The Tufts School of Engineering will launch a new master’s program centered on artificial intelligence in the fall of 2025. The first applications will close on March 15.
Jeffrey Foster, professor and chair of Tufts’ Department of Computer Science, commented on the goals of the program in a statement.
“Collaborating on interdisciplinary innovation and research across Tufts University as a whole will drive innovation and discovery in all fields,” Foster wrote. “The program is differentiated by its emphasis on social good. We believe that AI has the potential to accelerate the rate of scientific discovery while simultaneously improving the well-being of people, societies, and the planet.”
Foster summarized the value of the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in the contemporary environment:
“Tufts School of Engineering started a master’s program in AI to meet the growing demand for skilled professionals in this exciting and revolutionary field,” Foster wrote. “This is a rapidly advancing and leading-edge field, and it is important that the students and faculty at Tufts have an opportunity to help develop its future.”
The degree will join a growing number of programs of its kind in the country — many of which are only offered online.
“We expect [our graduates] to be in a good position for understanding many uses of AI technology and keeping up with the evolving state of the art.”
Karen Panetta, professor and dean of graduate education at the School of Engineering, said that the curriculum at Tufts will be what separates it from the rest.
“There’s a lot of computational algorithmic expertise that we want to develop, but those foundational courses are just the tools,” Panetta said. “So while most universities like to just teach the tools, we teach the tools in a way that is conducive to building systems and being able to expand upon those systems.”
Students in the master’s program will initially follow a core curriculum consisting of courses in AI, machine learning, ethics and mathematics. Afterwards, students pursuing the degree can pursue two department-specific tracks: the Computer Science track and the Electrical and Computer Engineering track.
The ethics subset of this master’s program aims not only to address moral concerns around AI but also instruct students on how to address them in professional settings.
Panetta cited her experience creating software to prevent human trafficking as an example of an ethical issue.
Panetta explained that limited data sets will lead AI to yield inaccurate results. Based on the data set provided, her AI was unable to recognize human traffickers if they were white, not male or even wearing glasses.
“I think you see this right now in countries that are using surveillance — they’re pulling the wrong people aside,” Panetta said. “More people of color get pulled aside. Males, predominantly of color, get pulled aside and questioned because the AI is coming up and telling them this is a problem.”
Beyond data sets, there are also ethical and environmental concerns relating to the design of AI hardware systems.
“It’s not just ethics, it’s also inclusivity, so that everybody can use it, not just someone who’s in computer science,” Panetta said. “So we’re [making] these system designs work for all different types of populations of people and, again, [making] them safe.”
The program is receiving an unprecedented level of interest, with 200 people signed up for an upcoming meet-and-greet event. Panetta said that although this level is rare for a new graduate program, people have reason to capitalize on new technologies.
“Now you see a shift. Everything’s all about AI, robotics, human-centered stuff,” Panetta said. “But I think that the AI people are understanding that it’s so multi-dimensional because it’s not just computer science, not just electrical engineering, it’s everything. It’s robots, it’s mechanical engineering, it’s everything.”
