SCAD LAUNCHES NEW APPLIED AI DEGREE AND MINOR

School of Creative Technology Evolves Innovative Curriculum for 2025-26 Academic Year

ATLANTA and SAVANNAH, Ga., Sept. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is proud to announce the introduction of a new Bachelor of Design in Applied AI to the university's robust curricular offerings for the 2025–26 academic year. This new degree program is designed for students to gain the skills to imagine, prototype, and direct how AI functions—and how people interact with it.

Applied AI coursework spans interaction design, computational thinking, storytelling, and systems modeling, all essential for working with agentic technologies in creative industries. As part of real-world partnerships and professional studio work, students in the degree program craft intuitive experiences, shape and choreograph machine behavior, and design with intent.

"Since 1978, SCAD has consistently adopted technologies to ensure students have the tools necessary to launch their creative professions," said Jason Fox, SCAD chief academic officer. "AI, an invention that augments and amplifies human productivity, is the next chapter in SCAD's legacy of curricular innovation and our programs will continue to evolve, ensuring SCAD students are prepared with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary for the future of their creative professions."

To expand access to this rapidly evolving field, SCAD will also offer a minor in Applied AI, available to all students across majors—equipping creative professionals in every discipline with the tools to integrate intelligent systems into their future careers.

"AI workflow is evolving at a tremendous speed, and it is imperative that all of our students are ready to employ these groundbreaking tools to enhance, not replace, their creative talent and succeed in their future careers," said SuAnne Fu, dean, SCAD school of creative technology.

SCAD's unmatched creative ecosystem empowers students across disciplines, architecture, advertising, fashion, user experience (UX) design, animation, and more, to design intelligent, human-centered systems that fuse innovation with cultural insight and AI with imagination.

Potential professions this degree program will prepare students for include:

• AI product developer
• Real-time content developer
• Autonomous agent designer
• AI design strategist
• Machine behavior designer
• Creative technologist
• Conversational interface designer
• AI story engineer
• Ethical design strategist
• AI systems designer

SCAD is a global leader in creative AI education, hosting annual summits that bring together top voices and powerhouses in business, entertainment, design, and tech, including Google, Meta, Adobe, Deloitte, Maison Meta, ServiceNow, Gensler, NVIDIA, and Netflix. These events offer SCAD students a front-row seat to explore emergent trends and the future of intelligent systems — connecting them directly with major employers in the AI space who are pioneering what's next.

The 2026 SCADask AI Summit will be hosted in January at SCAD Atlanta.

In addition to hosting the annual AI Summit, SCADask — the university's applied research arm at the intersection of commerce, creativity, and culture — publishes the AI Insights report, now in its second year. SCAD AI Insights 2025 captures the latest applications of AI in creative practice and design education, highlighting insights from industry leaders, SCAD faculty, and student projects. The report emphasizes that meaningful design in the age of AI depends on cultivating timeless creative fundamentals — curiosity, critical thinking, empathy, and taste — which enable designers to guide and elevate AI rather than be led by it.

To learn more about the new SCAD Applied AI degree program, visit here.

SCAD: THE UNIVERSITY FOR CREATIVE CAREERS
SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited university, offering more than 100 graduate and undergraduate degree programs across locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Lacoste, France; and online via SCADnow. SCAD enrolls more than 18,500 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 110 countries. The future-minded SCAD curriculum engages professional-level technology and myriad advanced learning resources, affording students opportunities for internships, professional certifications, and real-world assignments with corporate partners through SCADpro, the university's renowned research lab and prototype generator.

SCAD has earned top rankings for degree programs in interior design, architecture, film, fashion, digital media, and more. Career success is woven into every fiber of the university, resulting in a superior alumni employment rate. A 2024 study found that 99% of recent SCAD graduates were employed, pursuing further education, or both within 12 months of graduation. SCAD provides students and alumni with ongoing career support through personal coaching, alumni programs, a professional presentation studio, and more. Visit scad.edu.

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SOURCE Savannah College of Art and Design