FULLY ONLINE DEGREE

UB is a global leader in ontology research and education. When you study here, you learn from scholars who helped define the field and continue to shape its future.

Why students choose UB:

• Pioneer the field: Study at the only university offering an MS dedicated fully to applied ontology.
• Learn from experts: Work with faculty who founded the National Center for Ontological Research, a global hub for this discipline.
• Build your network: Connect with an international community of researchers and professionals.
• Learn from anywhere: Complete the degree fully online with flexible pacing and competitive tuition.

You will gain a strong theoretical foundation, practical technical skills and a clear path into fast-growing industries where ontology expertise is in high demand.

Degree type: Master of Science (MS)
Field: Applied Ontology
Format: Fully online
Schedule: Flexible pacing for full-time or part-time study
Duration: Typically completed in one year full-time

• Interdisciplinary focus: Integrates philosophy, formal logic and information science.
• Applied learning: Participate in paid, credit-bearing internships or research partnerships when available.
• Real-world impact: Apply ontology principles to real systems, databases and technologies.
• Career-ready structure: Designed for professionals and recent graduates entering data-driven fields.

Applied ontology helps complex systems work together. You will study both the conceptual foundations and the technical tools that make shared data possible.

Students in the program:

• Study the human side of ontology, where experts define and organize shared concepts.
• Explore the engineering side, developing software tools that apply ontologies to data-driven problems.
• Gain practical experience through applied research and internships.
• Build skills in formal logic, data modeling and software tools.
• Understand the philosophical foundations that support classification, structure and meaning.

By graduation, you will be able to connect ideas across disciplines, improve how data flows across organizations and design systems that support AI and advanced analytics.

Ontologists are needed across industry, government and research institutions to design and manage large databases, model complex systems and develop tools for data and enterprise integration.

Graduates are prepared for roles in:

• Banking and finance
• Biomedical sciences and health care
• Pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries
• E-commerce and technology firms
• Government agencies and intelligence services

These skills also support work in AI development, genetics research, product design and voice recognition technologies. Employers value professionals who can think critically, structure information clearly and translate theory into practice.

UB has a long-standing collaboration with the National Center for Ontological Research (NCOR) and is a partner institution of the National Center for Biomedical Ontology (NCBO), a consortium funded by the National Institutes of Health with partners including Stanford University and the Mayo Clinic.

The National Center for Ontological Research was established in Buffalo in 2005 to advance the quality of ontological research and development and to establish tools for evaluation and quality assurance.

As a student, you benefit from being part of this broader research ecosystem, even in a fully online format.

If you are ready to build expertise at the intersection of philosophy, data and artificial intelligence, the MS in Applied Ontology at UB offers a rigorous and flexible path forward.

For more information about the MS in Applied Ontology, please reach out: