Colleges race to launch AI degrees, but what they teach varies widely

Colleges from North Dakota to New Jersey are moving fast to attach artificial intelligence to their academic catalogs, but the degree label hides major differences in what students actually learn. Some programs are building research-heavy, interdisciplinary pipelines that touch law, biomedical science and psychology; others are focusing on machine learning, data analytics and project-based applications. For students and families weighing tuition against career value, the real test is whether a school is creating a serious AI education or simply renaming an existing computer science track.

The boom is real, but the market is still small

The rush into AI degrees comes as schools try to respond to a labor market that increasingly prizes AI fluency across industries. Even so, the overall footprint remains limited: a 2025 report found that only about 1 percent of institutions offer a master’s degree in AI, 2.5 percent offer a bachelor’s degree, and 3 to 5 percent offer a nondegree AI program. That gap helps explain why colleges are treating these offerings as a growth area, even if the supply of programs still trails the demand they are trying to meet.

The demand side is moving quickly. Enrollment in the University at Buffalo’s master’s program in AI climbed from five students in 2020 to 103 in 2024, a jump that shows how quickly students are gravitating toward the field. NBC News also found at least 13 major colleges and universities offering undergraduate AI degrees as of 2024, a sign that the new programs are no longer experimental one-offs.

North Dakota is building two very different AI pathways

In Grand Forks, the University of North Dakota says its Artificial Intelligence Ph.D. is the first program of its kind in the region. Announced in April 2025 and planned for a fall launch, the doctorate is designed as an interdisciplinary program that spans computer science, data analytics, biomedical sciences, law, psychology and engineering. That breadth matters because it frames AI as more than a coding problem, with implications for health, regulation, decision-making and human behavior.

North Dakota State University, in Fargo, is taking a different approach with its B.S. in Artificial Intelligence. The program centers on machine learning, data analytics and intelligent systems, and uses project-based coursework tied to cybersecurity, autonomous technologies and other real-world applications. For students, that means the degree is built to feel hands-on and applied, with less emphasis on purely theoretical research and more on building systems that can be used in practice.

Together, the two North Dakota programs show how much the AI label can vary. One is a regional doctoral program that reaches across disciplines, while the other is a bachelor’s degree built around technical skill and application. Both are legitimate responses to the same trend, but they are not interchangeable.

Kean is pairing a degree with a new teaching model

In Union, New Jersey, Kean University says its Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence is the state’s first bachelor’s degree in AI. The university announced the program in August 2025, and it opened that autumn. Kean also launched an Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence, signaling that it wants the degree to be supported by more than a handful of new courses.

Kean says professors are incorporating AI tutors, mentors and research tools into coursework, which makes the program unusual in another way: the technology is not only the subject of study, it is also part of the classroom method. Kean President Lamont O. Repollet said the university was evolving both what it teaches and how it teaches it to prepare students for a world where technology, creativity and human ingenuity work together. That approach suggests a bet that future graduates will need to understand AI as both a technical field and a new educational environment.

What students are really buying

The fastest-growing AI degrees are promising workforce relevance, but the value of the credential depends on the depth of the curriculum. A program that only teaches machine learning tools may help students start quickly, yet employers are also likely to want graduates who can think critically, solve problems and adapt as the technology changes. Higher-ed experts have warned that students need ethics, critical thinking, problem solving and creativity, not just tool use.

That is where the differences between schools become especially important. UND’s inclusion of biomedical sciences, law and psychology suggests a model that recognizes AI’s spillover into health, policy and human judgment. NDSU’s project-based work suggests a more applied route into cybersecurity and autonomous systems. Kean’s use of AI tutors and research tools suggests a program trying to train students in the technology while also reshaping instruction around it.

For a tuition-paying student, those are not minor distinctions. They can determine whether a degree offers broad preparation for a changing economy or a narrower skill set that may age quickly if the curriculum does not keep pace.

What to look for in an AI program

The strongest AI programs are likely to share a few features:

• A curriculum that goes beyond prompts and tools, and covers machine learning, data analytics and intelligent systems in depth.
• Faculty expertise that reaches across disciplines, especially where AI affects law, psychology, biomedical science, cybersecurity and engineering.
• Project-based work that gives students something concrete to build, test and explain.
• Attention to ethics and the social consequences of automation, not just technical performance.
• Evidence that the program is connected to broader workforce needs rather than riding a branding wave.

The colleges moving fastest into AI degrees are not all offering the same education, and that is the central lesson for students and families. In a market that is growing quickly but unevenly, the label on the diploma matters less than the rigor underneath it.