Three Rochester-area universities add AI degrees as demand surges
Nazareth University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and St. John Fisher University have launched new artificial intelligence programs within the past year, responding to employer demand for graduates with AI skills.
Nazareth added a master's degree in business analytics and AI alongside three existing bachelor's degrees involving AI. RIT will launch a new AI bachelor's degree this fall. St. John Fisher introduced an AI minor last semester.
Jeffrey Allan, director of the Institute for Responsible Technology at Nazareth, said the university designs programs with immediate workplace application in mind. "Everything we teach them today should be implementable in the workplace tomorrow," he said.
Student interest has been strong. "The students have been very excited about it. We've seen a lot of rave reviews about the program so far," Allan said of Nazareth's new master's program.
The job market supports this expansion. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 36% increase in data science and analytics positions over the next decade.
Why universities are moving now
Allan pushed back against dismissing AI as temporary. "It's really not in our best interest to brush off AI as something like it's a bubble, it's a fad because the reality is for all of that talk, there's a lot of serious work going on globally right now within enterprises," he said.
Universities will likely continue refining their offerings as AI applications become more specialized. "As we discover more how artificial intelligence fits into certain niches, we will develop programs that fit a particular flavor of artificial intelligence," Allan said.
For education leaders, the shift signals that AI for Education is now core curriculum planning, not a peripheral consideration.
Your membership also unlocks:
