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URI to launch new Interdisciplinary and Applied AI bachelor’s degree

New program, to be fully offered in fall 2027, will teach students how to ethically use and responsibly create AI applications

students gathering inside Ballentine Hall,
URI is launching a new Interdisciplinary and Applied AI bachelor’s degree program, which will be offered through the University’s College of Business in cooperation with the College of Arts and Sciences. Pictured are students gathering inside Ballentine Hall, home to the College of Business. (URI photos)

KINGSTON, R.I. – Oct. 27, 2026 – Citing the increasing need for professionals trained in artificial intelligence and the significant push for implementing ethical practices in utilizing the advanced technology, the University of Rhode Island is launching a new Interdisciplinary and Applied AI bachelor’s degree program.

The new program, which will have a soft launch this spring and be fully integrated by the fall of 2027, will be offered through the University’s College of Business in cooperation with the College of Arts and Sciences. Students enrolled in the degree program will be trained how to use AI ethically and will work in interdisciplinary teams to solve real-world problems.

Indrani Mandal
Indrani Mandal, associate teaching professor in URI’s Department of Computer Science and Statistics.

Indrani Mandal, associate teaching professor in URI’s Department of Computer Science and Statistics; and Devendra (Dave) Kale, the College of Business’ interim associate dean for undergraduate education, will lead the new degree program—requiring 53 to 70 credits for completion. Mandal said the program was spawned, in part, as a result of student interest, as well as the growing need for workers who are trained to responsibly implement AI applications in sectors ranging from healthcare and life sciences to small businesses and accounting.

The program will train students how to build AI tools by collecting data from reputable sources with proper consent, emphasizing safety, security and privacy, so that society is not harmed by the technology, Mandal said. The more that students understand how AI can, at times, unsafely encroach in certain operations, the more strategies can be developed to eliminate bad AI practices.

Devendra (Dave) Kale
Devendra (Dave) Kale, URI College of Business’ interim associate dean for undergraduate education.

“With AI growing exponentially and being used for many things, we must ensure that the technology is operated with the best of intentions and for the greater good,” Mandal said. “Everyone is using AI and the students are asking where they can be trained in it. The new Interdisciplinary and Applied AI bachelor’s degree program will not only address workforce needs locally, but it will also help society remain a step ahead as this technology becomes more advanced.”

The new program is the latest initiative demonstrating URI’s leadership in addressing AI-related matters in Rhode Island. Two URI faculty members—Gaurav Khanna, URI assistant vice president for research computing and a professor in the Department of Physics; and Zhu (Drew) Zhang, professor and Alfred J. Verrecchia Endowed Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Business Analytics in the College of Business—are part of the Rhode Island AI Task Force, which released a 75-page report back in January outlining how the value of AI can be successfully unlocked economically across the state.

Last fall, the University launched the Institute for AI and Computational Research, which provides AI infrastructure for research to other Rhode Island-based higher education institutions. The institute represents a widened vision for interdisciplinary research, education and regional collaboration, and expands educational and training programs to prepare future computational science leaders. The College of Business also has two AI-centered degree programs—business analytics and AI for undergraduates and an applied AI and business analytics graduate program.

Christy Ashley, professor of marketing in the College of Business who helped coordinate the degree program’s interdisciplinary curriculum approval process, said businesses are meeting goals in terms of AI usage, but struggle to understand how that usage is impacting workflow and overall daily operational performance. Ashley said the job market is not only looking for people who can strategically use AI responsibly, but also who can collaborate with those in different fields. Graduates from the University’s new degree program will help fill those workforce gaps.

“This program can be done as a stand-alone degree or as a second major with any area of study,” Ashley said. “Whether you are an engineering major, a biology major or language major, earning this Interdisciplinary and Applied AI degree along with another concentration will put our graduates in a really strong position for earning successful careers in the job market.” 

Those who graduate with an Interdisciplinary and Applied AI degree can earn careers in multiple sectors working in positions such as an AI ethics officer, a human-AI interaction designer, a tech regulation and governance specialist, a social science data analyst, or possibly launch one’s own AI startup company. Students will also be required to intern for companies as an AI specialist to complete the degree program, Mandal said. 

Students can get a jump start on earning the new Interdisciplinary and Applied AI degree this spring by taking business analytics and artificial intelligence courses within the College of Business and the AI for Everyone course (CSC/DSP 161) in the College of Arts and Sciences. Credits earned through these courses will be applied to the new degree program.

For more information on the new Interdisciplinary and Applied AI bachelor’s degree program, contact URI Associate Teaching Professor of Computer Science Indrani Mandal at indrani_mandal@uri.edu or URI College of Business Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Devendra (Dave) Kale at 401-874-4199 or dkale@uri.edu.