within the College of Science
In December of 2025, Purdue University released a new strategy within the AI@Purdue campaign across five functional areas: Learning with AI, Learning about AI, Research AI, Using AI and Partnering in AI.
A key element of the comprehensive plan came as the Board of Trustees approved a first-of-its-kind plan in the country to introduce an “AI working competency” graduation requirement for all undergraduate students on main campus (Indianapolis and West Lafayette).
“The reach and pace of AI’s impact to society, including many dimensions of higher education, means that we at Purdue must lean in and lean forward and do so across different functions at the university,” Purdue President Mung Chiang said. “AI@Purdue strategic actions are part of the Purdue Computes strategic initiative, and will continue to be refreshed to advance the missions and impact of our university.”
The Purdue University College of Science is taking the next giant leap in undergraduate education by embedding AI competency across the student experience. The first step is through CS/SCI 173: AI Competency, where every College of Science student will develop the skills needed to understand, evaluate, and effectively use AI technologies in scientific and professional settings.
Designed for non-specialists, the course explores how AI systems work, their impact on society, and their application to scientific discovery. Students gain hands-on experience using AI tools for text, image, and data generation and analysis while developing the critical thinking, technical discernment, and ethical judgment needed to navigate an increasingly AI-enabled world. Through a semester-long team project supported by Purdue's Rosen Center for Advanced Computing, students apply AI tools to address real-world scientific questions and challenges. The result is a generation of Purdue Science graduates who are not only AI-aware, but prepared to use AI responsibly, critically, and effectively in their future careers.
The College of Science hosts a meeting of a select group of senior leaders drawn from pharmaceuticals and life sciences, technology and AI platforms, energy, advanced manufacturing, consulting, and national laboratories. The members help define what "AI-ready" should mean for science graduates, framing the AI Working Competency requirement and its goals and reviewing the vision for AI readiness.