Organizations worldwide are recognizing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to help them achieve their goals. Results from the National Bureau of Economic Research’s 2026 survey of nearly 6,000 senior executives in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, and Australia included the following:
- Sixty-nine percent of executives reported that their firms actively used AI.
- Seventy-five percent of executives reported that they expected their firms would be using AI within the next three years.
Through its online degree programs, Champlain College Online (CCO) offers students the opportunity to build their technical skills and AI expertise to prepare to navigate a world where AI plays an increasingly important role.
Why Teaching AI Skills Is Important in Higher Education
Colleges prepare both the workforce and the society of the future. Therefore, it is critically important that colleges help students become fluent in AI so they can understand how the technology can help them achieve their ambitions, both in their careers and in their personal lives.
Incorporating AI into their curricula enables colleges to teach students how to use AI to make decisions, communicate important information, and collaborate with others. Students also benefit from developing an understanding of the potential ethical issues related to AI use so they can help address these issues.
AI No Longer Operates in Isolation
As AI becomes woven into more aspects of our lives, it is important for professionals to move away from thinking of AI as a self-contained tool. Instead, AI is blending into the ways in which people work and how they carry out their responsibilities. Colleges can help ensure their students are ready to enter a workforce in which AI technology will be embedded in their day-to-day workflows.
What AI Skills Do Graduates Need?
Demand for AI skills is growing rapidly in today’s workplaces. According to surveys of employers conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers:
- In the fall of 2025, 13.3% of entry-level jobs required candidates to have some type of AI skills.
- In the spring of 2026, 35% of entry-level jobs required candidates to have some type of AI skills.
College students can benefit from developing both technical and nontechnical AI skills. For example:
- Technical AI skills. It can be advantageous for college students to develop AI skills in specific areas, including: programming languages such as Java or Python, data science and analytics applications in decision-making, and machine learning and the use of algorithms.
- Nontechnical AI skills. College students also can benefit from cultivating nontechnical skills in areas such as: applying critical thinking in conjunction with the use of AI, integrating AI into business operations, and assessing AI-related ethical considerations in areas such as data privacy and data accuracy.
How Champlain College Online Takes an AI-Forward Approach
Champlain College Online has been proactive in incorporating AI into its degree programs and has even used AI in course design to strengthen some of its courses.
In teaching students how to use AI in productive and strategic ways, CCO strives to equip its students with the expertise necessary to use AI as a tool to increase the efficiency of work. At the same time, CCO impresses on students the difference between work that should be delegated to AI and work that should not be delegated to AI.
Through its technology-oriented degree programs, CCO helps students prepare for a technology career landscape that is increasingly shaped by AI. For example:
- The Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence program is designed to help students acquire relevant AI expertise through courses in subjects such as machine learning, natural language processing, and neural networks.
- The Bachelor of Science in Game Development program teaches students key AI skills through courses in subjects such as game behavior and AI components, Python, and C++ programming.
- The Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems program enables students to develop important AI skills through courses in subjects such as Python, Java programming, and information systems analysis.
- The Bachelor of Science in Digital Media program helps students to gain AI expertise in digital storytelling through courses in subjects such as emergent technologies in digital media, visual and digital design, and web development.
- The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program enables students to build AI expertise through courses in subjects such as Python, security scripting with Python, and digital forensic investigation techniques.
Programs that are not specifically focused on technology also incorporate important elements that prepare students for careers in a world increasingly driven by AI. For example:
- The Bachelor of Science in Accounting program educates students on using sound judgment in an AI-assisted world through courses in subjects such as accounting information systems and business analytics and data visualization.
- The Bachelor of Science in Finance program offers students a curriculum that incorporates financial technology (fintech) and offers courses in subjects such as fintech and financial innovation, as well as blockchain and distributed finance.
- The Bachelor of Science in Business Management program helps students gain AI skills through courses in subjects such as leading positive change and navigating technological change and innovation.
- The Master of Business Administration with a Digital Transformation Leadership Certificate program enables students to acquire AI expertise through courses in subjects such as AI-driven innovation in enterprises and strategic digital transformation leadership.
Champlain College Online Prepares Students for the Rapid Integration of AI
Today’s college students need to graduate with skills that align with the ways in which our world is changing. At Champlain College Online, we take our obligation to teach students career-ready skills seriously, and our degree programs reflect our commitment to preparing them for a world in which AI plays an integral role.
Individuals who have an interest in acquiring the expertise needed for a meaningful career can explore the online degree programs that CCO offers to learn how one of these programs can help them reach their goals. We offer fully online coursework, and students can complete courses quickly during the six terms we offer each year.
Now is a great time to begin working toward your goals, both for your education and for your career.
Recommended Readings
Harnessing AI in Marketing: 5 Creative Campaign Ideas
How Artificial Intelligence Is Revolutionizing Project Management
What Is the Future of AI and Machine Learning in Cybersecurity?
Sources:
MGT, “Career Readiness in Higher Education: Preparing Students for an AI-Driven Workforce”
Microsoft, “Exploring What AI Means for Education and the Next Generation”
National Bureau of Economic Research, “Firm Data on AI”
Salesforce, “The 10 AI Skills You Need to Thrive in Today’s Job Market”
