The UNT Board of Regents approved the AI major on Thursday, which comes as universities nationwide are making strides to incorporate the rapidly expanding technology into classrooms. The new undergraduate program is an opportunity to drive economic growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, school officials say.
“We know this program will prepare students to thrive in a ridiculously rapidly evolving world,” Michael McPherson, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said during the meeting. “It will also address a growing and critical need in our society.”
The undergraduate program will be housed in the College of Engineering. Students will design, build and deploy AI software and systems, according to UNT documents. The curriculum will also guide students in assessing the social and ethical implications of AI.
MEETING WORKFORCE DEMANDS
UNT President Harrison Keller has made it a priority to identify and meet the region’s workforce needs. As North Texas is projected to add 7 million jobs by 2050, employers are struggling to find Texans to fill open jobs.
University officials say there is a demand for professionals in AI and machine learning fields. An analysis found that there are about 2,000 postings per month in the Dallas-Fort Worth region related to artificial intelligence, according to UNT.
The first-year salary for someone with this credential is just above $68,000 a year, and that number jumps to $105,000 after five years. While the average UNT graduate breaks even on their degree in six years, a student with an AI degree is anticipated to recoup their education investment in three, McPherson said.
“It is the Keller way, if I might, to be on the vanguard,” McPherson said. “That’s where we want to be.”
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas conducted a survey of businesses last year about AI use. Of 318 respondents, about 59 percent of firms were using AI in some form. About 19 percent of firms said they were planning to use them in the future.
“If [firms] are implementing AI, they’re going to need people who know how to use it,” said Pia Orrenius, vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
Companies are employing AI in marketing, customer service and business analytics, she said. Researchers have seen a “small negative effect,” leading to job displacements in about 5 percent of firms.
AI most impacts roles where the tool no longer complements the job, but substitutes it, she said. Jobs, like cashiers and janitors, are least exposed to AI, while secretaries and administrative assistants are most impacted, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
“Young workers in occupations that are highly exposed to AI are being affected,” she said. “Their employment prospects have gone down in a significant way.”
The advent of AI in the workforce will only come down faster, Orrenius said, which will require universities, community colleges and workforce groups to prepare students.
“You don’t want to be the victim of the AI,” she said. “You want to be the one who can leverage your productivity with AI.”
OTHER UNIVERSITIES FEELING THE AI BOOM
So far, three other public Texas universities — Angelo State University, Tarleton State University, and the University of Texas at El Paso — offer undergraduate degrees in AI. Others have dedicated resources to researching and utilizing the tool.
The University of Texas will open a new school focused on AI and computing research in the fall, after regents approved its creation earlier this month. Texas Christian University announced a $10 million commitment to launch an AI initiative in December.
Universities across the country are ramping up AI education, just as companies like ChatGPT creator OpenAI and chip maker NVIDIA see their valuations spike. Tech giants, like Amazon and Meta, have donated billions to help train students in AI.
While the undergraduate program will be new, UNT already has a master of science program in AI, which it launched in 2020 — one of the first degrees of its kind in the state. McPherson cited the success of the master’s program, as part of his pitch to open an undergraduate version.
Enrollment in the master’s program is “going gangbusters,” McPherson said. Forty-one students enrolled in the master’s program in its first year and has since surpassed 200 students.
A PROMISE AMID FISCAL PRESSURES
The program’s revenues are expected to exceed costs by its second year, which school officials took into consideration amid monetary challenges. UNT is projecting a $45 million shortfall and bracing for budget cuts, said Keller in a Tuesday letter.
The “larger than projected” declines in international master’s student enrollment was a significant factor in the fiscal troubles. The federal government has canceled 8,000 international student visas since President Donald Trump retook office.
UNT routinely examines the effectiveness and efficiency of its offerings, McPherson said. Last year, the university closed 12 degree programs, he said.
For now, he has high hopes and expectations for the new undergraduate degree in AI.
“It is incumbent on us to make sure that we’re not going to be hemorrhaging money,” McPherson said. “We try our very best to be good stewards of the resources that we are given.”
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