Instead, he said, “we had 1,700 requests for enrollment in the first two weeks.” To date, the academy, created in partnership with Google to bolster adults' artificial intelligence literacy, has seen 3,500 residents successfully complete it.
It’s been “wildly successful,” Ferreira said.
The program is just one example of how colleges and universities are adjusting their academic offerings in response to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. The technology is reshaping the programs offered in higher education, as students rethink their majors and future careers.
In an effort to keep up, some colleges and universities have created AI-focused majors, certificates and graduate degrees. Those new programs come as students as well as new and current working professionals anticipate needing the AI-related skill sets to stay ahead in a continually evolving job market.
One in six college students nationwide changed their major because of AI, according to the findings of a recent Gallup Poll. And more than 40 percent of the poll's respondents said they had given a fair amount of thought to changing their majors.
RESPONDING TO NEW JOB SKILLS DEMANDS
Universities including Quinnipiac University in Hamden, have created new programs to respond to those shifts, such as an applied AI master's degree offered by the School of Business.
“There’s definitely a need for business schools to have AI in their programs,” said Kiku Jones, Quinnipiac’s interim associate dean of faculty affairs and a professor of business analytics and information systems.
“Throughout the School of Business and the university, we are really trying to ensure our students are graduating from QU prepared and ready for this kind of work,” Jones said.
The applied AI program’s focus is on using AI, not building it, which is an area that Jones said falls into computer science.
The university developed the applied AI program because it saw a need to develop students’ expertise on using artificial intelligence, particularly in business, she said. Another area where AI use is rapidly increasing is the healthcare industry, Jones said.
Students are “mainly embracing” the new offerings, she said, if even some are reluctant.
“I can tell you in conversations we’ve had across the university, there are often students who have a moral objection to (AI),” Jones said.
“Is there pushback (to AI)? Why is that? How can we marry the two? In having those discussions, we find that common ground,” she said.
The dialogue is ongoing, and Jones said she believes students have “become more comfortable” with AI.
Quinnipiac officials are cognizant that students need to graduate with additional skills beyond previous traditional entry level work, according to Jones.
“If the entry level positions are being replaced, or altered in a way that AI is able to do that work, what we want to do is ensure our students have advanced training. So students go out and are above that entry level, with the critical-thinking skills, problem-solving skills they need. We try to educate our students, so they are prepared,” Jones said.
Quinnipiac’s AI computer science major began last year, she said.
Majors and degree programs have also grown across the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system. For example, Western Connecticut State University in Danbury introduced an AI master of science degree in 2024.
The program has attracted “strong interest” from prospective students, and “is steadily building momentum,” according to Yaseen Hayajneh, interim dean of WestConn’s School of Graduate, International and Career Studies.
Since the program’s launch, nearly 200 students have applied for it, Hayajneh said.
COURSES, PROGRAMS VARY BY CAMPUS
Central Connecticut State University in New Britain now offers computer science bachelor’s degree concentrations in artificial intelligence, as well as master’s programs.
At Yale University, the University of New Haven and the University of Connecticut, course offerings have also expanded.
Yale now offers what a spokesperson characterized as “numerous courses and programs in AI.” Those range from a new course in the School of Management’s master of business administration core curriculum, to a new Master of Health Science in Medical Artificial Intelligence. Yale’s School of Architecture also now offers AI courses.
“In a world already infused with AI, Yale prioritizes providing students with frameworks for engaging AI fluently and ethically, so that as they graduate and lead across all sectors of society. They are equipped with the skills and insights necessary to balance innovation and progress with responsible leadership,” the university said.
UConn, while it does have courses, does not yet offer an artificial intelligence major. Other programs, however, are in the works, including an artificial intelligence certificate program, according to the university.
The University of New Haven will offer its first bachelor of science in artificial intelligence this fall.
“We have seen increasing demand for AI knowledge and skills across all the disciplines and industries, from engineering AI systems to innovative applications,” Div Pithadia, the program’s coordinator, said of why the bachelor’s degree was created. The university launched a master’s in artificial intelligence degree earlier this year.
Both programs, Pithadia said, have seen “good interest” from students.
© 2026 Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
