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As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to create more opportunities and applications in countless disciplines, major colleges and universities are offering bachelor’s degrees in AI to undergraduate students—who are hoping to secure tech internships and entry-level roles in the workforce.
In 2018, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) became the pioneer major academic institution in the U.S. to debut an AI degree in response to the “growing demand for AI specialists.” This year, the University of Pennsylvania also announced that it will open the AI engineering program in the Ivy League in the fall.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Purdue University, Arizona State University, and University of Texas at Dallas are among the additional 11 big universities currently granting degrees in AI, as identified by NBC News.
The curriculum generally includes computing algorithms, machine learning, and cognitive science courses, among others, which will empower students in the program to reach transformative discoveries and multi-disciplinary breakthroughs.
Work after college still unsure
One purpose behind the formation of AI degrees is to help graduates stand out in the workforce, giving them an edge in entry-level positions at Big Tech companies.
Looking at the pioneer AI majors who have just graduated in recent years, it is still unsure whether or not the specialized program is worth it. However, early indicators point to positive results.
Six years ago, when CMU began its AI degree, director Reid Simmons stated that some of the bigger tech firms indicated that they would hire everybody.
Fast forward to today, Simmons proudly revealed that the majority of his students are now employed at Big Tech companies, including Google and Apple, with others contributing to health care, finance, robotics, and other fields.
One of them is fresh graduate Mehmet Deniz Birlikci, who initially enrolled in computer science but shifted to AI. He is set to become an engineer in Amazon’s artificial generative intelligence division.
“I was really viewing AI as a new computing paradigm which is a lot more flexible than hard-coding rules,” Birlikci said.
Further, most of CMU’s current students will be doing their summer internships in giant tech firms. Nevertheless, AI majors still do not have the golden ticket at these companies.
Birlikci’s internship in 2022 allowed him to help train and deploy AI models at the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, a feat he credited to CMU.
Tech recruiting platform Moonhub founder Nancy Xu also mentioned that an AI degree may be advantageous for employers looking for “great software engineers who have an understanding of AI.”
“Ultimately, we don’t have enough people who work in AI, and we need more people,” Xu said.
Growing interest in AI degrees
Although jobs at high-profile companies are not yet guaranteed, AI degrees have gained popularity among undergraduates.
According to CMU’s Simmons, 200 out of 250 incoming computer science freshmen were “considering” the AI major based on a survey. This recorded an increase of 5 majors from the original 30 estimated when the program started.
Birlikci believed that securing an opportunity at Big Tech is not the main motivation behind this surge in interest but the students’ desire to “get their hands dirty building things and really leaving an impact than just getting pure jobs.”
On the other hand, at the University of Pennsylvania, Emma Twitmyer considered having a technical degree as an asset that could enable her to pursue careers in many fields. She is among the plenty of transferees in the university that decided to major in AI this year.
Likewise, MIT student Julie Steele decided to enter Course 6-4, Artificial Intelligence and Decision Making, after noticing that students majoring in the course have secured summer internships related to research, software engineering, and finance amid the increasing competition.
