Syracuse University adds new AI bachelor’s and master’s degrees

Syracuse University is adding a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence Science this fall, giving Central New York students a direct academic track into a field that has been folded into computer science until now. The new degrees will be offered through the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

The master’s program is aimed at STEM graduates and does not require an undergraduate computer science degree, a design that can save some applicants up to an extra year and lower tuition costs compared with other schools. Students who want a deeper research track can pursue a thesis option and defend it before a faculty panel under Graduate School standards.

The programs were built from the ground up for how AI is designed and deployed today, with coursework intended to cover both the software and hardware sides of the technology. Students can move into AI engineering, systems work, data science, or graduate research, rather than taking AI only as a topic inside a broader computer science major.

Bipartisan Policy Center and Lightcast data show that U.S. job postings requiring AI skills grew 144% year over year as of April 2026, while overall job postings rose 7%. LinkedIn’s 2026 Jobs on the Rise list ranks AI Engineer as the fastest-growing U.S. job title after postings jumped 143% year over year in 2025. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects data scientist employment will grow 34% from 2024 to 2034, with about 23,400 openings a year on average.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science announced an artificial intelligence science and engineering minor in February for Fall 2026, and the School of Information Studies has an applied human-centered AI master’s program set to begin in Fall 2025. The Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing links AI to manufacturing, robotics and optimization.