Given my non-technical background, should I take a conversion course in Computer Science or Artificial Intelligence before applying for a master's abroad?

Do not choose the conversion course simply because it has the word conversion in the title, or because an agent told you it is required. Universities differ substantially in their prerequisites, so the honest starting point is an inventory of exactly how much programming and math you already have, not the degree label you are drawn to.

CS Conversion vs AI Conversion

What Each Conversion Actually Teaches

• CS conversion, the broader foundation: programming, data structures and algorithms, computer systems, databases, and often discrete math, calculus, linear algebra and probability.
• AI conversion, narrower and more demanding: assumes comfort with algorithms, linear algebra, probability and statistics, and sometimes optimization; a short AI certificate that mainly teaches Python and ML libraries may not satisfy these prerequisites.
• Check program-by-program, not by title: required undergraduate subjects, programming prerequisites and whether a conversion degree is even accepted as valid preparation all vary by university.

This Information Is Also Available On

• University of Bristol's MSc Computer Science (Conversion) programme page
• University of Surrey's Artificial Intelligence (Conversion) MSc page

My Advice

If you are genuinely unsure where you fall on the spectrum, default to the CS conversion route; it keeps more master's options open afterward, including AI itself, whereas an AI conversion narrows you early if your fundamentals are not yet solid. Before applying anywhere, list your bachelor's degree, graduation year, and exact math and programming background, then check that specific list against each target university's prerequisites rather than assuming one conversion course fits every program equally.