Here is how we advance the AI workforce
Enrollment surges in AI master’s degree program at UB
For decades, the University at Buffalo has provided students with cutting-edge tutelage in artificial intelligence. Now, with AI at the forefront of public consciousness, more UB students than ever are studying the subject.
This is due, in part, to a Master of Science program focusing on AI that UB launched nearly five years ago. Enrollment in the program—officially known as Master of Science in Engineering Science with a focus in AI—has surged from five to 73 students, with an additional 50 expected in Spring 2025.
The program provides students with a foundational knowledge in AI and its many subsets, such as machine learning, deep learning algorithms, and advanced artificial neural networks.
Alums have taken jobs at Amazon Web Services, NVIDIA, Visa, Radical.AI, Salesforce, as well as Buffalo-area companies such as M&T Bank and CUBRC.
Critical investments in AI expertise and infrastructure
The initiative is just one at UB providing students with educational and research experience in AI. Numerous programs in UB’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering, as well as other academic units, provide undergraduate and graduate students with opportunities to study AI.
Equally important are critical investments that UB and its partners have made to advance AI research and education. This includes Advancing Top 25: Faculty Hiring, a UB initiative that has added to the more than 200 faculty members researching AI.
Other key factors are large initiatives that harness the collective power of those faculty members, including UB’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, National AI Institute for Exceptional Education, and Center for Early Literacy and Responsible AI.
UB's designation as the home of Empire AI is important as well. The $400 million statewide research consortium, created by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers, focuses on responsible AI research and education.
