Alabama now has an artificial intelligence degree. The catalog lists the requirements and tells you nothing about what to do with them, and if you are not in the College of Engineering it does not obviously apply to you at all. This is the page I wanted in July and could not find.
The degree exists, and here is exactly what it is
The Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence runs through the College of Engineering, in the Department of Computer Science. One hundred and twenty-one credit hours: fifty-two in the major, forty-seven in ancillary mathematics, statistics and science.
The AI core, by course code:
| CS 265 | Intro to AI and Data Sciencethe entry point |
| CS 465 | Artificial Intelligence |
| CS 483 | Computational Foundations of Machine Learning |
| CS 423 | Python for Big Data |
| CS 470 | Computer Algorithms |
| CS 301 | Database Management Systems |
| CS 201 | Data Structures and Algorithms |
| CS 247 | Cyber Law and Ethics |
| CS 495 | Capstone Computing, AI section |
| 400-level | Four AI electives, twelve hoursCS 451, 452, 455, 456, 460, 461, 463, 464, 466, 481, 484 |
The mathematics is not optional and it is the part that surprises people: Calculus I through III, MATH 237 Linear Algebra, MATH 301 Discrete Mathematics, MATH 355 Theory of Probability, and GES 255 Engineering Statistics I. Plus eight hours of natural science and three of cognitive or neuroscience.
One rule worth knowing before you plan anything: an AI major cannot also major in Computer Science. The catalog says so outright. The two overlap too heavily to count twice.
What if you are not in engineering
This is where the catalog stops helping, and it is the situation most students asking the question are actually in.
There is no clean second path, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. What there is:
- New College. You design the degree. A psychology and data science combination reaches AI from the behavioral side without entering engineering, which is the route I took, and it is the right one only if the question you care about is about people rather than about systems.
- CS 265 as an elective. Intro to AI and Data Science is the usual first door, subject to prerequisites.
- The Informatics minor in Communication and Information Sciences, which touches data work without the engineering mathematics sequence.
The part nobody puts in a catalog
I run production AI agent systems. Fifteen named agents that handle proposals, audits, compliance and outreach for my company on a schedule, and they were running before I had taken a single AI course.
I am not saying the degree does not matter. It gives you the mathematics, the formal grounding and the credential, and I would not trade the probability sequence for anything. What it does not give you is the experience of running something other people depend on, and finding out which of your assumptions was wrong at seven in the morning when it breaks.
That half is available to any student here right now, for free, and almost nobody does it. If you build one thing that a real person uses, you will learn more about machine learning in production than a semester will teach you, and the semester will make more sense afterwards.
Common questions
Does the University of Alabama have an artificial intelligence degree?
Yes. The University of Alabama offers a Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence through the College of Engineering, in the Department of Computer Science. It is 121 total credit hours: 52 in the major and 47 in ancillary mathematics, statistics and science requirements.
What courses does the UA artificial intelligence degree require?
The AI core is CS 265 Intro to AI and Data Science, CS 465 Artificial Intelligence, CS 483 Computational Foundations of Machine Learning, CS 423 Python for Big Data, CS 470 Computer Algorithms, CS 301 Database Management Systems, CS 201 Data Structures and Algorithms, CS 247 Cyber Law and Ethics, and CS 495 Capstone Computing in the AI section, plus twelve hours of 400-level AI electives. The mathematics requirement runs Calculus I through III, MATH 237 Linear Algebra, MATH 301 Discrete Mathematics, MATH 355 Theory of Probability, and GES 255 Engineering Statistics I.
Can you double major in AI and Computer Science at Alabama?
No. The catalog states directly that Artificial Intelligence majors cannot complete an additional major in Computer Science. The two degrees overlap too heavily to be counted twice.
How do you study AI at Alabama if you are not in the College of Engineering?
There is no single answer, which is the honest thing to say about it. New College lets a student design a self-directed degree, so a psychology and data science combination that reaches AI from the behavioral side is possible without entering engineering. Individual CS courses can be taken as electives subject to prerequisites, and CS 265 Intro to AI and Data Science is the usual entry point. The Informatics minor in Communication and Information Sciences is a separate route that touches data work without the engineering mathematics sequence.
Is a degree required to build AI systems?
No, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest coming from someone whose own production agent systems were built before taking a single AI course. What the degree gives you is the mathematics, the formal grounding, and the credential. What it does not give you is the experience of running something that other people depend on, and that part is available to any student willing to ship.
Corrections
Every course code and credit figure above was read off catalog.ua.edu on 20 August 2026. Curricula change. If something here is wrong, tell me and I will fix it the same day and say what changed: elijah@purcell-ventures.com.
If you are a UA student trying to build something and want a second pair of eyes on it, that offer is open and it does not cost anything. Campus events and what is happening this week are on UA Today, which I also built.