Hiring for entry-level software developers has slowed, and college enrollment in computer science is declining<\/p>\n
With no background in coding, Faith Maeba, a psychology major, was reluctant when her mother first suggested she enroll in classes on artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
But the senior at Virginia Commonwealth University began to see it differently as she looked into graduate psychology programs that explore human behavior in the workplace, which is quickly being upended by machine learning. Maeba, 21, is now pursuing a minor in AI.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s giving me an edge and standing out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Hiring has cooled for entry-level software developers \u2014 work increasingly done by AI agents \u2014 and college enrollment in computer and information science programs has been declining. Yet at campuses across the country, many professors are finding themselves busier than ever teaching students from a range of majors about artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
Colleges are responding to changes in student demand, but they also recognize that new graduates \u2014 regardless of their field \u2014 are facing questions about their AI skills from potential employers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to democratize it,\u201d said Peter Stone, the chair of computer science at the University of Texas at Austin, who recently developed an introductory course on AI essentials for noncomputer science majors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the same way that everybody needs some degree of math, reading and writing, I think everybody needs a degree of AI literacy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Schools like VCU are standing up AI minors targeting students outside computer science. There\u2019s a new AI graduation requirement at Purdue University. In freshman writing classes, Harvard University is teaching students how large language models work, plus exploring AI topics such as copyright and disinformation. And Ohio State University has an AI fluency requirement that includes hands-on workshops. Meanwhile, AI-focused undergraduate and even graduate degrees are proliferating.<\/p>\n
At Northwestern University, noncomputer science majors had interest in taking classes in the department even before ChatGPT launched in 2022, but sometimes there wasn\u2019t enough room, said Samir Khuller, the chair for computer science. That\u2019s because computer science, then seen as a golden ticket to a high-paying job, was exploding in popularity.<\/p>\n
But recently, the number of incoming computer science majors has started to shrink. Now Northwestern\u2019s computer science staff, which had doubled in size to meet the demand, is teaching more students from other majors. The school, which already has a popular AI minor, is adding an AI major. It's also streamlining prerequisites to make it easier for nonmajors to take an AI or machine learning class.<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall, classes are going to be a lot more accessible moving forward,\u201d Khuller said. The department is so busy, he's trying to hire three more computer science professors.<\/p>\n
Among other changes across the university, Northwestern\u2019s Bienen School of Music is offering a certificate in music and artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
Nationwide, enrollment in computer and information sciences continued falling this spring, down more than 8% at four-year institutions from the spring of 2025, according to the latest data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, a dip that came as job postings for software developers dropped.<\/p>\n
Interest in attaining at least a bare-bones understanding in computer science \u2014 and particularly AI-enhanced coding \u2014 has exploded across different majors. Music students, for instance, are discovering tools that can easily do tasks such as editing or generating drum tracks.<\/p>\n