USC and UCLA Launch AI-Focused Degrees to Match Rising Student and Employer Needs

USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering rolled out an inaugural undergraduate artificial intelligence program within the Mark and Mary Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, promising a curriculum that spans model creation and real-world applications from robotics to agriculture. Meanwhile, UCLA established what officials call the nation’s first independent Department of Digital Humanities, delivering a bachelor’s degree that equips students to use AI and digital tools in disciplines such as archaeology, race and gender studies, and the arts.

The two Los Angeles schools join a wave of California campuses adding AI-related majors, many of which also require dedicated ethics courses to address concerns about cheating and critical-thinking erosion. Faculty highlighted the need to align education with market demand, noting that AI majors signal more than just coding skills, while digital humanities aim to preserve liberal-arts relevance in an AI-driven era. Early students, like USC incoming major Duncan Deng, already envision applying AI to agricultural automation, and UCLA alumni such as Cynthia Gong report tangible career benefits from the interdisciplinary training. Administrators project enrollment of dozens of new students each year, hoping the programs will bridge technical expertise and societal insight.