Syracuse University to Offer New AI Degrees to Boost Enrollment - GovTech

SU will launch a bachelor and a master of science in artificial intelligence science this fall. The university already offers at least seven minors, two other bachelor’s degrees and one master’s degree in AI.

The announcement of the new degrees comes during a national reckoning of higher education as the number of traditional college students drops and colleges face challenges brought on by President Donald Trump’s administration. Last month, SU announced that it missed its enrollment targets and is facing a $30 million budget deficit.

The newest bachelor’s and master’s degrees focus on teaching students how best to create various AI models and products. They are housed in the School of Engineering and Computer Science.

S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, School of Information Studies and the College of Professional Studies offer minors, bachelor’s or master’s degrees in AI. They explore how to develop, think about and use AI.

For example, Maxwell has an AI policy minor that explores the consequences and questions that widespread AI use raises. Students learn to think critically about topics such as how AI has changed warfare and whether it threatens humanity.

“Artificial intelligence isn’t confined to a single classroom or discipline at Syracuse University — it’s woven into how our students learn, how our faculty conduct research and how we prepare graduates for a workforce being reshaped by this technology,” said Jeff Rubin, senior vice president for digital transformation, chief digital officer and interim dean of the School of Information Studies, in a press release.

The AI degrees are another way SU is trying to attract students. SU opened a Center for the Creator Economy last fall, opened esports centers and created a bachelor of science in esports communications and management.

Colleges across the country, from Arizona State University to Carnegie Mellon, are offering AI-based degrees. The goal is to give students a step up in a world becoming increasingly dependent on AI models.

SU advertises its AI degrees with the statistic that there has been a 144 percent increase in job postings requiring AI skills.

Along with degrees and classes, students are working on AI during their free time. Students created United AI, a student-run organization that builds and tests AI prototypes. Students with successful ideas can earn money from an $800 prize pool. Past winners include Pelora, an AI curly-hair expert that helps with style and treatment, and On the Ave, which helps students choose which restaurants to eat at based on budget and food preferences.

In September 2025, SU became one of the first universities to give all students, staff and faculty access to Claude, a limited language model created by Anthropic.

AI has disrupted higher education, forcing professors to rethink their teaching practices. Since students are now able to ask an AI chatbot to write a paper, answer at-home test questions or replace research, many professors have returned to old-school ways.

Professors said they’ve begun utilizing written in-person exams and flipping the classroom to include more reading and writing during instructional time.

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