Ferris State is one of only a handful of universities across the country to offer an accredited degree in artificial intelligence.
The degree is in partnership with the National Security Agency, to provide students with a program that incorporates both AI and cybersecurity.
The program will address the shortage of cybersecurity and AI professionals in the workforce.
"We go through everything from how to develop AI, how to use the correct machine learning algorithms or deep learning algorithms," Greg Gogolin, director of center of cybersecurity and data science at Ferris State said. "How to code them, how to tune them, how to test them."
In 2025, the program was validated in Secure AI with the National Security Agency. Ferris State became one of the first schools in the country to join the partnership.
"They identified basically schools that had some sort of AI education that were part of the cybersecurity group to come up with characteristics," Gogolin said. "Themes that were important with AI that incorporated cybersecurity."
According to the NSA website, there are only four institutions in the United States that incorporate the Secure AI.
Students can choose different focus areas within the degree. The areas are cybersecurity, internet of things, machine learning and natural language processing.
"You can choose kind of like an AI developer perspective, or maybe you want to be more of someone that doesn't necessarily write the tools," Gogolin said. "But become an expert on how to utilize the tools, if you will, or a specialization in cybersecurity."
In a press release, Renae Weathers with the NSA, says the program will highlight the importance of higher education as a solution to defending America's cyberspace.
"The United States Government will continue to invest in and enhance programs that build the domestic talent pipeline, from primary through postsecondary education," She said in a letter to the Ferris State President Bill Pink. "Education is the key to promoting these ideals."
The school is also offering a general education course on AI to attract more students.
