Chicago Booth has launched a new MBA concentration in Applied Artificial Intelligence to prepare graduates to lead AI-driven initiatives that translate directly to business outcomes. The concentration expands Booth’s portfolio to 16 total concentrations and reflects accelerating employer demand for leaders who can connect AI capabilities—such as generative AI and machine learning—to strategy, operations, and value creation.
What’s new
- Structure and requirements: Students complete three AI-focused electives from a curated menu, including AI Essentials, Machine Learning in Finance, AI for Good, Applied Artificial Intelligence, Generative Thinking, AI and Financial Information, and Starting an AI Company.
- Academic ecosystem: The track is supported by Booth’s Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence, which convenes faculty, students, and alumni for talks, workshops, and research at the intersection of AI, business, and society.
- Market aim: Booth positions the track as transformational rather than purely technical, emphasizing how AI reshapes decision-making, human capital, and organizational design.
Why it matters
- Employer signal: Formalizing an AI pathway addresses a recognized skills gap and gives MBAs structured, applied fluency in AI tools, governance, and strategy.
- Career relevance: The three-course sequence can be tailored across finance, entrepreneurship, product/tech, and analytics contexts, strengthening placement in roles that require AI-enabled leadership.
References
- Chicago Booth Applied AI concentration overview
- Chicago Booth announcement story on the new concentration
- Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence at Booth
- AACSB People and Places: July 2025 featuring Booth’s Applied AI addition
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