University of Puget Sound students can add an official AI credential to their transcripts starting in fall 2026 without picking up a second major.
The Tacoma university is launching a five-course emphasis in AI and Human Values for the 2026-27 academic year. The university says it is one of the first interdisciplinary programs of its kind at the undergraduate level in the Pacific Northwest, according to an official announcement.
Ariela Tubert, distinguished professor of philosophy and one of the faculty leads, said the faculty could not find a comparable undergraduate program in the region.
The emphasis requires one computing course, one course in ethical theory and three electives focused on AI, drawn from disciplines including art, computer science, philosophy, politics and government, neuroscience and bioethics.
Students can "double count" courses toward other majors and minors, making the emphasis easier to complete alongside existing degree plans.
The program is not a major or minor. Tubert said she does not expect it to become one. The goal is a portable competency students pair with their primary field of study.
"Instead of trying to duplicate the work that people are doing in a major, the idea is that you would get this competency in thinking about AI issues, and then you combine that with the study in your major," Tubert told The Puget Sound Trail.
Tubert, who leads the university's AI & Human Values Initiative, said the program grew out of three years of faculty collaboration. That work included the Dolliver Seminar on AI and the Humanities and a symposium on AI and privacy in April 2026 that drew more than 100 registered participants, according to the university.
Magnus Mansfield, a University of Puget Sound senior, said he was initially skeptical but came around after learning the program centers human values over technical workflow. Griffin Burkhart, a sophomore who described himself as "very opposed to AI," called the program "pretty cool" and said it appears to explore how AI conflicts with authenticity and the human experience, according to the Trail.
Provost Drew Kerkhoff described the emphasis as a liberal arts response to AI's spread. He said the university's goal is to help students cultivate what he called "the other AI: Actual Intelligence," rooted in reason, empathy, critical thinking and human relationships.
An interdisciplinary steering committee will oversee the program, with a rotating director advising students on course selection, internships and career pathways. The emphasis is open to current and incoming students starting in fall 2026.
