Kahlert School of Computing to launch Utah’s first AI major

Reposted from the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering.

The University of Utah will offer its first bachelor’s degree program in artificial intelligence this coming fall.

The proposal by the Kahlert School of Computing, housed in the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering, won approval by the U Board of Trustees on June 10. Pending approval by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the university’s accrediting body, the program will be the first of its kind in Utah and will begin accepting applicants for the fall 2026 semester.

“Utah has always been at the forefront of computing education. In 1964, we were one of the first programs in the nation to offer a B.S. in Computer Science. Utah faculty were pioneers in computing technologies, from the internet to computer graphics, and beyond,” said Mary Hall, director of the Kahlert School of Computing. “It’s imperative to train students to develop and manage the technology that has disrupted all aspects of society.”

Coursework will begin with the foundations of computer science and mathematics, then build toward core AI areas, such as machine learning, data analysis, natural language processing, computer vision and robotics. The program will train students to develop the underlying technology that powers these applications; it will pair that technical training with education on AI’s ethical and effective use.

The program will also prepare students to join a rapidly expanding industry. Utah is consistently one of the top states for tech sector job growth, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The new AI major joins the four other undergraduate programs in the Kahlert School: computer science, data science, software development and computer engineering. The Kahlert School also established an AI minor, designed to complement a variety of majors, last fall.

Meanwhile, the David Eccles School of Business will also offer an AI minor this coming fall semester, available to all U undergraduates regardless of major. This cross-disciplinary program provides critical skills in AI technologies and their practical applications in business.

And the College of Humanities has proposed an AI-inflected “Workplace Writing” master’s degree, set to launch in fall 2027. This program would be a fully online professional graduate degree designed to prepare students for careers in workplace writing shaped by generative AI and other emerging technologies.

While graduate programs in AI are now common, only a small number of undergraduate programs are currently focused on artificial intelligence as a holistic field. Nascent AI offerings tend to be nested within computer or data science programs. While AI draws on tools and techniques from data science, such as machine learning, the College of Engineering program goes a step further, translating insights into action.

“Data science is about understanding and leveraging data to make decisions,” Hall said. “Artificial intelligence is about creating intelligent systems that can act, predict or assist autonomously.”

Drawing on popular existing courses, such as “Introduction to AI” and “Applied Machine Learning,” the AI major will also establish several new ones. Some of these new courses have been jointly developed with faculty from the Department of Philosophy in the College of Humanities and the Department of Mathematics in the College of Science, emphasizing the interdisciplinary depth that the AI field requires.

Current U students interested in pursuing a major in AI should meet with a computing undergraduate academic advisor.

University offers new AI, tech-aligned courses and majors this fall

Banner photo: Tucker Hermans, center, teaches an artificial intelligence class aimed at applications in robotics.