The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is launching a new MBA major and undergraduate concentration in Artificial Intelligence for Business, designed to address the demand for AI-related skills and expertise. The new degree programs will equip students with a technical understanding of AI systems and their applications, as well as tackle the ethical, economic, legal, and societal issues AI raises.
“It is no longer a question of if, but how artificial intelligence will fundamentally alter every aspect of business and society, and business schools have a crucial role to play in ensuring that AI adoption leads to positive outcomes,” said Erika James, Dean of the Wharton School, in their press release. “At Wharton, we are simultaneously focused on harnessing AI’s transformative potential while also understanding and addressing its risks. Artificial Intelligence for Business represents a bold step forward in our mission to prepare the next generation to responsibly lead in an AI-driven world.”
Wharton has invested heavily in building academic authority in navigating the interrelated issues AI has brought to the forefront of business, education, and government through its Wharton AI & Analytics Initiative, focusing on using AI for positive outcomes, developing a curriculum for learning AI skills, and innovating research and business applications for AI and analytics. The demand for AI labor and skills has increased exponentially since 2010, with a considerable spike post-pandemic and following the introduction of ChatGPT.
The Artificial Intelligence for Business curriculum will include courses on applied machine learning, data science, neuroscience, data engineering, statistics, and a required ethics course. Both the MBA major and undergraduate concentration are built on two pillars, which Wharton calls F&I: Foundations of AI in business and the impact and ethical implications of AI in business.
Through the Wharton AI & Analytics Initiative, courses in the new curriculum will be directly informed by Wharton faculty research, giving students access to real-time research results, while also providing faculty resources for adapting AI into classroom instruction and course materials.
Eric Bradlow, Vice Dean of AI & Analytics at Wharton, was also quoted in the school’s press release, saying, “We are at a critical turning point where practical AI knowledge is urgently needed. Companies are struggling to recruit talent with the necessary AI skills, students are eager to deepen their understanding of the subject and gain hands-on experience and our faculty’s expertise on the adoption and human impact of AI is unmatched. Wharton is uniquely positioned to lead as we collectively confront the myriad of challenges and opportunities AI poses.”
Eligible students may declare a major (MBA) or concentration (undergraduate) in Artificial Intelligence for Business beginning in the fall of 2025.
