USC Viterbi’s Director of New Initiatives in AI and Data Science and Research Professor in Computer Science, Yolanda Gil, will co-direct the program. “This is a pioneering and forward-looking interdisciplinary program,” said Gil. “To our knowledge, it is the first in the world of its kind at this important intersection of AI and Business. With this program, we will empower business and organizational leaders to understand the possibilities, as well as the limitations, of AI technologies and to help them better understand the people they serve, predict trends, and improve decision-making processes.”
The joint AI for Business degree is a four-year, 128-unit program in which students take courses at both Marshall and Viterbi, and their diplomas will reflect the names of both schools upon graduation. Students will take both core business courses at Marshall and AI-focused classes at Viterbi with additional new integrative courses.
Viterbi coursework will cover machine learning, human interactions, robotics, and programming in Python. As part of the degree requirements students will also study ethics, taking courses in Security and Privacy, and Ethics for Engineers at Viterbi. "The graduates will have unique abilities to assess the potential of emerging ideas in AI and how to leverage them in an effective and responsible manner,” said Gil.
AI for Business integrative classes will provide a larger context for making business decisions in the AI age. These four courses, created within Marshall specifically for the joint degree, include a semester-long program for first-year students, as well as classes in digital transformation, AI and smart contracts, technology strategy, and a program that will offer students real-life experiences in the AI sector.
“We have reached a point where AI tools and techniques are extremely accurate, but real-world, high-impact applications are very limited,” said Drakopoulos. “The new AI for Business degree is designed to mold leaders who fill this void—impact-driven professionals who will be exposed to a unique blend of business, technical, ethics and leadership courses and who will be able to pose the right questions as well as generate the right answers. We will be one of only a handful of universities around the globe where students have the opportunity to develop their technical, business and leadership skills to pursue careers in one of the fastest-growing parts of the tech sector.”
“By offering unique partnerships with other forward-focused USC schools, Marshall is increasing its value, breaking down silos and unlocking true collaborative and multidisciplinary learning. This degree best exemplifies our drive at Marshall to innovate and to build cutting-edge curriculum,” said Randhawa.
AI for Business is Marshall’s second joint degree. The JOHN H. MITCHELL BUSINESS OF CINEMATIC ARTS (BCA) joint degree was announced earlier in the summer and is USC’s first true joint degree program, created in partnership with the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA).