UW-Madison creating a new college for artificial intelligence

For the first time in 42 years, the University of Wisconsin-Madison will launch a new college. 

In 1983, the college opened the School of Veterinary Medicine so students could learn how animals and humans relate. 

Now four decades later, students at UW-Madison are learning how computers are performing tasks normally done by humans. 

The College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence was approved on Thursday by the Board of Regents. 

The vote authorizes UW-Madison to begin formally planning for the new program. 

The College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence will build on UW–Madison’s longstanding strengths in computer, data, library and information sciences and statistics, according to the university.

An official announcement of the new college is anticipated to come later this spring, with an operational launch anticipated for July 1, 2026. 

“We greatly appreciate the Regents’ support for this important vision for UW–Madison, and we are excited by this important step toward making this new college a reality,” Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said in a statement. 

“We will be shaping a future where UW–Madison leads in innovation while advancing knowledge for the common good,” Mnookin continued. “We want to prepare UW–Madison students for a world where computing and technology intersect with every profession and discipline, from patient care to teaching, biomedical research to the humanities.” 

The new school will be a restructuring of the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS), which was launched in 2019. 

Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau, who leads CDIS, said artificial intelligence and computing are transforming every discipline, from veterinary medicine to political science.

“The future workforce will be defined by those who can integrate computing and AI fluently into every discipline,” Arpaci-Dusseau said in a statement. 

The new college will help inform how society benefits from AI and reckons with its challenges while providing talent pipelines, research partnerships and statewide outreach to help Wisconsin lead in transformation, according to the university.

AI continues to expand into new areas of work and education. A 2024 Reuters report found there’s a skills gap related to AI.

Earlier this year, the Milwaukee School of Engineering announced a $76.5 million artificial intelligence learning center, which will house its new center for applied artificial intelligence.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Carroll University in Waukesha both started offering new majors in artificial intelligence in fall 2025.