Students this fall will be able to enroll in new artificial intelligence degree programs, housed in the School of Information Studies and the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS). Here’s what to know about the three newest degree offerings.
1. The programs are part of a larger AI push at the University
The bachelor’s degree in integrative artificial intelligence in the iSchool, which includes a required minor in an applied domain, and both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in artificial intelligence science in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in ECS were all recently approved by the New York State Education Department.
They’re part of the University’s sweeping new artificial intelligence academic portfolio, launched in July. The University’s AI portfolio isn’t limited to the three new degrees. It also includes cross-disciplinary AI minors, hands-on co-curricular opportunities like a peer-led AI bootcamp and research, all designed as a single, coherent ecosystem.
2. They’re arriving as AI job demand surges
The degrees arrive at the University at a time when job postings in the United States requiring AI skills grew 144% year over year, as of April 2026, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center’s AI Skills Dashboard powered by Lightcast, and when industry experts project the country faces growing demand for candidates with the skills and expertise to meet the rapid growth of 1.3 million AI jobs.
All three of the new programs focus on real-world application and preparing students to be responsible, skilled leaders in AI, whether they are focused on programming and design or policy and data analytics.
3. The iSchool’s new degree pairs technical skills with a human-centered lens
The new degree in the iSchool takes a human-centered approach to AI, pairing foundations in programming, mathematics and AI systems with the use of the tools in real-world settings, requiring students to examine the rapidly changing field through the lenses of ethics, governance and human-centered design.
The 120-credit curriculum, which includes a hands-on capstone, was designed with collaboration across schools, bringing in faculty expertise from ECS, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the David B. Falk College of Sport and the College of Arts and Sciences.
The commitment to an interdisciplinary approach is demonstrated in the requirement that students pair the major with a minor complementing their interests in one of seven domains that converge with the current and future evolution of AI, with options that include analytics, business, communications, media or policy.
The goal of the integrative artificial intelligence degree is for students to develop a technical competency alongside the ability to critically assess how AI is shaping society, organizations and human values. The new undergraduate degree joins the iSchool’s AI graduate program, which launched in fall 2025.
4. ECS’s new bachelor’s degree offers both software and hardware tracks
The new AI science degree in ECS is among the first undergraduate AI degrees in the country that offers both software and hardware paths to students. The degree requires the completion of 120 credits across six components, including a general education foundation, a computing core, an AI core and a capstone, to prepare students for the way AI is designed and deployed right now.
Students will also be required to choose between two nine-credit concentrations as part of their major: a software concentration focused on algorithms, data and machine intelligence or a hardware concentration in AI processor architecture, acceleration and silicon design.
With AI coursework beginning in the second year, students will build toward specialization and internship opportunities before their senior year. During their capstone, students will be connected with regional industry partners such as Lockheed Martin, Saab and Hidden Level, among other technology employers in the Syracuse area.
5. The new ECS master’s degree welcomes students without a computer science background
Designed to produce senior-level AI scientists and engineers across both software and hardware, the new master’s degree in ECS requires the completion of 30 credits, giving students the option of pursuing the degree part-time or full-time. The program is designed for STEM graduates seeking deep expertise in AI but does not require a computer science undergraduate degree to enroll. Two 500-level bridge courses bring students from mathematics, physics and engineering fields into the program, eliminating prerequisite barriers.
The program, which combines a 12-credit advanced AI core, a three-credit specialization track in either AI hardware design or natural language processing, a six-credit thesis or capstone, six credits of AI electives and a three-credit engineering elective, was designed for students who want to become industry leaders capable of designing and analyzing AI systems across both software and hardware domains.
