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16 June 2021

Top Artificial Intelligence Programs for Undergraduates

Posted in Your College List

Top Artifical Intelligence Programs for UndergraduatesInterested in studying “the skill of the century” and accessing a global market that is worth over $300 billion? Look no further than artificial intelligence (AI) and check out our latest list of colleges with strong undergraduate AI programs in the United States.

The term “artificial intelligence” was coined as early as 1956 and refers to the broad concept of making it possible for machines to perform human-like tasks, such as solving problems, making decisions, understanding language, and processing sounds and images. However, AI only became increasingly popular recently, and along with this rise in popularity came spikes in investment, which led to rapid growth in the AI industry.

Studying AI prepares students to solve problems across a variety of fields and introduces them to a huge job market that continues to expand today. Drawing from U.S. News, TechTarget, CSRankings, Computer Science Degree Hub, Great Value Colleges and Value Colleges, we've curated a list of some of the top undergraduate programs in artificial intelligence across the nation. This list also covers information about the overall admission rates and profiles, offered AI programs, curriculum, and research opportunities and facilities for each listed institution.

Click on Continue Reading to see our list of top undergraduate AI programs nationwide.

 

Top Artificial Intelligence Programs for Undergraduates

The following are included for each entry in the list to help you better understand each AI program:

  • Academic Profile. The overall admission rates and mid-50th percentile test score breakdowns for each listed institution are provided to help you assess academic fit numerically.
  • Offered Program(s). Universities offer a variety of programs in AI, usually under the Department of Computer Science and/or Cognitive Science. Common terms used to describe the different types of programs are major, minor, concentration, certificate, focus, specialization, track, and thread. The following list includes information about what AI program or programs are available at each institution, and a link is included for each program to help you explore further.
  • Specialized Curriculum. AI is a comprehensive term that describes various subsets of concepts and techniques that make machines more intelligent. Machine learning (ML), computer vision and robotics, and natural language processing (NLP) are some of the most popular subsets of AI. As AI continues to develop, ethics in AI has also emerged as a popular concern. The list below focuses on these 4 subsets by evaluating whether each institution provides specialized courses in these areas to help you understand the breadth and depth of the AI curriculum.
  • Notes. A short summary of AI-related opportunities and resources is included for each institution to provide you with more insight into the benefits and unique aspects of each listed AI program.

Enjoy!

Author

Helen Li Helen Li is a graduate from The Harker School and will be attending the University of Toronto to study Computer Science in the Fall.

 

Colleges with Strong Artificial Intelligence Programs

College Kickstart LLC

InstitutionAdmit Rate (%)Mid 50 SAT/ACTCourse AreasNotes
Arizona State University
 86 1130-1340
22-28
  
  • Interdisciplinary AI research in over 10 centers to build intelligent systems across science disciplines
  • Most of the more advanced AI courses are offered at the graduate level that undergraduates may take if interested
California Institute of Technology
 7 1510-1570
35-36
 
  • ML & AI track within the CS major
  • Especially strong in building and using autonomous systems and technologies
Carnegie Mellon University
 17 1460-1560
33-35
   
  • Nation's first BS degree in AI with one of the most robust AI curriculum
  • Highly interdiscplinary research and curriculum that span 10 focus areas in AI
  • Emphasizes the overall principle as "AI for Social Good"
Colby College
 10 1380-1520
31-34
  
  • CS major and an interdisciplinary major with Cognitive Science and Psychology
  • One of the first liberal arts colleges to create an AI institute
  • Analyzes AI concepts through perspectives of fields like biology, history, and gender studies
Columbia University
 4 1450-1570
32-35
  
  • Two AI-related tracks within the CS major
  • Special opportunities for CS students to interact directly with company representatives located in New York City
  • AI research focuses on ML, NLP, computer vision, robotics, and privacy and security
Cornell University
 9 1410-1530
32-35
   
  • CS major and minor without AI-specific tracks but many electives
  • Highly interdisciplinary AI research groups, from ethics and policy in AI to game and decision theory to statistical physics and operations research
Georgia Institute of Technology
 18 1380-1520
29-34
   
  • Thread in intelligence within the CS major and a CS minor in computing and intelligence
  • Conducts advanced AI research at the famous Institute of Technology Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines
Harvard University
 3 1460-1570
33-35
   
  • CS major, CS minor, and an interdisciplinary CS track in the MBB Initiative
  • Launched AI initiative, a think tank uniquely dedicated to understanding the impacts of developing AI and emphasizing "AI for Social Good"
  • 28 primary faculty researchers in AI with other additional interdisciplinary opportunities
Indiana University
 80 1130-1340
24-31
  
  • CS major and a more hands-on, project-based major in Intelligent Systems
  • Owns 10 research centers, groups, and labs dedicated to AI and additional intra-department research areas like bioinformatics, social informatics, and ethics in computing
MIT
 4 1520-1580
35-36
   
  • 3 CS programs, where AI is a central focus in 6-3 and 6-9 partners with the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
  • 24 AI groups under the famous CS and AI Laboratory (CSAIL), which focus in 3 areas: AI, Systems, and Theory
Ohio State University - Columbus
 68 1230-1390
26-32
   
  • AI specialization within the CS major (2 programs to choose from)
  • 5 major research subgroups in applied ML, auditory, speech, and language processing, ML algorithms and theory, computer vision, and cognitive system
Oregon State University
 84 1090-1310
21-28
  
  • AI option within the CS major
  • Known for the AI and Robotics (AIR) group, which studies theory, algorithms, and systems in intelligent decision-making
  • AIR research is grounded in various real-world decision support applications
Purdue University
 67 1210-1420
25-32
 
  • AI track within the CS major
  • Research in ML and Information Retrieval with 20 primary faculty members
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
 47 1290-1490
28-34
  
  • AI-specific degree offered through the Cognitive Science Department rather than the usual CS department
  • 7 AI research focus areas at facilities like the Rensselaer AI and Reasoning Lab (RAIR)
Stanford University
 5 1420-1550
31-35
   
  • AI track within the CS major
  • Offers many research groups under the famous Stanford AI Laboratory (SAIL) with many electives across 4 main AI areas of AI methods, NLP, vision, and robotics
Texas A&M University
 63 1170-1380
25-32
 
  • CS major and minor without AI-specific tracks but many electives
  • Known for robotics-related labs like the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR), Distributed AI Robotics Lab, and the Perception, Sensing, and Instrumentation (PSI) Lab
University of California - Berkeley
 18 1300-1520
28-34
   
  • CS major and an interdisciplinary program in Cognitive Science
  • Focus in robotic manipulation and interaction and computational imagining
  • Known more for AI research opportunities than the degree programs
University of California - Los Angeles
 14 1290-1510
29-34
 
  • CS major without AI-specific tracks but many electives
  • 8 research centers that are multidisciplinary in nature, like the Center for Systematic, Measurable, Actionable, Resilient and Technology-driven (SMART) Health
  • Many AI coureses are interdisciplinary with biology
University of California - San Diego
 38 1250-1470
24-33
  
  • CS major without AI-specific tracks but many electives
  • Research in the AI Group with 13 primary faculty members, where areas of particular strength are ML, reasoning under uncertainty, and cognitive modeling
University of Georgia
 39 1220-1390
27-32
   
  • CS major and a concentration in AI within the Cognitive Science major
  • Famous groups at the Institute for AI (IAI) include Evolutionary Computation and ML Lab, THINC lab (AI and Robotics), Heterogeneous Robotics (HeRo) Lab, and CASPR (Linguistics) Project
University of Illinois - Chicago
 73 1030-1230
21-28
   
  • CS major without AI-specific tracks but many electives
  • Research focuses on real-world applications of AI and specializes in molecular biology, transportation, and electronics manufacturing optimization
University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign
 55 1290-1490
28-34
   
  • CS major with focuses, CS minor, and CS + X interdisciplinary degrees
  • Research in computer vision, machine listening, NLP, ML and robotics
  • Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology hosts researchers from more than 40 different departments for multidisciplinary research in AI
University of Maryland - College Park
 51 1290-1460
29-34
  
  • ML track within the CS major
  • Research in automation research, computational linguistics and information processing, and human-computer interaction
  • UMD’s Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS) connects many research groups together for multidisciplinary projects
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
 65 1210-1370
27-32
   
  • CS major and minor without AI-specific tracks but many electives
  • AI research with 35 primary faculty members, 7 labs and centers, and 15 focus areas
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
 26 1340-1520
31-34
   
  • CS major and minor without AI-specific tracks but many electives
  • Research in assistive technology, constraint-based reasoning, human computation, and multiagent and economic systems with 16 AI-related facilities like AI Lab and Perceptual Robotics Laboratory (PeRL)
  • Extensive robotics curriculum
University of Minnesota
 70 1260-1430
25-31
  
  • AI electives (without track options) available for the CS minor
  • Research under 9 primary faculty members and 3 famous robotics centers: Center for Distributed Robotics, Minnesota Robotics Institute, and Safety, Security, and Rescue Research Center
University of Pennsylvania
 6 1450-1560
33-35
  
  • Dual degree is more for those who do not plan to be professional engineers
  • 9 AI research groups with facilities like the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Lab and Penn Research in ML (PRiML)
University of Pittsburgh
 64 1240-1420
28-32
   
  • Required capstone experience for CS majors, which can be satisfied by academic internship, research project, capstone designated courses, or co-op
  • Research in NLP and information retrieval, AI and law, and ML and decision-making
University of Texas - Austin
 32 1220-1450
26-33
   
  • 14 AI research topics with 26 primary faculty memberes and work to address current and key challenges of machine cognition
University of Washington
 56 1220-1430
27-33
   
  • 8 research topics under the Allen Institute for AI (AI2)
  • Unique for an interdisciplinary group in Brain-Computer Interfaces & Computational Neuroscience and a campus-wide leadership in data science
University of Wisconsin - Madison
 57 1300-1440
27-32
  
  • AI research in computer vision and ML with 16 primary faculty members and especially strong for autonoumous vehicles research
  • Many Cross-Campus Collaboration projects where researchers from different backgrounds work together
Yale University
 5 1470-1560
33-35
  
  • CS programs focus heavily on foundational concepts
  • Required project course for all seniors to conduct research with faculty supervisors
  • AI research in robotics, NLP, ML, computer vision, and AI, ethics and societ

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