As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes industries, universities like Carnegie Mellon and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have expanded academic programs to train the next generation of experts. This fall, Northwestern will join that shift with the launch of a new undergraduate major in AI.

Announced in a news release Monday, the major — run by McCormick School of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science — will provide students with a deeper understanding of AI tools and the principles behind them.

At the time of publication, McCormick Prof. Sara Owsley Sood, the AI major program director and associate chair for undergraduate education in McCormick School of Engineering, said about 60 students had filled out McCormick’s interest form for the major.

“Because the needs of students moving into careers in AI can in some places differ from the needs (of students) pursuing traditional computer science, we felt that creating this degree made sense at this moment,” Sood said.

Weinberg junior Callie Berthold, who is also pursuing an AI minor, said if the major had been introduced earlier, she likely would have declared it. But as a junior, she said she doesn’t believe there is enough time to complete the major’s requirements.

Berthold said she views the new major as a positive advancement toward the future, especially because AI is reshaping the skills employers are looking for.

“People who can master developing fields are the ones that are going to become famous for it or have the most opportunities,” Berthold said. “I think that especially a place like Northwestern, being able to spot that early on and then provide resources to students is really critical.”

Chair of the Computer Science department and McCormick Prof. Samir Khuller, added that coursework will cover machine learning, natural language processing and the mathematical concepts underlying modern AI technologies.

All students pursuing the AI major will be required to take a course on the societal impact of AI, Khuller said, where they will examine the ethical challenges surrounding the technology.

“Because of the image and impact AI tools are having on society, having a component of ethics for students to have a deeper understanding and appreciation for what the tools that they are building could be used for — we felt that was an important element (of) the new program,” Khuller said.

Weinberg junior Anika Jaitley is currently pursuing an AI minor. She said she was initially surprised by the announcement of the new major, but that it made sense given AI’s growing influence.

Through her classes and conversations with peers, she said she has found AI is becoming increasingly relevant across various fields and disciplines.

“When the AI minor came out, there were definitely a lot of people who were interested in integrating that with their own field of study,” Jaitley said. “With the major, I wouldn’t be surprised if people are pairing that up with other disciplines to see where the intersection leads them.”

Jaitley said while the minor has given her space to become acquainted with the technology, she doesn’t think it provides the same depth a major likely would.

At the same time, she said she hopes the program will extend beyond technical training.

“My hope for the major is that not only do they focus on the technical skills, but they also consider the real-world impact of this technology, both its ability to do good and maybe its ability to do bad as well,” Jaitley said.

The program is available to all undergraduate NU students, requiring 18 units for students outside McCormick and 48 units for students already enrolled in McCormick, which include the school’s core requirements.

McCormick Associate Dean of Undergraduate Engineering Wesley Burghardt said NU had noticed other universities moving in a similar direction and believed it had the faculty and experience to support a major of its own.

Burghardt added that the new major will contribute to a broader technological ecosystem.

“I hope that it is awesome,” Burghardt said. “I hope that it gives students the option to really stake a claim that they want to be seen, and they want to be trained as specialists, to contribute to this revolution in technology that’s around us.”

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