A computer science degree has long been considered one of the safest bets in higher education, promising a reliable path to a high-paying job in the tech industry. But now, with artificial intelligence systems growing increasingly capable of writing and debugging code on their own, a new generation of college students is starting to question whether a career in traditional software engineering is even feasible anymore.
What Is an AI Degree?
They vary depending on the school, but degrees in artificial intelligence broadly focus on the technologies that power AI systems. This includes machine learning, neural networks, data science, statistics and more. Many programs also include courses in AI ethics, human-centered AI and real-world applications across fields like economics or engineering.
AI has rattled the foundations of the tech job market, and virtually no occupation has been affected more than software engineering. Microsoft and Google said roughly 30 percent of their code is generated by AI, and Meta is aiming to reach 50 percent this year. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei went a step further last year, projecting that AI will be able to write essentially all code by March 2026.
Tech companies, many of which over-hired after the pandemic, have slashed their headcount in recent years, making it more difficult for recent college grads to break into entry-level positions. In fact, first-time job seekers with a software engineering or computer science degree are more likely to be unemployed than their colleagues with degrees in communications, history and liberal arts, according to 2023 data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
College students have been quick to pick up on these signals, and they are choosing their majors accordingly.
Computer Science Is Dwindling in Popularity
It’s unlikely that software development will be completely automated away by AI coding tools, but college students are anticipating that their job opportunities may be more limited with a degree in computer science or software engineering. In the 2025-2026 school year, enrollment in computer and information science programs at four-year universities dropped 8.1 percent — a drop-off steeper than any other field of study, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. Compared to other majors within the computer science family, like IT management or information studies, computer science specifically took the biggest enrollment hit, plummeting 11.2 percent.
This data bolsters an earlier finding from a Computing Research Association survey, in which 62 percent of the 130 participating universities reported a decrease in computer science enrollment in the 2025-2026 school year. Here again, enrollment in computer science and software engineering was hit harder than other computing majors, such as data science and IT. Defying the trend were artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, which grew in 56 and 58 percent of institutions, respectively.
In the survey, academic leaders noted that students were concerned about their future job prospects given the growing number of tech layoffs. They also said some students were showing more interest in mechanical or electrical engineering, while others were seeking out specialized AI programs.
Engineering Seems ‘Less Susceptible’ to AI
The field of study that grew the most, according to the National Student Clearinghouse, was engineering, which increased 7.3 percent. Within the engineering family, electrical engineering enrollment jumped 13.8 percent, and mechanical engineering grew 11.4 percent.
Academic leaders surveyed by the Computing Research Association also reported an uptick in engineering programs, saying they are seen as “less susceptible to the impact of AI.” While tools like ChatGPT or Claude Code may be able to generate lines of computer code or develop an app, their capabilities are limited in the physical world — at least for now. AI can certainly assist in the engineering design process, but humans are still needed to inspect and troubleshoot equipment, ensure designs meet on-site manufacturing constraints and coordinate with other functions of the organization.
This surge in engineering interest also aligns with another major shift in the tech industry: the rapid construction of new data centers throughout the United States. As companies race to build the infrastructure needed to power artificial intelligence, they are creating demand for specialized workers who can design, operate and maintain all the complex hardware in the facilities. Data centers rely heavily on electrical engineers, mechanical engineers and technicians to manage power distribution, cooling systems and servers hardware — lucrative roles that require hands-on expertise.
The Rise of AI Degree Programs
AI bachelor’s degrees, first developed by Carnegie Mellon University in 2018, have spread to dozens of universities in the last several years, as administrators and professors have raced to develop specialized programs around tech’s buzziest topic.
In 2022, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology launched its “AI and Decision Making” major, which builds upon traditional computer science concepts with more detailed coursework about AI models and algorithms, as well as “human-centric” or societal considerations. It’s already the second-most popular major at MIT, after computer science.
The University of California system, meanwhile, has seen computer science enrollment drop 6 percent in 2025. The only UC campus to see an enrollment increase was UC-San Diego, which is also the only school to have a dedicated AI major, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Roughly 20 percent of the applications to the computer science department are for the school’s AI program.
At the University of South Florida, nearly 3,000 students have enrolled in its new college combining undergraduate programs in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and other computer science disciplines. And top institutions like Northwestern University, Columbia University and the University of Southern California are launching new AI programs of their own in the fall of 2026.
AI programs have typically catered to students who have a background in computer science, statistics and mathematics. But given the widespread interest and the potential economic impact of the technology, more schools are developing degree programs that incorporate cross-disciplinary applications. The University at Buffalo, for example, created a “Department of AI and Society,” which teaches students to apply AI tools to seven different disciplines. Political science students can major in “AI and Policy Analysis,” while geography students can study “AI and Geospatial Analysis” and economics students can earn a degree in “AI and Quantitative Economics.”
Artificial intelligence will no doubt be an important topic for numerous professions in the future, but students should be clear-eyed and realize that an AI degree is not a guaranteed fast-pass to a million-dollar job offer at OpenAI, Anthropic or Google. The AI researchers in those companies often have a Ph.D. in computer science, statistics or mathematics, and they have refined their knowledge of specialized AI domains through coursework, internships, research and continuous learning.
While AI majors have attracted students eager to ride the wave of cutting-edge technology, other students wonder if the time they spend learning linear algebra and probability theory would be better spent covering a broader terrain of computer science topics. Universities, meanwhile, are facing a similar tension about whether AI should be a specialization track or a separate degree, reigniting deeper debates about how much emphasis should be placed on coding languages, theoretical concepts and computational thinking skills.
Whether a university creates a special AI degree or reimagines its computer science program, the career prospects for computing programs are less likely to be defined by the title of the degree but by universities’ ability to create a curriculum that can keep pace with AI’s evolution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is computer science enrollment declining?
Enrollment in computer and information science programs dropped 8.1 percent in the 2025-2026 school year — the steepest decline of any field of study, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. More than 60 percent of universities surveyed by the Computing Research Association also reported a decrease in computer science enrollment.
Is an AI major better than a traditional computer science major?
It depends. Computer science degrees offer broader career flexibility, while an AI degree provides deeper specialization in machine learning, data modeling and system design. Many of the world’s top AI researchers have studied these topics through computer science Ph.D. programs, suggesting the title of the program is less important than the skills actually acquired
Where can I get an AI degree?
Since Carnegie Mellon University launched the first AI bachelor’s degree in 2018, dozens have followed suit. These majors are offered at MIT, the University of Pennsylvania, Purdue University, UC-San Diego, the University of South Florida, the University at Buffalo and many, many others. Northwestern, Columbia, USC and several others are launching AI programs in fall 2026.
