A new minor in artificial intelligence at UNR

The new minor recognises something that has become obvious across the University: artificial intelligence is no longer only a computer science subject. Students in engineering, business, health, the sciences, journalism and the arts all now meet AI in their fields, and many want more than a single elective.

The minor gives them a route to real competence. It pairs the foundations of machine learning with the judgement to use these tools responsibly, so graduates can tell the difference between a system that works and one that merely looks convincing.

For the Nevada AI Research Institute, the minor matters for a practical reason. Every conversation we have with a Nevada business, hospital, school district or state agency ends at the same question: who is going to do this work? A steady flow of graduates who understand AI and also understand mining, or nursing, or accounting, is how that question gets answered.

Students interested in the minor should speak to an advisor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering about how it fits with their degree.