Faith Maeba and Other Students Embrace Artificial Intelligence as Colleges Expand Literacy Requirements Across Diverse Majors
Faith Maeba, a psychology major at Virginia Commonwealth University, is pursuing an AI minor to gain a competitive edge in a workplace increasingly defined by machine learning. While enrollment in traditional computer science programs has declined by more than 8% at four-year institutions, colleges are rapidly expanding AI literacy requirements for students across all fields. Universities such as Harvard and Purdue are integrating AI into freshman writing and graduation requirements. At Northwestern University, the computer science department is adding an AI major and streamlining prerequisites to accommodate non-majors. Experts like Peter Stone of the University of Texas at Austin argue that AI literacy is as essential as reading and writing. While some educators express concern that over-reliance on AI might lead to a loss of fundamental understanding, institutions are moving quickly to adapt. Community colleges are offering non-credit classes to bridge the gap between novices and experts, ensuring graduates are prepared for a workforce where AI agents increasingly handle entry-level software development tasks.