The news of the new program follows ASU's announcement of the first university collaboration with OpenAI. It will be the first AI graduate degree program from a business school in the United States.
The innovative course hopes to prepare graduates for success in emerging roles across industries, through developing technical AI and professional skills, which will help future-proof students’ careers to thrive in the evolving business landscape.
The STEM-designated, full-time program will be taught in-person at ASU’s Tempe campus over nine months.
Core courses will include Foundational Knowledge of AI, AI Applications and Impacts, Machine Learning in Business, Enterprise Systems and Process Evolution, and Transforming Business with AI.
"There is no doubt that AI is quickly becoming a vital business skill. We are excited to meet the needs of students and employers through our new graduate degree program within our top-ranked information systems department," said Ohad Kadan, Charles J. Robel dean and professor of finance.
AI has quickly become one of the most instrumental technologies in business, and for over a year business schools have worked to incorporate it into their programs.
This is becoming increasingly essential as more and more candidates view AI as an essential part of the business school curriculum. A newly-published survey of prospective students from the Graduate Management Admission Council found that demand for AI programs had risen 38% year-on-year from 2022 to 2023.
The goal of the ASU program is to prepare students to lead in the modern workplace. It aims to equip future business leaders with a framework and strategies to implement AI in diverse business contexts.
"Students will learn to understand and plan for the implications and possibilities enabled by artificial intelligence, in addition to the importance of governance, ethics, and principled innovation," explained Pei-yu Chen, chair of the Department of Information Systems.
