US colleges launch AI programs as job demand soars 323%

Colleges across the United States are rapidly integrating artificial intelligence training into their curricula as employers increasingly demand AI skills for positions outside the technology sector. This shift reflects a broader transformation in the job market, where AI literacy is becoming essential for roles in healthcare, hospitality, media, and other industries, prompting educational institutions to adapt their programs to meet evolving workforce demands.

What you should know: The demand for AI skills in job postings has surged dramatically, with non-tech employers leading the charge.

• Online job postings mentioning generative AI as a desired skill grew 323% last year, reaching over 66,000 from fewer than 16,000 positions.
• A global survey of more than 1,000 large businesses found that 41% expect to reduce their workforces within five years because of AI, but 77% plan to train employees to “better work alongside AI.”
• Entry-level positions are particularly at risk of being replaced by AI, according to Oxford Economics research.

How colleges are responding: Educational institutions are launching new AI programs and certificate offerings to address market demand.

• Miami Dade College debuted its artificial intelligence certificate program in 2023, just over a month after ChatGPT was unveiled, offering classes in machine learning, ethics, and natural language programming.
• The college has since expanded to include associate and bachelor’s degree programs in applied AI, designed to be accessible to community college students rather than limiting AI education to graduate-level programs.
• Schools nationwide are announcing similar programs focused on AI in business settings and AI minors marketed to non-computer science majors.

Key success stories: Students are finding that AI training enhances their career prospects across various industries.

• Christian Vivas, a 37-year-old with an electrical engineering background, now uses AI for generating images, videos, marketing plans, and social media captions in his creative media studio after completing Miami Dade’s program.
• Vicky Cheung enrolled in the college’s AI awareness certificate program after being laid off from a Miami hospital where she worked for over two decades, and believes her AI courses helped her land a new job analyzing process improvements at a different hospital.

The curriculum challenge: Rapid technological evolution makes it difficult for educational institutions to keep pace with AI developments.

• “The problem we have is that AI is changing industries so fast that the textbooks, the curriculum — by the time you get it approved, it’s relevant, but it’s outdated,” said Josh Jones, CEO of QuantHub, a company that works with schools to add AI lessons.
• There’s no standardized curriculum or credential schools can use as a guidepost, leading to varied approaches across institutions and even individual classrooms.

How professors are adapting: Educators are fundamentally restructuring assignments to incorporate AI tools while teaching ethical usage.

• Derrick Anderson at Arizona State University now has students create videos with ChatGPT assistance instead of traditional essays, and requires them to write four different types of memos using AI while describing appropriate scenarios for each.
• Students use these AI-enhanced projects in their job portfolios to demonstrate practical experience with AI tools, even without specific AI degrees or credentials.

What employers want: Companies across sectors are seeking demonstrable AI skills from job candidates.

• Ken Finneran, vice president of human resources at digital healthcare company eMed, said every department uses generative AI tools and the company expects prospective employees to have foundational AI knowledge.
• Miami Dade College’s Miami Tech Works organization reports that more businesses outside tech are reaching out to hire people with AI skills.

What they’re saying: Educational leaders emphasize the practical necessity of AI training for workforce preparation.

• “Because I’m preparing them for the job market, they need to know how to use generative AI ethically, but efficiently and effectively,” Anderson explained.
• Antonio Delgado, vice president of innovation and technology partnerships at Miami Dade College, said they focused on “the application of AI — how you can apply AI, how can you learn AI at a community college — where it is open to everyone, not just to a few who can get a master’s or PhD.”