These colleges and universities are offering majors in AI. What is that?

As artificial intelligence continues to stake its claim in technology and society, more colleges and universities are adopting it into its curriculum, including as majors and areas of study.

Northwestern University is the latest higher education institution building AI into its curriculum. The school announced the creation of a new AI major on March 9, available for students to enroll in beginning in the fall 2026 semester.

However, Northwestern University is not the first to create an AI major. AI areas of study and majors have existed at colleges and universities since 2018, and more institutions are adding the academic curriculum as interest in the topic grows.

What is an AI major?

At Northwestern University, the AI major aims to "prepare students to lead in a rapidly evolving field" as AI technology influences people, communities, innovation, research and jobs, a news release states.

"Graduates with AI expertise are in high demand, whether in tech companies and startups or healthcare, government, nonprofits, and graduate programs," the release states. "As organizations race to build smarter systems, researchers continue to expand what machines can learn, create, do, and decide."

The major will teach students an understanding of how "intelligent systems are built, deployed, and used responsibly," according to the release. Students will receive training in machine learning, natural language processing, AI systems and infrastructure, data structures and algorithms and the mathematical foundations that influence modern AI.

The curriculum also aims for fluency across programming languages and paradigms and will teach the human and societal dimensions of AI to train students to "apply user-centered design principles and critically evaluate the impacts of AI on privacy, sustainability, and intellectual property," the release states.

Schools like the University of Arizona and Carroll University have created programs with similar goals and curriculum that explore the latest AI technology and ways to use it and create your own. Other institutions have also broadened the scope to include classes, majors and degrees that explore all aspects of AI, including the less technical aspects and how humans interact with the systems.

At Purdue University, students can earn a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in AI. The Bachelor of Arts degree examines the ethics behind AI systems, including how the technology and data are changing the world while also learning programming skills, while the Bachelor of Science option explores how AI machines operate and how to build them.

Which schools have AI programs?

Carnegie Mellon University launched the first AI undergraduate degree in 2018 "in response to extraordinary technical breakthroughs in AI and the growing demand by students and employers for training that prepares people for careers in AI," a press release stated at the time.

Since then, other schools have opted to add programs, especially in recent years. While Northwestern University is the latest institution, here are some other schools across the United States that have also embraced AI:

• University of Arizona's Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence
• Rice University's Bachelor of Science with a major in Artificial Intelligence
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Bachelor of Arts in Artificial Intelligence and Decision Making
• Indiana University Indianapolis' Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence
• Illinois Institute of Technology's Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence
• Purdue University's Bachelor of Arts in Artificial Intelligence or Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence
• University of Pennsylvania's Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Artificial Intelligence
• University of Southern California's Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence
• University of California, San Diego's Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence
• University of Tennessee's Online Bachelor of Science in Applied Artificial Intelligence
• University of South Florida's Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence
• Rhode Island College's Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence
• Drexel University's Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• Florida International University's Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
• Grand Canyon University's Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence

Other colleges and universities have also added classes, majors, tracks, specializations and certificates pertaining to AI studies or curriculum.

As previously reported by USA TODAY, the ushering in of AI has rendered students wondering what the best route is for picking a major that will set them up for job market success come graduation. Beyond that, USA TODAY reported that the increase of AI in society left students contemplating what degrees — and jobs — are likely to be impacted by the growing technology.

Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] or on X @katecperez_.