BA in Artificial Intelligence
Are you interested in the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence? Or what it means to live in a digital society? Or delving into debates concerning the fairness of AI? Are you interested in a career focused on the ethical implications of AI, rather than developing new technologies? Do you want to use your creative capability to market these technologies, or manage their applications, as opposed to building them?
If so, we have launched a new major that might be right for you: You can now earn a BA in Artificial Intelligence through the Department of Philosophy! The new major (BA in AI, for short) includes 8 specialized philosophy courses in addition to 5 Computer Science (CS) courses that will give you a foundation in the basic principles of computer and data science, including some programming skills.
BA in AI majors will leave the program with the foundational programming and data analysis skills to make them competitive in the 21st Century job market. Additionally, you will have a deeper understanding of the central ethical and epistemological issues confronting big data today than many of your peers.
BA in AI majors also have access to our brand new Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence (VRAI) Lab. With a $100,000 investment into state-of-the-art desktops, VR headsets, 3D printers and object scanners, the lab will serve as a pedagogical resource to develop new courses for the College of Liberal Arts, to catalyze student innovation through hands on experimentation, and performs double duty as a supportive hub for our students. Our aim is to have the lab function as a hub- and maker-space for our BA in AI students and offer educators the flexibility to develop course content that can easily integrate the newest advances in VR/AR technology and in AI models. To meet this goal, we’ve embraced the role that games, both physical and digitally rendered, can play in allowing students to develop fluency with AI agents and in using and creating VR/AR content, which has been most successfully demonstrated by our novel Introduction to Philosophy Through Videogames class.
The Tech Ethics Video Series developed by the College of Liberal Arts is a great place to learn more about the ethical considerations tied to the development and implementation of Artificial Intelligence.
Plan of Study
The BA in AI degree requires 24 credit hours in philosophy, with an additional 15 credit hours in CS. The main difference is that BA in AI majors will choose more electives from among our science- and technology-focused philosophy courses than Philosophy majors. The required CS courses for BA in AI majors are:
- CS 10100: Digital Literacy
- CS 17600: Introduction to Python
- CS 18000: Problem Solving and Object-Oriented Programming
- CS 18200: Foundations of Computer Science
- CS 29000: AI Basics OR 24200: Introduction to Data Science
The full plan of study can be found here.
Choosing the AI Degree That's Right for You
Purdue University now offers three degree schemes for students interested in studying and pursuing a career in Artificial Intelligence. Depending on your math background in high school, your academic interests, and your career goals, one of the 3 degrees listed below will be the right fit for you.
| BEFORE | DURING | AFTER | DEGREE |
| Proficient in calculus and love your math classes | Interested in learning the theory and design behind AI technologies | Pursue a career in tech working with and designing AI | BS, Artificial Intelligence |
| Proficient in calculus, love your Liberal Arts classes | Interested in the ethics of AI and its role in, and impact on, humanity | Pursue a career in tech, but on the creative or managerial side | BA, Artificial Intelligence |
| Proficient in calculus and love your science courses | Interested in designing new technologies, and how AI can be used in that process | Pursue a career in industry developing new technologies, but not necessarily in AI | BS, ECE w/ Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Concentration |
Ready to get started? Apply Now
Careers in AI
Listed below are new job postings in artificial intelligence/machine learning and data science. BA in AI majors will be competitive applicants for many of these jobs!