Purdue University unveiled a sweeping artificial intelligence strategy on Friday, Dec. 12, anchored by a new graduation requirement that will make “AI working competency” a core expectation for all undergraduate students at the university’s main campus locations in Indianapolis and West Lafayette.
The Board of Trustees approved what Purdue described as a first-of-its-kind plan in the U.S. to introduce an AI working competency requirement for every undergraduate student, starting with new beginners in fall 2026. Under the approach, trustees delegated authority to the provost, working with deans across academic colleges, to develop discipline-specific criteria and proficiency standards, then review and update them continuously to reflect changing workforce needs.
Purdue framed the effort as part of AI@Purdue, a strategy spanning five functional areas: Learning with AI, Learning about AI, Research AI, Using AI, and Partnering in AI. University leaders positioned the initiative within Purdue Computes, describing it as an ongoing set of actions expected to evolve as AI technologies, industry expectations, and academic practices change.
The learning component of the plan aims to ensure students can evaluate and apply AI tools in their chosen fields while maintaining strong critical thinking about limitations, decision-making, and future developments. Purdue said some educational resources and innovations supporting the new requirement will be available as soon as next semester for currently enrolled students, even before the campuswide requirement begins for the fall 2026 incoming class.
The university’s provost outlined a parallel push to keep instruction aligned with employer expectations by asking each academic college to establish a standing industry advisory board focused on AI competency needs. Purdue expects those boards to inform a continual annual refresh of AI curricula and the discipline-specific criteria tied to the graduation requirement.
On classroom use of generative AI, Purdue noted that guidance for teaching and learning with generative AI was published in January 2024 and is now being updated. The Office of the Provost and the University Senate are partnering on that revision, with an update expected toward the end of the current academic year.
On the research side, Purdue said AI@Purdue will support work that applies AI to accelerate innovation, including efforts connected to the Purdue Institute for Physical AI, which the university described as operating at the interface of AI and real-world physical systems. Purdue highlighted research activity across agriculture and food systems, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, defense, and health, citing efforts ranging from precision agriculture and advanced manufacturing to autonomous transport, AI-enabled digital replicas of real-world entities, and work tied to national security priorities such as microelectronics, cybersecurity, and semiconductors.
KEY QUOTES:
“The reach and pace of AI’s impact to society, including many dimensions of higher education, means that we at Purdue must lean in and lean forward and do so across different functions at the university. AI@Purdue strategic actions are part of the Purdue Computes strategic initiative, and will continue to be refreshed to advance the missions and impact of our university.”
Mung Chiang, President, Purdue University
“We’re enormously eager to work with faculty colleagues across the university to breathe life into this critical new requirement. At the same time, it’s absolutely imperative that a requirement like this is well-informed by continual input from industry partners and employers more broadly. For this reason, I’ve also asked that each of our academic colleges establishes a standing industry advisory board focusing on employers’ AI competency needs and that these boards are used to help ensure a continual, annual refresh of our AI curriculum and requirements to ensure that we keep our discipline-specific criteria continually current.”
Patrick Wolfe, Provost, Purdue University
