College of Business launches AI Management concentration - Sacramento State

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College of Business launches AI Management concentration

July 31, 2026

The College of Business at Sacramento State launched a new concentration on practical applications of artificial intelligence, one of the first in the CSU system, to prepare students to use the rapidly changing technology in the business world.

“AI is everywhere, and we see how much this technology is transforming everything,” Information Systems and Business Analytics Department Chair Sadaf Ashtari said. “AI will change healthcare, government, and many other sectors. So we need to prepare our business students to understand, to evaluate, and manage artificial intelligence.”

The College of Business is one of the most popular academic programs at Sac State, with more than 4,000 undergraduates who must select a concentration for their Bachelor of Science degree. With the addition of AI, the college has 11 concentrations, including:

- Accountancy

- Artificial Intelligence Management

- Business Analytics

- Entrepreneurship

- Finance

- General Management

- Management of Human Resources & Organizational Behavior

- International Business

- Marketing Information Systems

- Marketing

- Supply Chain Management

The AI concentration includes five required courses as well as three electives.

Required courses for the new concentration were offered starting in Fall 2025, and the first graduates are expected to cross the stage in Fall 2026, said College of Business Dean Jean-Francoise Coget.

“Companies are using AI in ways that will knock the socks off traditional companies,” Coget said. “The revolution is happening. Speed is of the essence if we want to catch the wave.”

Business major Kevin Bali was one of the first students to sign up for the AI concentration and has been taking the required classes since last fall. Bali, who is also minoring in Criminal Justice, hopes to work for a law enforcement agency and work in cybersecurity when he graduates in December.

“Every discussion, every debate, every class I’m in now has someone talking about AI,” Bali said. “It’s going to be a huge part of businesses and government, so learning about it now will help set yourself up for success in the future job market.”

One of the classes includes an AI practicum designed to prepare students for their careers. Students will work with an actual client – such as a small, local business or nonprofit community organization – to design, build and implement an AI application as well as deal with procedures.

“We have to translate what this technology is and how we can use it in business,” Ashtari said. “What AI can do, what AI cannot do, evaluate the risk, and how it can create value for an organization.

“We want to teach a student how to connect AI technology with real business problems and what the possibilities and limitations and ethical concerns are.”

The new program focuses on the practical applications of AI, evolving regulations and ethical use of the technology.

It does not focus on technical aspects of AI, Ashtari said.

“It’s more about strategy, decision-making, workflow, and how to integrate artificial intelligence into your organization,” she said.

“As a Business student, you need to understand how AI is changing organizations, and how they use it to become better decision makers, problem solvers, and leaders. AI can create opportunity, but it can also create some challenges and concerns.”

Artificial intelligence is already changing the business world. Banks, for example, are looking at using AI to review loan applications, which could speed up the process and eliminate the need for junior analysts. Many of those junior analyst positions, however, are first jobs for Sac State graduates.

“We can look at AI like a utility, like the internet, electricity, or water,” Ashtari said. “It’s there, and you have to use it.”