To Teach AI or To Integrate AI? Why Colleges Must Do Both.
Explore why colleges must both integrate AI across all disciplines and offer dedicated AI programs. Learn how Rize’s AI Literacy and Applied AI programs help institutions prepare students with the technical and practical skills employers demand.
This fall, while universities across America are debating whether to allow ChatGPT in the classroom, Microsoft, Google, and Goldman Sachs are listing ‘AI proficiency’ as a required skill in their entry-level job postings. Two years after ChatGPT’s launch, higher education finds itself in an uncomfortable position: the tools they’ve been policing are the very ones employers now demand their graduates master.
The central question about AI is no longer if it should be taught, but how. Should students learn about AI through dedicated programs that explore its technical foundations, or should all academic programs weave AI skills into their specific domain?
The urgency is clear. According to a survey from Digital Education Council, nearly 60% of students say they do not feel they have sufficient knowledge and skills for an AI-enabled workplace. This gap represents one of the most significant opportunities for institutions to differentiate themselves and prepare graduates for the future.
The answer as to whether colleges should be teaching AI or integrating AI isn’t either/or. It’s both.
Why AI Belongs Across the Curriculum
Employers increasingly expect graduates to bring AI skills with them. Business students should understand how AI transforms revenue analytics. Psychology students should know how AI impacts behavioral research. Healthcare students should anticipate how AI will support patient care. If colleges don’t prepare students this way, they risk sending graduates into the workforce at a disadvantage.
As AI expert Andrew Ng has put it, ‘AI is the new electricity.’ The reality is that most workers aren’t at risk of losing opportunities to AI itself, but to peers and professionals who know how to use AI effectively.”
Colleges that avoid integrating AI risk appearing out of touch. In fact, 70% of Gen Z students report that a college’s use of AI could influence their enrollment decision. That means AI is not just a pedagogical issue, but also an enrollment and retention issue.
When institutions get it right, embedding AI across disciplines benefits everyone:
- Students gain confidence applying AI responsibly in their chosen fields.
- Faculty enhance their teaching and research with cutting-edge tools while ensuring students learn to use them ethically.
- Institutions position themselves as forward-looking, market-relevant, and student-centered, qualities that matter in an increasingly competitive higher ed landscape.
By weaving AI across the curriculum, colleges meet the expectations of students and employers alike. They also strengthen the appeal of existing programs, making them more competitive without the need for an entirely new department.
Why AI Needs Its Own Academic Programs
At the same time, AI integration alone is not enough for two reasons. First, students need deeper, technical preparation for AI. Second, broad AI integration will evolve organically, but slowly and with varying enthusiasm, on most campuses. Integrating AI into existing programs will require significant faculty development, research, curriculum planning and committees. This integration work is necessary, but not sufficient. To match the urgency of the moment, direct instruction is an important complement to integration.
Employers and students themselves agree that urgency is needed. In one survey, 83% of U.S. employers believe higher education should prepare students for AI-driven workplaces. A survey of the class of 2027 found that 81% believe their college should be preparing them for AI in the workplace.
Yet, most students are forced to turn to unaccredited platforms for one of the most in-demand skill sets in the labor market. It’s clear that two kinds of AI skills are being demanded: technical skills for coders and builders, and non-technical skills for students in every other field. Colleges need to prepare students for both, and that’s exactly what Rize’s programs are designed to do.
To fill this gap, colleges need dedicated programs that build expertise. Rize’s Applied AI program is a 5-course sequence designed as a combined major or concentration for Computer Science and Data Science students. It emphasizes hands-on, technical skills such as building custom AI systems, designing neural architectures, fine-tuning models, and engineering effective prompts. Students graduate positioned as technical builders who can keep pace with an incredibly fast-moving field.
For students outside of technical majors, Rize offers the AI Literacy program, a flexible 4-6 course minor or concentration that integrates with any degree. This non-technical track emphasizes project-based learning and practical applications of AI, giving students in fields from business to psychology to healthcare the ability to use AI responsibly and effectively in their disciplines. Think of a manager asking a new graduate, “Do you think AI could handle this task?” Employers expect an informed answer. With this program, your graduates will be the ones who can give it.
Standalone programs like these send a clear message to students and families: your institution is preparing graduates to succeed in an AI-driven world.
Making It Feasible
Of course, building new AI programs from scratch is easier said than done. Hiring qualified faculty, developing curriculum, and investing in computing power can stretch already limited budgets.
That’s why many colleges are turning to Rize as a solution to embed AI on their campus. Our AI Literacy and Applied AI programs allow institutions to add just four to six courses that slot directly into existing structures, whether as new degrees, minors, or concentrations. Instead of taking years to build internally, these programs can launch in 6 months or less, while still moving through your faculty governance process. Beyond that, we help colleges think strategically about where AI fits into the broader curriculum, ensuring both technical and non-technical students leave with the skills they need.
Preparing Students for the Future
The pace of AI innovation will not slow down. The question is whether your college will position itself to prepare students for this new reality. Institutions that act now will stand out to prospective students, support faculty innovation, and ensure their graduates are ready for the workforce of the future.
AI in higher education means a commitment to both teaching AI and integrating AI. And with the right approach, your college can lead the way.
To learn more about launching AI programs on your campus, submit the form below and our team will be in touch with you shortly.
To Teach AI or To Integrate AI? Why Colleges Must Do Both.
Explore why colleges must both integrate AI across all disciplines and offer dedicated AI programs. Learn how Rize’s AI Literacy and Applied AI programs help institutions prepare students with the technical and practical skills employers demand.
This fall, while universities across America are debating whether to allow ChatGPT in the classroom, Microsoft, Google, and Goldman Sachs are listing ‘AI proficiency’ as a required skill in their entry-level job postings. Two years after ChatGPT’s launch, higher education finds itself in an uncomfortable position: the tools they’ve been policing are the very ones employers now demand their graduates master.
The central question about AI is no longer if it should be taught, but how. Should students learn about AI through dedicated programs that explore its technical foundations, or should all academic programs weave AI skills into their specific domain?
The urgency is clear. According to a survey from Digital Education Council, nearly 60% of students say they do not feel they have sufficient knowledge and skills for an AI-enabled workplace. This gap represents one of the most significant opportunities for institutions to differentiate themselves and prepare graduates for the future.
The answer as to whether colleges should be teaching AI or integrating AI isn’t either/or. It’s both.
Why AI Belongs Across the Curriculum
Employers increasingly expect graduates to bring AI skills with them. Business students should understand how AI transforms revenue analytics. Psychology students should know how AI impacts behavioral research. Healthcare students should anticipate how AI will support patient care. If colleges don’t prepare students this way, they risk sending graduates into the workforce at a disadvantage.
As AI expert Andrew Ng has put it, ‘AI is the new electricity.’ The reality is that most workers aren’t at risk of losing opportunities to AI itself, but to peers and professionals who know how to use AI effectively.”
Colleges that avoid integrating AI risk appearing out of touch. In fact, 70% of Gen Z students report that a college’s use of AI could influence their enrollment decision. That means AI is not just a pedagogical issue, but also an enrollment and retention issue.
When institutions get it right, embedding AI across disciplines benefits everyone:
- Students gain confidence applying AI responsibly in their chosen fields.
- Faculty enhance their teaching and research with cutting-edge tools while ensuring students learn to use them ethically.
- Institutions position themselves as forward-looking, market-relevant, and student-centered, qualities that matter in an increasingly competitive higher ed landscape.
By weaving AI across the curriculum, colleges meet the expectations of students and employers alike. They also strengthen the appeal of existing programs, making them more competitive without the need for an entirely new department.
Why AI Needs Its Own Academic Programs
At the same time, AI integration alone is not enough for two reasons. First, students need deeper, technical preparation for AI. Second, broad AI integration will evolve organically, but slowly and with varying enthusiasm, on most campuses. Integrating AI into existing programs will require significant faculty development, research, curriculum planning and committees. This integration work is necessary, but not sufficient. To match the urgency of the moment, direct instruction is an important complement to integration.
Employers and students themselves agree that urgency is needed. In one survey, 83% of U.S. employers believe higher education should prepare students for AI-driven workplaces. A survey of the class of 2027 found that 81% believe their college should be preparing them for AI in the workplace.
Yet, most students are forced to turn to unaccredited platforms for one of the most in-demand skill sets in the labor market. It’s clear that two kinds of AI skills are being demanded: technical skills for coders and builders, and non-technical skills for students in every other field. Colleges need to prepare students for both, and that’s exactly what Rize’s programs are designed to do.
To fill this gap, colleges need dedicated programs that build expertise. Rize’s Applied AI program is a 5-course sequence designed as a combined major or concentration for Computer Science and Data Science students. It emphasizes hands-on, technical skills such as building custom AI systems, designing neural architectures, fine-tuning models, and engineering effective prompts. Students graduate positioned as technical builders who can keep pace with an incredibly fast-moving field.
For students outside of technical majors, Rize offers the AI Literacy program, a flexible 4-6 course minor or concentration that integrates with any degree. This non-technical track emphasizes project-based learning and practical applications of AI, giving students in fields from business to psychology to healthcare the ability to use AI responsibly and effectively in their disciplines. Think of a manager asking a new graduate, “Do you think AI could handle this task?” Employers expect an informed answer. With this program, your graduates will be the ones who can give it.
Standalone programs like these send a clear message to students and families: your institution is preparing graduates to succeed in an AI-driven world.
Making It Feasible
Of course, building new AI programs from scratch is easier said than done. Hiring qualified faculty, developing curriculum, and investing in computing power can stretch already limited budgets.
That’s why many colleges are turning to Rize as a solution to embed AI on their campus. Our AI Literacy and Applied AI programs allow institutions to add just four to six courses that slot directly into existing structures, whether as new degrees, minors, or concentrations. Instead of taking years to build internally, these programs can launch in 6 months or less, while still moving through your faculty governance process. Beyond that, we help colleges think strategically about where AI fits into the broader curriculum, ensuring both technical and non-technical students leave with the skills they need.
Preparing Students for the Future
The pace of AI innovation will not slow down. The question is whether your college will position itself to prepare students for this new reality. Institutions that act now will stand out to prospective students, support faculty innovation, and ensure their graduates are ready for the workforce of the future.
AI in higher education means a commitment to both teaching AI and integrating AI. And with the right approach, your college can lead the way.
To learn more about launching AI programs on your campus, submit the form below and our team will be in touch with you shortly.
