University offers new AI, tech

With workforce needs evolving by the day, the U is innovating new courses, programs and majors to meet the interests of students and the demands of business.

Offerings this fall for incoming and continuing students include new undergraduate, AI-focused degrees in the David Eccles School of Business and the College of Engineering, a master’s level program for students who want to specialize in using AI tools in writing, and a new neuroscience degree from the College of Science.

New majors, minors and certificates

Coursework will begin with the foundations of computer science and mathematics, then build toward core AI areas, such as machine learning, data analysis, natural language processing, computer vision, and robotics. The program’s will train students to develop the underlying technology that powers these applications; it will pair that technical training with education on AI’s ethical and effective use. The program will also prepare students to join a rapidly expanding industry; Utah is consistently one of the top states for tech sector job growth, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The new AI Major joins the four other undergraduate programs in the Kahlert School: Computer Science, Data Science, Software Development, and Computer Engineering. The Kahlert School also established an AI Minor, designed to complement a variety of majors, last Fall. Read more here.

The Business AI minor is a cross-disciplinary program designed to equip students with critical skills in AI technologies and their practical applications in business. It will bridge the gap between AI and business strategy, enabling students to make data-informed decisions, automate processes, and create competitive advantages in diverse industries. This new program reflects the Eccles School’s vision to prepare students who are fluent in emerging technologies and anchored in enduring business fundamentals and durable skills. Read more here.

The MA/MS in Workplace Writing and Emergent Technologies s is a fully online professional graduate degree designed to prepare students for careers in workplace writing shaped by Generative AI (GenAI) and other emerging technologies. The curriculum integrates advanced professional writing skills, workplace research methods, information design, and ethical decision-making with specialized courses in AI-assisted writing, content strategy, and digital communication. A capstone project—either a workplace internship or professional paper—replaces a traditional thesis, ensuring applied, career-relevant outcomes.

What happens in the brain when you fall in love? Why does a stroke rob one person of speech but leave another’s language intact? How does a childhood trauma reshape the architecture of memory? These are the kinds of questions that animate neuroscience, one of the most consequential fields in all of modern science. Not to mention exhilarating. The University of Utah is offering its first undergraduate degree specifically designed to help students pursue those questions and many more while preparing for a coveted career in life and health sciences. Read more here.