Universities across the state are working to prepare students for an AI future. Photo courtesy of Getty Images
As artificial intelligence increasingly permeates the workplace, New Jersey universities are working to incorporate this rapidly evolving technology into their curricula while striving to educate both students and faculty about these new technological tools.
“AI will be a part of every field,” said Nidal Bouainaya, vice president for artificial intelligence at Rowan University. “From healthcare to social sciences and engineering to arts and media, proficiency in AI is essential.”
Rowan works to integrate AI instruction into all disciplines, as well as creating AI-specific courses and certifications.
Nidal Bouainaya, Vice President for Artificial Intelligence, Rowan University
“We’re looking at the whole continuum,” Bouainaya said. “We are integrating it across courses and providing professional development for faculty to seamlessly integrate AI into their course work.”
AI is already integrated into a variety of Rowan degrees, including computer science, mathematics, data science, business, and engineering. Rowan also offers certificates in AI, including computer science, and has created stackable certificates in other fields such as arts, humanities, medicine, and social sciences.
“We now have 50 AI electives, including courses on large-scale language models that didn’t exist five years ago,” Bouaynaya said, referring to AI platforms such as Gemini and ChatGBT. “As technology changes and advances, we adapt and develop new courses.”
At Rutgers University, university leaders are embracing AI instruction across disciplines, starting by educating both students and faculty about these tools.
“We’re very focused on how we can help faculty and instructional teams know how to use AI and integrate it directly into their classrooms,” said Michele Nolin, senior vice president and chief information officer. “Another important thing for student learning is creating opportunities for students to become more familiar with new AI features.”
Rutgers offers courses to students and staff through its online Artificial Intelligence 101 platform, including topics such as Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, Building AI Literacy, and Ethics in the Age of Generative AI.
The university currently offers an MBA with an emphasis in AI. It includes two categories of courses: Foundational AI courses, which cover general concepts in AI and machine learning, and Applied AI courses, which focus on discipline-specific AI applications within each department.
According to the university’s website, “This concentration will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of how AI works and how it can be leveraged to solve complex business problems that arise in a variety of business areas.”
Michelle Nolin, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Rutgers University
“Our vision is to leverage AI in ways that prepare communities to thrive in an AI-centric world,” Nolin said. “It’s important to have a very strong foundation. It’s going to impact everything we do as an organization.”
Fairleigh Dickinson University’s signature AI initiative aims to integrate AI into the university’s medical education. This approach, called humanics, combines data and technology literacy with human connection.
The first gift, from digital health advocate Dr. Stephen Klasko, who received an honorary doctorate from FDU in 2024, will help fund FDU’s new Humanics Hub, consisting of the Healthcare Humanities Lab, Culture Tech Collision Studio, Creative Disruption Incubator, and Storytelling Data Lab.
“Dr. Klasko and I share the urgency of building a medical team that optimizes all advances in artificial intelligence with humans at the center: students, clinicians, and patients,” said FDU President Michael Avaltroni.
The Humanics Hub aims to transform FDU’s campus into an engine of experimentation, connecting academic programs, benefits initiatives, employer partnerships, and real-world problem solving.
“Through the humanities, we work to ensure that our students graduate with both the technical proficiency to use the tools of modern medicine and the human ability to see, hear, and care for those in front of them,” Avaltroni said. “The future of healthcare will be shaped by our ability to focus on innovation and be rooted in human connections.”
The university hosts events aimed at increasing the community’s understanding of AI through the Fairleigh Dickinson University Artificial Intelligence Center. For example, on April 15th we will host “The Intelligent Future: AI Across the Arts & Sciences,” which will feature more than 60 speakers, plenaries, and roundtables from a variety of disciplines.
New Jersey schools are focused on increasing student, staff, and faculty understanding of how best to use AI and knowing when its use crosses ethical lines. Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Anthony J. Scardino, Ph.D., full professor and associate dean of the College of Business and Information Sciences, said Felician College is focused on increasing students, staff, and faculty’s understanding of how best to use AI and knowing when its use crosses ethical lines.
Dr. Anthony J. Scardino, Professor and Associate Dean, College of Business and Information Sciences, Felician University
“The biggest barrier is the fact that students don’t know how to use AI well. What we’ve learned from our partners and universities who have started to successfully implement the right uses of AI is to create a roadmap to get better at using AI, rather than running away from it,” he said.
A key part of that roadmap is helping both students and staff understand that the inputs to AI have a significant impact on its outcomes and appropriate use.
“We teach them the proper methods and prompts to leverage AI,” Scardino said. “Our goal is to use AI to enhance and scale their work.”
Felician nursing students are already using AI tools in simulations, and education students are learning how to use AI to more efficiently create and chart individual education plans (IEPs) for students, Scardino said. Felicien’s School of Business will add an AI component to its MBA Entrepreneurship and Innovation program in the fall.
“We have already added other elements such as cybersecurity and finance, but we also recognized the need for AI-related coursework,” Scardino said. “This includes business uses of AI, governance and ethics, and how to manage and execute AI projects holistically. The idea is to take this foundation and incorporate AI disciplines that can be used in the real world.”
Felicien is also creating an AI “test kitchen” where students, staff, and faculty can experiment with various AI-related concepts and projects and share knowledge across the university.
“As we prepare students for this workforce, graduates need to not only be knowledgeable about AI, but also be adaptable and know how to apply this technology in meaningful ways,” Scardino said.
