UTEP Launches Master’s in Education with Artificial Intelligence Focus
New degree will equip teachers with the skills to leverage AI in the classroom
EL PASO, Texas (June 11, 2025) – A new master’s degree offered by The Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Texas at El Paso gives educators the tools they need to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom.
This first of its kind degree — the Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in AI — was spearheaded by Olga Kosheleva, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of mathematics education at UTEP.
“AI is becoming an integral part of how we interact with technology and that extends to the classroom,” said Kosheleva. “Teaching educators how to make practical use of AI will make them more efficient, from reducing the time needed to create lesson plans to creating more robust means of assessing students’ progression. The biggest value, however, will be the increased time that AI will give teachers to focus on working individually with students and forging the personal relationships that support academic growth.”
The degree will equip students with skills in instructional design, data science and systems thinking. Courses include “Foundations of Generative AI,” “Ethics, Culture, and Society in the Age of AI” and “Data Science for Educational Professionals.”
Kosheleva, a mathematician and director of the STEM education division at UTEP whose research on AI has been showcased across the globe, led the degree’s creation after seeing the UTEP Computer Science Department’s success in establishing an undergraduate program in AI.
“The ability to leverage AI is in high demand across the region and country and this degree addresses that need,” said Clifton Tanabe, Ph.D., dean of the College of Education. “This master’s degree reflects UTEP’s mission to transform the lives of its graduates and our community. In addition to being at the forefront of producing AI engineers, UTEP will also be a leader in teaching and learning about effective uses of AI in education.”
The new master’s degree is a fully online program that can be completed in 16 months. A GRE is not required to be considered for admission, and the program is open to any student with a bachelor’s degree.
Students will be prepared for careers as curriculum developers, school administrators, educational coordinators and policy analysts, among others.
The master’s degree program is currently taking applications for the Fall 2025 semester. Prospective students can apply to the program through the UTEP Graduate School. For more information, contact the UTEP Graduate School at (915) 747- 5491 or at gradschooladmissions@utep.edu.
About The Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Texas at El Paso
The Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 25,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 171 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.
Last Updated on June 11, 2025 at 12:00 AM | Originally published June 11, 2025
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
