University of Akron Main Campus
OH · AI Readiness #211 of 227
AIREDEX™ Score: 4.5 /10
Akron launched one of Ohio's first business-school AI degrees in 2025, the BBA in Applied Artificial Intelligence and Information Systems, and adds two undergraduate AI certificates spanning engineering and philosophy, giving students multiple entry points into the field.
Zips undergrads can take AI courses in education and philosophy. EDCI 231 covers artificial intelligence in teaching and assessment, while PHIL 364 examines the ethics of AI, from bias and privacy to deepfakes and job displacement. Outside those, AI teaching stays course by course, with no cross-disciplinary institute or university-wide AI strategy behind it. By comparison, fellow Ohio school Case Western offers an AI minor open to every undergraduate and counts more than 100 AI courses across 40 departments.
Pillar grades
- Commitment: D
- Curriculum: C+
- Partnerships: D+
- Research: D
A(I)ttitude™: cautious
Selected Highlights
- BBA in Applied Artificial Intelligence and Information Systems launched September 2025, described as one of the first of its kind at an AACSB-accredited business school in Ohio; spring 2026 enrollment confirmed.
- Philosophy Department AI Certificate explicitly open to all students regardless of major, with named faculty lead Dr. Christopher Buford; PHIL 364 Digital Ethics covers AI ethics topics.
- Named faculty AI integration confirmed across Law (Steward, Starnes, Lohmeier), Construction/Engineering (Paolillo), and Biology (Duff) -- three distinct non-STEM or applied departments.
- Two distinct undergraduate AI certificates confirmed: Certificate in AI and Machine Learning (CS/Engineering) and Artificial Intelligence Certificate (Philosophy/BCAS), the latter explicitly open to all majors.
- PHIL 364 Digital Ethics is a standalone 3-credit course covering AI ethics, available across departments.