.D. in EECS
Research Ranking in Machine Learning: 2
Research Ranking in AI: 12
Duration: 5 to 6+ years
Location: Berkeley, California
Core courses: Computer architecture and logic design, computer science, high-level mathematics, electrical engineering basis, artificial intelligence.
Tracks available: Ph.D. in EECS.
Focus areas: Machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP, computer vision, deep learning, data mining, web and information retrieval, and others.
Contact EECS at UC Berkeley.

3. Stanford University

Program Name: Ph.D. in Computer Science
Research Ranking in Machine Learning: 3
Research Ranking in AI: 3
Duration: 4 to 6+ years
Location: Stanford, California
Core courses: Mathematical and theory foundations, computer systems, applications, research, artificial intelligence.
Tracks available: Ph.D. in Computer Science.
Focus areas: Machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP, computer vision, deep learning, data mining, web and information retrieval, and others.
Contact Stanford Engineering.

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Program Name: Ph.D. in EECS
Research Ranking in Machine Learning: 4
Research Ranking in AI: 5
Duration: 4–6+ years
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Core courses: Computer architecture and logic design, computer science, high-level mathematics, electrical engineering basis, artificial intelligence.
Tracks available: Ph.D. in Computer Science.
Focus areas: Machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP, computer vision, deep learning, data mining, web and information retrieval, and others.
Contact MIT EECS.

5. Cornell University

Program Name: Ph.D. in Computer Science
Research Ranking in Machine Learning: 5
Research Ranking in AI: 2
Duration: 4 to 6+ years
Location: Ithaca, New York
Core courses: Mathematical and theory foundations, computer systems, applications, research, artificial intelligence.
Tracks available: Ph.D. in Computer Science.
Focus areas: Machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP, computer vision, deep learning, data mining, web and information retrieval, and others.
Contact Cornell Engineering.

6. University of California — San Diego (UCSD)

Program Name: Ph.D. in Computer Science
Research Ranking in Machine Learning: 6
Research Ranking in AI: 12
Duration: 4 to 6+ years
Location: San Diego, California
Core courses: Computer architecture and logic design, computer science, high-level mathematics, electrical engineering, artificial intelligence, machine learning.
Track available: Ph.D. in Computer Science.
Focus areas: Machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP, computer vision, deep learning, data mining, web and information retrieval, and others.
Contact UCSD.

7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

Program Name: Ph.D. in Computer Science
Research Ranking in Machine Learning: 7
Research Ranking in AI: 4
Course Duration: 4 to 6+ years
Location: Champaign, Illinois
Core courses: Computer architecture and logic design, computer science, high-level mathematics, electrical engineering, artificial intelligence, machine learning.
Tracks available: Ph.D. in Computer Science.
Focus areas: Machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP, computer vision, deep learning, data mining, web and information retrieval, etc.
Contact the UIUC.

8. University of California — Los Angeles (UCLA)

Program Name: Ph.D. in Computer Science
Research Ranking in Machine Learning: 8
Research Ranking in AI: 8
Duration: 5 to 6+ years
Location: Los Angeles, California
Core courses: Computer architecture and logic design, computer science, high-level mathematics, electrical engineering basis, artificial intelligence.
Tracks available: Ph.D. in EECS.
Focus areas: Machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP, computer vision, deep learning, data mining, web and information retrieval, etc.
Contact UCLA.

9. Georgia Institute of Technology

Program Name: Ph.D. in Machine Learning
Research Ranking in Machine Learning: 9
Research Ranking in AI: 9
Course Duration: 4 to 6+ years
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Core courses: Advanced machine learning, statistics, research, statistical machine learning, data analysis, artificial intelligence.
Tracks available: Ph.D. in Machine Learning, Ph.D. in Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization, Ph.D. in Computer Science, Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering.
Focus areas: Machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP, computer vision, deep learning, data mining, web and information retrieval, and others.
Contact Georgia Tech.

10. University of Washington

Program Name: Ph.D. in Computer Science
Research Ranking in Machine Learning: 10
Research Ranking in AI: 6
Duration: 4 to 6+ years
Location: Seattle, Washington
Core courses: Computer architecture and logic design, computer science, high-level mathematics, electrical engineering basis, artificial intelligence, data science, machine learning, applied machine learning, statistical analysis.
Tracks available: Ph.D. in Computer Science, Ph.D. in Data Science.
Focus areas: Machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP, computer vision, deep learning, data mining, web and information retrieval, etc.
Contact the University of Washington.

11. Columbia University

Program Name: Ph.D. in Computer Science
Research Ranking in Machine Learning: 11
Research Ranking in AI: 16
Duration: 4 to 6+ years
Location: New York City, New York
Core courses: Computer architecture and logic design, computer science, high-level mathematics, electrical engineering basis, artificial intelligence.
Tracks available: Ph.D. in Computer Science.
Focus areas: Machine learning, artificial intelligence, NLP, computer vision, deep learning, data mining, web and information retrieval, and others.
Contact Columbia University.

To summarize, we have listed the best universities for a Ph.D. with a focus area in machine learning below:

1. Carnegie Mellon University
2. University of California — Berkeley
3. Stanford University
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
5. Cornell University
6. University of California — San Diego (UCSD)
7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
8. University of California — Los Angeles (UCLA)
9. Georgia Institute of Technology
10. University of Washington
11. Columbia University

If there is anything that may need to be revisited or improved, please email us.

References

[1] US News & World Report, College Rankings, https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges

[2] CSRankings: Computer Science Rankings, Machine Learning & Data Mining, http://csrankings.org/#/index?mlmining

[3] CSRankings: Computer Science Rankings, Artificial Intelligence, http://csrankings.org/#/index?ai

[4] US News & World Report, Best Graduate Schools, Top Science Schools, AI Rankings, https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings

[5] CSRankings: AI, CV, ML, Data Mining, NLP, Web Information and Retrieval, http://csrankings.org/#/index?ai&vision&mlmining&nlp&ir