Bultan, who proposed the idea of establishing a new degree in AI to Agrawal and Mirza about two years ago, noted, “Artificial intelligence is the most recent computing revolution that is causing drastic changes to human civilization. Advances in statistical machine learning and deep neural networks have significantly broadened the scope of problems that can be addressed by computing and AI. The new degree will enable us to provide in-depth education to our students in these rapidly progressing areas. I am particularly excited to see the interdisciplinary education and research opportunities that the new degree will create across the College of Engineering and UCSB, since artificial intelligence can be applied in any area of study. Two years of effort, and strong collaboration among our outstanding faculty across the college and the campus, enabled us to develop an exceptionally strong undergraduate program. I am very excited for our prospective students in artificial intelligence.”
Mirza, too, sees an enormous possibility for AI students. “I am excited that the BS in AI will bring together students who are passionate about shaping the future of artificial intelligence,” she said. “This major enables them to tackle a broad range of interdisciplinary problems by working alongside faculty whose research spans AI security and systems, robotics, brain-computer interfaces, cognitive science and the ethical dimensions of AI. Our goal is to give students a rigorous foundation and to help them develop the innovative mindset needed to drive the field forward and in the right direction. I strongly believe that UCSB’s collaborative and close-knit community offers the perfect environment to create the next generation of AI leaders.”
Coursework for the new degree, expected to begin in the fall quarter for 2026, will reflect the need for specific training and be broken down into three main areas: AI foundations, including computing and AI principles, statistics, and optimization; domain-specific coursework, including machine learning (ML), natural language processing, computer vision, and deep learning; and field electives in AI and related areas offered in engineering and the humanities. The latter component includes a capstone sequence.
“Artificial intelligence has rapidly risen to become perhaps the most important technological advancement of this decade, so it is fitting that UCSB, which has already built an impressive collection of entities around AI, now has a major dedicated to the subject,” said Umesh Mishra, dean of The Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering. “AI holds the promise of immense possibility to do good; yet, it also requires abundant care to ensure that it is used responsibly and does no harm. This burgeoning field will require an abundance of people who have the specialized training to develop and maintain AI platforms that will operate to benefit all people.”
Students in the degree program will also have access to the growing number of initiatives and research centers on AI across the UCSB campus, including:
About 20 freshmen are projected to enroll in the major next fall, with increases each year. By 2029, it’s anticipated that some 200 students will be working their way through various phases of the major.