U of I offers new AI degrees

University of Idaho is expanding its leadership in artificial intelligence education and research with three new degree programs designed to prepare students to build AI systems, solve industry challenges and meet growing workforce demand across Idaho and the Pacific Northwest.

Beginning in fall, students can pursue a bachelor’s degree, master’s of science or master’s of engineering in artificial intelligence. 

All three degree levels are available at the Moscow and Coeur d’Alene locations, and graduate programs are available fully online. Programs combine classroom instruction with hands-on research and industry partnerships that allow students to build the AI tools to solve real-world problems. 

“The U of I helped build the applied engineering, computational and interdisciplinary foundations that became important as AI matured into a real-world industrial technology,” U of I President C. Scott Green said. “Our students don’t just learn how to use AI, they learn how to build AI tools and systems, teach computers to understand and generate language on state-of-the-art AI infrastructure and apply AI in the real world.” 

According to the U.S. Department of Education, AI employment opportunities are expected to increase by 17.3% nationwide by 2034. In the Mountain West region, job growth is projected to be even stronger, with an anticipated increase of 25.5%. 

The new degrees build on nearly 40 years of concepts and technology that have evolved into AI. These concepts have been taught since 1986 when U of I introduced its first AI course, titled Artificial Intelligence, which included lessons on skills including inductive and deductive reasoning and natural language processing. 

The new AI degree programs add to U of I’s existing certificate programs in AI, machine learning, robotics automation and engineering. The university offers 14 AI courses covering machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, data science, adversarial machine learning, and computer vision and optimization.  

“U of I continues to shape the future of AI by preparing graduates to address complex industrial challenges and advance innovation through hands-on research, industry partnerships and nationally recognized AI initiatives,” said Steve Wang, professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science.

U of I is also the only institution in Idaho conducting AI research through the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot program. Operated through the National Science Foundation, NAIRR provides U.S. researchers and educators access to computational, data and training resources needed to advance AI research.