An “AI Degree” for today’s world

NYU Tandon School of Engineering today announced that it will expand its pioneering customizable Master of Science in Emerging Technologies to include an on-campus degree program, adding to its fully online format that it introduced successfully in 2023.

Both the on-campus and online program will place strong emphasis on artificial intelligence while maintaining the program’s signature flexibility, allowing students to design personalized curricula across cutting-edge fields and to take courses in-person, hybrid or online — a unique approach in engineering masters education.

The program offers a concentration in machine learning and AI, one of nine technology-focused concentrations students can choose as their focus. Recent data shows employers are increasingly posting job listings requiring AI skills for positions across all industries, including healthcare, hospitality, and media. By 2025, AI is expected to create 97 million new jobs globally, with skills for AI-exposed positions changing 66% faster than other roles. Workers possessing AI expertise now command a 56% wage premium, according to recent PwC research.

The program offers multiple AI-driven concentrations beyond machine learning and AI, including cybersecurity; innovation and change management; robotics; and user experience design. This breadth reflects the interdisciplinary nature of AI applications across industries.

"The beauty of this program is its adaptability," said Juan de Pablo, Executive Vice President of Global Science and Technology at NYU and Executive Dean of NYU Tandon. "Whether students want to apply AI in healthcare, finance, creative industries, or fields viewed more traditionally as engineering, they can build a degree that serves their specific career aspirations while gaining the AI fluency that today's job market demands."

Early data validates the market demand NYU Tandon is addressing, and has informed the evolution of its curriculum. In the program's first cohort, 95% of students across concentrations enrolled in AI-related courses, demonstrating strong student interest in AI education across disciplines.

Working closely with advisors, students in the expanded program will design personalized curricula that align with their career objectives and determine relevant AI coursework for their goals, ranging from responsible AI and ethical decision-making, to global economic and regulatory landscapes for technology, to collaborative, interdisciplinary applied AI projects in multiple areas of interest. A distinctive feature of the degree is the opportunity to learn AI by doing, within a broad range of application domains.

"AI has become the new 'tech' in the sense that, over the last two decades, every company realized they needed to become a technology company — now, very quickly, every company needs to incorporate AI in a variety of ways. It's not just a specialized field anymore. It is a fundamental skill set that enhances virtually every career path," said Shivani Dhir, the Director of the Emerging Technologies program. "By offering the M.S. in Emerging Technologies with a breadth of focus areas, including a deeper machine learning and AI concentration, in both online and on-campus formats, we're providing greater flexibility for professionals and students to gain these critical skills in the learning environment that best suits their needs."

The expanded program complements NYU Tandon's existing technical master's degrees in computer science, computer engineering, and electrical engineering, which offer more traditional pathways to machine learning and AI education. Together, these programs position NYU Tandon as a comprehensive destination for AI education at all levels.

Applications for both the on-campus and online M.S. in Emerging Technologies program are now open for Fall 2026 enrollment.

About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering is home to unconventional engineers working across disciplines to solve humanity’s greatest challenges. Researchers and students work to advance and learn at the intersections of emerging areas including AI, cybersecurity, wireless communications, data science, emerging media, bioengineering, robotics, sustainability, complex systems engineering, materials science, and quantum technologies. NYU Tandon dates back to 1854, the founding year of both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute. Located in the heart of Brooklyn, NYU Tandon is a vital part of New York University and its unparalleled global network. For more information, visit engineering.nyu.edu.