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Understanding and leveraging artificial intelligence are no longer skills of the future. They are essential to how we learn, design, analyze, and solve problems today.
Building on Michigan State University’s growing leadership in AI, the College of Engineering is expanding opportunities for students and professionals through new undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as workforce development workshops.
Together, these efforts reflect how MSU Engineering is preparing students and professionals to understand, build, develop, and apply AI across education, research and the workplace.
AI in the early engineering curriculum
Starting in the fall of 2026, EGR 100: Introduction to Engineering Design and EGR 102: Introduction to Engineering Modeling will introduce students to the team design process and analytical tools used in the engineering profession, with AI interwoven into learning experiences.
The purpose is to help students understand AI not as a replacement for engineering fundamentals but rather a tool that supports problem-solving, design, analysis, and decision-making across disciplines.
“Introducing AI early gives students an understanding of how these tools fit into the work of engineers,” said S. Patrick Walton, associate dean for academic programs. “Our goal is to help engineering students build strong fundamentals while also preparing them to use emerging technologies responsibly and effectively.”
During both courses, students will learn to use AI ethically in solving engineering challenges and critically evaluate the output for accuracy.
New AI minor for MSU
A new undergraduate minor in artificial intelligence, developed and administered by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, is now available to students across the university. The minor equips students with the technical knowledge and practical skills needed to understand, evaluate, and develop AI technologies in a wide range of fields.
Rather than focusing only on the use of AI tools, students explore the technical foundations of AI alongside its ethical, societal, and practical implications. The minor emphasizes the development and implementation of AI systems and offers opportunities for student experiences in industry or government as well as preparation for graduate-level study.
The minor is available as an elective to undergraduate students enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs at MSU, with the exception of students in overlapping computing and data-focused programs.
“The minor is designed to complement an array of majors,” said Abdol Esfahanian, chairperson in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. “A forestry student may use AI to develop a program that recognizes disease in foliage, while a music student might explore algorithmic composition. An electrical engineering student can apply AI to autonomous systems, manufacturing or biometrics. The applications and implications of AI apply across disciplines.”
Students pursuing the minor complete coursework in programming, discrete structures, algorithms and data structures, social and ethical issues in computing, and fundamentals of artificial intelligence. They also select from electives in areas such as biometrics and pattern recognition, machine learning, autonomous vehicles, AI agents, and mathematical machine learning.
Connecting AI and finance at the graduate level
MSU Engineering is also contributing to AI education at the graduate level through a new Master of Science in Financial Technology and AI. Established and delivered in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, the program is administered through the Eli Broad College of Business and Graduate School of Management.
Bringing finance and computer science together prepares students to understand both the business and technical sides of financial technology. Students learn about financial systems and markets while developing the technical knowledge needed to create products that support new ideas in finance.
“The program brings together the strengths of the College of Engineering and the Eli Broad College of Business to prepare students and professionals for a rapidly evolving financial services industry,” said Andrei Simonov, chair of the Department of Finance. “By combining AI, machine learning and data modeling with finance, valuation and financial analytics, students can build both the technical and business perspectives needed in financial technology.”
That combination is increasingly important as artificial intelligence continues to influence banking, investment, risk analysis, financial services, and other areas of the economy.
The program is STEM-certified and part of MSU’s broader investment in AI- focused education.
Preparing the AI workforce
The college’s AI efforts also extend beyond the traditional classroom.
Nelson Sepúlveda Alancastro, professor and chairperson of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is leading professional development workshops focused on AI for advanced semiconductor manufacturing. The effort is part of a $3 million National Science Foundation grant led by Rebecca Anthony, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering
The workshops focus on industrial AI workflow in semiconductor manufacturing and are designed for working professionals and students.
Participants begin by gaining hands-on experience with semiconductor device fabrication in a cleanroom environment, using standard lithography processes used in academia and industry. Once the device is fabricated, images of it are used as datasets for AI algorithms. Those datasets then become the foundation for the second part of the workshop, where participants use machine learning tools to clean and structure data, analyze inputs and outputs, and perform AI-based classification.
The workshop is designed to assist current members of the workforce in expanding their expertise in semiconductor manufacturing and AI tools. Each participant will continue to have access to the workshop material after its completion, thus enabling them with the software they can adapt for use in their workplace.
The five-day program is a collaboration between Michigan State University, Fraunhofer USA, and Washtenaw Community College. Participants can earn a Fraunhofer USA certificate validating their working knowledge of industrial AI deployment and semiconductor quality control.
Ready to lead
From early engineering courses to university-wide undergraduate learning and industry-focused workforce development, Spartan Engineering is focused on preparing students and professionals who understand, build, and apply AI responsibly.
“AI is changing the way we work, innovate, and teach,” said John Papapolymerou, dean of the College of Engineering. “By expanding AI education, we’re preparing graduates and professionals to lead responsibly and confidently in a rapidly evolving world.”
Written by Austin Witt