The artificial intelligence boom doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon.
Tech and other industry leaders from Bill Gates to Mark Cuban have embraced the technology and touted its potential to reshape the global economy. Colleges and universities have followed suit, preparing tomorrow’s workforce to use and continue to develop AI tools for a variety of business and life applications.
Back in 2018, long before ChatGPT gained its current notoriety around college campuses, Carnegie Mellon University began offering the country’s first Bachelor of Science degree in artificial intelligence.
“Specialists in artificial intelligence have never been more important, in shorter supply or in greater demand by employers,” Andrew Moore, former dean of the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon said in a press release at the time.
Since then, over a dozen schools throughout the country have developed their own AI degree programs, including the University of Pennsylvania, which became the first Ivy League school to offer an AI-focused degree in 2024.
CNBC Make It identified at least 14 colleges and universities that currently offer bachelor of science degrees in AI:
- Carnegie Mellon University — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Dakota State University — Madison, South Dakota
- Illinois Institute of Technology — Chicago, Illinois
- Keiser University — Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Long Island University — Brookville, New York
- Mississippi State University — Mississippi State, Mississippi
- New England Institute of Technology — East Greenwich, Rhode Island
- Oakland University — Rochester, Michigan
- Purdue University — West Lafayette, Indiana
- University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- University of Texas at San Antonio — San Antonio, Texas
In addition to its B.S. program, Purdue University also offers a bachelor of arts in AI which includes computer science course requirements alongside a philosophy-focused curriculum. The following schools offer other kinds of AI-related degrees:
- Arizona State University —Tempe, Arizona: B.S. in AI for business
- University of Southern California — Los Angeles, California: B.S. in AI for business
- University of Texas at Dallas — Richardson, Texas: B.S. in business analytics and AI
Earning your degree in AI could help you land a good job in the industry, but it may not be necessary. Many of the AI pioneers like OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman certainly didn’t need an AI degree — or a degree at all — to succeed in the field.
But if you’re passionate about using your undergraduate years to study the technology some say will revolutionize the world, one of these schools may be the place for you.
Want to up your AI skills and be more productive? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Use AI to Be More Successful at Work. Expert instructors will teach you how to get started, practical uses, tips for effective prompt-writing, and mistakes to avoid. Sign up now and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off $67 (+ taxes and fees) through February 11, 2025.
Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.
