Menlo College became the first institution in California to offer a Bachelor of Science in Business with a major in Artificial Intelligence & Analytics, launching the program in Fall 2025. The degree blends technical AI and data analytics training with business strategy, ethics, and hands-on projects, aiming to produce graduates who can lead in an economy being reshaped by artificial intelligence.
Located in Atherton, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley, the college designed the program to connect classroom learning with industry practice. President Steven Weiner said the focus is on combining technical fluency with business insight and ethical reasoning. "Higher education must anticipate the future rather than react to it," said Mouwafac Sidaoui, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Business.
A path from Afghanistan to an AI degree
Nargess Hassani graduated in May 2026 as a member of the program's first cohort. She arrived at Menlo College from Afghanistan in 2022, after political upheaval had blocked educational opportunities for women. During her four years, she completed independent projects in computer vision, image recognition, machine learning, and AI-powered career tools.
One project was an application that helps job seekers measure how closely their resumes match specific job descriptions. "My goal was not only to learn more about AI and full-stack development, but also to create something practical that could help people improve their job search process," Hassani said. She also delivered a TEDx Menlo College talk, "We Are Not a Footnote: The Unsilenced Voice of the Afghan Girl," focused on resilience and access to education.
"One of the biggest lessons I learned is that the best way to learn new technologies is by building something real," she said. "Every challenge, bug, and deployment issue became an opportunity to grow and improve my skills."
Student-led innovation and entrepreneurship
Lachlan Ming, an international student from Australia and a member of the tennis team, used AI tools to build GNG Engine, a platform connecting Australians studying at U.S. colleges. "AI has become a bridge that allows people like me to turn ideas into reality," Ming said. This summer, he and other students in the program are participating in the AI Venture Velocity Challenge hosted by Texas A&M University, where they are working on drone scanning technologies.
For Luciana Rodriguez, a San Jose native and rising sophomore, the program's ethics component carries equal weight. "Through courses like AI Ethics, I've learned the importance of responsible AI governance and understanding the broader societal impact of these technologies," she said. Professor Tahereh Saheb, who helped develop the curriculum, said students examine AI governance, data ethics, algorithmic bias, and responsible innovation.
Expanding the AI learning ecosystem
The college is broadening its AI offerings through AmplifyAI, a platform that gives faculty, staff, and students secure access to more than 20 leading AI models. The tool supports AI literacy, prompt engineering, and responsible use-part of a wider institutional effort to embed emerging technologies into the entire student experience.
Angela Schmiede, Senior Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success, said developing AI fluency and ethical reasoning is essential as the tools reshape every industry. The program's structure reflects that belief, combining technical coursework with required exploration of governance and societal impact.
Why this matters for education professionals
Menlo College's approach shows a concrete model for integrating AI into undergraduate business education without sidelining ethics or hands-on learning. For educators and administrators building or updating curricula, the program offers a real-world example of how to tie technical AI for Education skills to business strategy and responsible governance. The early student outcomes-from Hassani's job-matching tool to Ming's entrepreneurial platform-demonstrate that structured, project-based AI coursework can produce work-ready graduates who build practical applications, not just theoretical knowledge.
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