PHILADELPHIA, April 2, 2025 – The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania today announced a new undergraduate concentration and MBA major in Artificial Intelligence for Business. Designed to address the world’s growing demand for AI-related skills and expertise, Artificial Intelligence for Business will equip students with a technical understanding of how AI systems can be used to solve business problems while also tackling the ethical, economic, legal and societal issues AI raises.
“It is no longer a question of if, but how artificial intelligence will fundamentally alter every aspect of business and society, and business schools have a crucial role to play in ensuring that AI adoption leads to positive outcomes,” said Erika James, Dean of the Wharton School. “At Wharton, we are simultaneously focused on harnessing AI’s transformative potential while also understanding and addressing its risks. Artificial Intelligence for Business represents a bold step forward in our mission to prepare the next generation to responsibly lead in an AI-driven world.”
The Artificial Intelligence for Business curriculum will include courses on applied machine learning, data science, neuroscience, data engineering, statistics and the required ethics course, Big Data, Big Responsibilities: Toward Accountable Artificial Intelligence, among others. This course is led by Professor Kevin Werbach, director of the newly established Accountable AI Lab, which is dedicated to advancing the responsible development and governance of AI technologies.
With support from the Wharton AI & Analytics Initiative, courses will be directly informed by Wharton faculty research, giving students access to academically rigorous and practically relevant knowledge in real-time. The Wharton AI & Analytics Initiative will also provide resources for faculty to augment, adapt and reimagine how they incorporate AI into classroom instruction and course materials.
The concentration and major will be jointly administered by two Wharton departments: Statistics and Data Science and Operations, Information and Decisions (OID). Prasanna (Sonny) Tambe, Associate Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions and Co-Director of AI at Wharton, along with Professor of Statistics and Data Science Giles Hooker will serve as faculty advisors.
Over its nearly 150 years as a pioneer in business education, the Wharton School has continuously evolved its curriculum to match student interest and meet the growing needs of the global business landscape. The new Artificial Intelligence for Business offering underscores Wharton’s enduring commitment to innovation and excellence in preparing future business leaders to address the needs of tomorrow.
“We are at a critical turning point where practical AI knowledge is urgently needed,” said Eric Bradlow, Vice Dean of AI & Analytics at Wharton. “Companies are struggling to recruit talent with the necessary AI skills, students are eager to deepen their understanding of the subject and gain hands-on experience and our faculty’s expertise on the adoption and human impact of AI is unmatched. Wharton is uniquely positioned to lead as we collectively confront the myriad of challenges and opportunities AI poses.”
Eligible students may declare a major or concentration in Artificial Intelligence for Business beginning Fall 2025.
For more information about Wharton’s undergraduate concentrations, visit https://undergrad.wharton.upenn.edu/concentrations. Further details on Wharton’s MBA Majors can be found at https://mba.wharton.upenn.edu/mba-majors.
About the Wharton School
Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year, 100,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs, and thousands of pre-collegiate students explore business concepts through Wharton’s Global Youth Program. More than 105,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. For more information, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.
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