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GVSU to offer degree programs in artificial intelligence
March 07, 2025
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As artificial intelligence continues to permeate industries across West Michigan, Grand Valley State University is making sure its students are prepared for the future. The university is now offering degrees in AI through its recently founded College of Computing.
"The reason why the whole College of Computing at Grand Valley was founded is because the community here, they needed a driving force of how we can educate the next generation based on industry needs," said GVSU Dean of the College of Computing Marouane Kessentini Thursday.
Using resources like the Blue Dot Ecosystem, a project that "supports the intersection of technology, digital literacy, and connections with the business community," GVSU found that references to AI in job postings in the Greater Grand Rapids area have shot up from 78 in 2022 to 342 in 2024, a 338% increase.
"There is a need by 2030 to have over 20,000 tech jobs, mainly in AI cybersecurity, here that's based on the need of community... Graduating people with the right entrepreneurship mindset so they can actually not only learn these AI skills but thinking about how they can validate their ideas and also building startup and so on," Kessentini said. "Every student at Grand Valley, whatever is their major, they can take this program, which gives some excitement, because we see that AI is continuously changing the future of jobs."
GVSU is now offering a bachelor's and master's degree, as well as
several certifications in AI. "It's not just about programming
and building tools but even those who have no knowledge about computer
science or coding, they can join this program because also, we have a
bridge for them, in a way that we are focusing more on legal
applications, on the responsible usage of AI, on ethics and bias in AI
... which are beyond just building tools, but also we have a path for
people who are looking more to become an AI engineer," said
Kessentini.
It's something Michigan State University is focusing on as
well. "We have a Bachelor of Science in computer science, and it
has an available concentration in artificial intelligence," said
Charles Owen, an associate professor and the associate chair for
undergraduate studies for the Department of Computer Science and
Engineering at MSU.
Owen said it's a popular concentration among students. "First off, it is in demand by students. Students are very savvy about what the hiring market looks like right now. They're very savvy about where the jobs are, and they see the jobs in AI. They see them very prevalent from a standpoint of what is, you know... When we make decisions about programs, we look at things like market growth and things like that," said Owen.
He reiterated the growing popularity of AI in the workforce. "And AI is growing very fast. Twenty-five to thirty-five percent growth a year is a common statistic that you'll hear, and you need to keep in mind that AI is a lot more than just the ChatGPTs and things like that you hear about a lot. It is really permeating everything, much like computer science did for many, many years, it just kind of worked its way into every aspect of society," Owen said.
Grand Rapids Community College student Quinn Childers said it makes his life easier as he also works at the Butcher's Union in downtown Grand Rapids. "It's sort of scary to think about what could really happen in the future, but as of right now, I think if we go about it the right way, then it can be really helpful for everyday life, for people like me," said Childers. As an aspiring medical sales representative, AI could very likely be a part of his future career. "I think for sure it's exciting. But also, like with anything, too much of it can be harmful, right? And in the wrong applications, it can probably not be the best," Childers said.
Retiree Phil Raglin said that change is just a part of life. "The concept has been around for a long time. So this is not really something new in terms of the thought process but in terms of actual practical applications. It seems we're in a new era, right?" Raglin said. "When this country was founded, 90% of the people were farmers, and 1900, 50% of the people are farmers. Today, 2% of the people are farmers. We've had wild swings in our economy throughout our history. So this is another one, but it's... No, it doesn't concern me. I think it's a good thing. It's just in the next step in technological revolution."
Article written by Alina Hauter and reported on Fox 17 News. View the video accompanying this piece.