Share with your students: New AI doctoral program recruiting inaugural cohort

New doctoral degree in artificial intelligence offers students a direct path into advanced research and real-world impact

From how we navigate cities to how we diagnose disease, design robots and understand human behavior, artificial intelligence, or AI, is reshaping nearly every aspect of modern life. Beginning in fall 2026, students in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University will have the opportunity to pursue a deep, research-driven path into this rapidly evolving field through the new Doctor of Philosophy in Artificial Intelligence degree, offered by the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, or SCAI.

Designed for students who want to push the boundaries of what intelligent systems can do, the new AI doctoral program prepares scholars to advance the science, engineering and responsible development of next-generation AI. The program brings together world-class faculty, interdisciplinary research opportunities and a strong culture of mentorship — all within one of the largest and most dynamic computing schools in the nation.

A program built for the future of AI

Doctoral students in the program will gain both theoretical depth and hands-on research experience across the core pillars of artificial intelligence. The curriculum emphasizes not only how to build AI systems, but how to design them ethically, efficiently and reliably for real-world deployment.

Students will develop expertise in one or more of three major research streams:

• Statistical learning: Investigate advanced algorithms, deep learning, data mining, probabilistic inference and the theoretical foundations that shape modern AI.
• Embodied AI, cognition and perception: Study intelligent agents that learn from and interact with the world, through coursework in robot perception, remote sensing, natural language processing and more.
• Reasoning and decision making: Explore how AI systems represent knowledge, plan actions, reason logically, ensure safety and operate in complex, uncertain environments.

This structure allows students to personalize their research trajectory while still gaining a broad foundation in the essential building blocks of today’s AI systems.

Doctoral students will have opportunities to collaborate across research centers and interdisciplinary labs focused on health care, cybersecurity, robotics, industrial engineering, embedded systems and more, giving them access to real-world applications for their work.

Graduates of the AI doctoral program will be positioned for careers in academia, national research laboratories, government agencies and high-tech industries driving AI innovation. As AI continues to permeate sectors such as transportation, health care, manufacturing, energy and defense, the demand for researchers who understand both the technical and societal dimensions of intelligent systems will only continue to rise.

Apply for fall 2026

Current engineering students considering graduate school are encouraged to explore this new opportunity. Students should apply by Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026.