USF Muma College of Business’ first STEM major merges business, AI

Sophomore Riley England said the Muma College of Business’ new artificial intelligence (AI) and business analytics (AIBA) major offers “the best of both worlds” when it comes to business and technology.

Although England has always been interested in technology, she said some STEM majors don’t align with how she envisions using technology in her future career —  she wants to connect human behavior and business strategy with the help of AI.

The new program provides an answer to England’s problem.

“Not only am I a STEM student learning the technical side of things, but being under the Muma College of Business allows me to explore how these technologies impact people and industries,” she said.

The major is just one of the ways USF has pushed AI to the forefront of its academics. Just this March, USF announced its plans to add a new AI and cybersecurity college, which is still up for approval by the Board of Trustees.

The new AIBA major from the Muma College of Business saw its first batch of around 15 students this fall.

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AIBA is the only undergraduate federal STEM program to be offered at the Muma College of Business, said Kaushik Dutta, director of the college’s School of Information Systems and Management. 

Dutta said the program was created to teach students about the application of AI in business due to the higher demand for employees proficient in the technology in the job market.

There has been an increase of 323% in hiring AI talent in the last eight years, according to a Microsoft and LinkedIn report. The report also found that around 66% of business leaders won’t consider hiring candidates who don’t have AI skills.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 26% growth in demand for computer and information research scientists in the next 10 years, according to its latest data from 2024. 

Without understanding how AI is applied, students who are only proficient in technology but want to go into the industry will “not survive being a business person,” Dutta said.

“You have to be a technocrat businessman,” he said. “You need to understand the technology but you also need to understand the business.”

Other colleges in the state such as the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida have also pushed for AI initiatives and research.

The degree was proposed to the Florida Board of Governors in spring 2023 and approved in fall 2023, said Clinton Daniel, associate professor at Muma College of Business. 

In order to apply for the new major, students first need to enroll in business analytics and information systems (BAIS), the program AIBA is derived from. After meeting grade requirements in some classes, students are able to switch to the new major. 

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While BAIS focuses on the organizational management of information systems, AIBA focuses on the technical aspects of using technology, Daniel said.

“In the BAIS program, we’re more concerned about them operationalizing people that work in information systems and analytics,” Daniel said. “In the AIBA program, we’re focusing on programming and data modeling.”

He said the new major was created instead of building on BAIS because the AI-related coursework requires “in-depth application of the mathematics and programming background.” 

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England said she hopes the AIBA program teaches her not only to understand how AI works, but also how to make it more efficient.

“AI is not just about technology, it’s about how we integrate it responsibly and ethically into society,” England said.