Rise of the AI graduates: DailyMail.com speaks to one of the first students to ... trends now
Colleges across the US have added AI courses to their curriculum as companies scramble to find skilled employees and students look for higher paying fields.
While much of the world sees the tech as the way of the future, some people have cautioned students to not gamble tens of thousands of dollars on technology that seems to evolve each day.
Tiffany Hsieh, who works in the development of AI told, DailyMail.com: 'While there is plenty of data telling us about the number of skills that will be affected by Generative AI, much of that data doesn't tell us about the nature of the impact on those skills.
But a graduate student majoring in the tech at New York's Yeshiva University said he believes AI is here to stay and the degree would be necessary for him to become a machine language engineer, which pays at least $160,000 a year.
Sumit Kumar (pictured) is an AI grad student at Yeshiva University and said he recommends students pursue an AI degree if they're 'willing to work hard' to learn the technology
Tiffany Hsieh (pictured) is the director for Jobs for the Future which promotes equality and advancement for education and the workforce. Hsieh advised that students focus on developing 'soft skills' and should pursue an AI degree if it makes sense for them. There isn't enough data yet to determine if AI degrees are worth the investment
Companies are scrambling to find talent to fill positions - AI job postings on LinkedIn increased 599 percent last year compared to 2022.
Positions like machine learning engineer, data scientist, AI researcher and computer vision engineer are among the highest in demand with median salaries starting at over $100,000.
However, those careers have existed since before AI degrees were introduced as Anna Orosz, a machine learning engineer for LinkedIn told Dailymail.com.
'When I graduated, there was no such degree as AI yet, but I took all the relevant courses,' Orosz said, adding that '[an AI degree] is just a different name for the degree,' she received, 'but still consists of the same courses.'
Orosz received her Master's in data science from the University of Pennsylvania, which recently became the first Ivy League university to add an AI degree to its program in February and is set to welcome students this fall.
Students will gain an understanding of how to use AI tools and make 'transformative scientific discoveries,' create 'breakthroughs in healthcare through new antibiotics' and apply 'life-saving treatments and accelerating knowledge and creativity.'
John Gipson, the assistant vice provost at Purdue University, told Dailymail.com that Purdue is known for its strong computer science programs and opened up two AI undergraduate degrees to 'prepare students for the cutting-edge developments in this field.'
Purdue University's AI Master's program costs $933 per credit, amounting to roughly $28,000 per year.
Students in the AI program develop a comprehensive understanding of AI skills and are provided with the tools to understand and recognize the 'societal impacts of AI.'
They will learn to understand how AI software works, the policies and legal aspects surrounding it and the ethics of working with the technology such as how AI systems can be biased and how they can often mirror existing societal inequalities.
Artificial intelligence degrees are on the rise in the US as more companies add it as a necessary skill for jobs
Sumit Kumar, an AI grad student at Yeshiva University in New York told Dailymail.com that his 'hunger for knowledge' and 'wish to know the new age innovation pushed [him] toward pursuing a Master's in AI.'
He is still in his second semester and isn't looking for a job yet, but speaking about his decision to pursue a degree in AI, he
