Artificial Intelligence for Business Major
The Artificial Intelligence major provides business majors with an opportunity to understand how artificial intelligence and machine learning are applied in business contexts, including applications in data mining, data visualization, and other data-driven technologies.
Industry research organizations have documented the rapid growth of global data volumes over the past decade, with worldwide data creation increasing from tens to hundreds of zettabytes in a relatively short period of time. A zettabyte is approximately one trillion gigabytes. Much of this data now resides in cloud-based platforms and includes not only structured data, but also text, images, documents, and other unstructured information.
This dramatic expansion of data presents both enormous opportunities and significant challenges for organizations seeking to turn information into insight and action.
Recent advances in generative artificial intelligence — including large language models (LLMs) that power tools such as ChatGPT — have transformed how organizations interact with data. These technologies make it possible to analyze, summarize, and generate insights from complex and unstructured information at scale, complementing more traditional approaches such as data mining, data visualization, and predictive modeling.
The Artificial Intelligence minor prepares students to understand how these technologies are used in business decision-making, strategy, and operations, and to critically evaluate their capabilities, limitations, and ethical implications in organizational settings.
Goal 1: Students will be able to demonstrate a conceptual and intuitive understanding of the common machine learning algorithms (inc. Supervised and Unsupervised Learning) and when each kind of technique may be appropriate.
Goal 2: Students will be able to define the structure and components of a Python program (using loops, decision statements, functions, and libraries). Additionally, they will be able to work with Python libraries for data processing, and data visualization.
Goal 3: Students will be able to design and implement various machine learning algorithms in a range of business applications.
Goal 4: Students will demonstrate the use of data mining models that can identify hidden patterns and rules.
Goal 5: Students will be able to communicate clearly and effectively in composing and delivering oral presentations to the target audience.
Cornerstone Core Curriculum Requirements
Consist of 14 core and 2 overlay requirements. See below for additional detailed information on each of these requirements.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| First Year Course Requirements | ||
| ENG 101 | Craft of Language | 3 |
| World History Course Area | ||
| HIS 101 | Globalization in World History | 3 |
| or HIS 102 | Movements in World History | |
| or HIS 103 | Empires in World History | |
| Philosophy Requirements | ||
Either Level One or Level Two (but not both) -- must be Ethics designated. If approved, philosophy courses may count for a student's Writing Intensive overlay. Students may not double-count the same course as Philosophy Level Two and as a Mission Overlay course. | ||
| Philosophy Level One | 3 | |
| Philosophy Level Two | 3 | |
| Theology & Religious Studies Requirements | ||
If approved, Theology & Religious Studies courses may count for a student's Writing Intensive overlay. Students may not double-count the same course as CCC Theology and as a Mission Overlay course. | ||
| Theology | 3 | |
| Religious Studies | 3 | |
| Diversity & INT 151 Requirements | ||
A student's Diversity course may not count for any other CCC course area requirement or as their Mission Overlay course. If approved, Diversity courses may count for a student's Writing Intensive Overlay requirement. INT 151 may not count for any other CCC requirements. This course must be taken in the first two years | ||
| Diversity | 3 | |
| INT 151 | Inequality in American Society | 1 |
| Math & Natural Science Requirements | ||
If approved, Math & Natural Science Requirements may count toward overlay requirements. | ||
| Mathematics | 3-4 | |
| Natural Science | 4 | |
| Social Science Requirement | 3 | |
If approved, such Social Science Requirement may count toward a student's overlay requirements. | ||
| Non-Native Language Requirement | 3-4 | |
A single Non-Native Language course may not count as an overlay course but a second language course fulfills a student's Mission Overlay requirement. | ||
| Literature Requirement | 3 | |
If approved, Literature courses may count toward a student's overlay requirements. | ||
| Fine and Performing Arts, Creativity, and Design Requirement | 3 | |
If approved, Fine and Performing Arts, Creativity, and Design courses may count toward a student's overlay requirements. | ||
| Overlay Requirements | ||
| Writing-Intensive | 3 | |
If approved, Writing-Intensive courses may double count as major courses, minor courses, electives, or as any CCC course area requirement except for the first-year courses (World History and Rhetoric and Composition). | ||
| Mission-Overlay | 3 | |
Mission Overlay courses may double count as major courses, minor courses, elective courses, or any of the following CCC course areas: Fine and Performing Arts, Creativity, and Design, Literature, Mathematics, Natural Science, or Social Science. | ||
| Total Hours | 47-49 | |
Business Foundation
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACC 101 | Concepts of Financial Acct | 3 |
| ACC 102 | Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| DSS 100 | Excel Competency | 1 |
| DSS 200 | AI in Business | 3 |
| DSS 210 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| DSS 220 | Business Analytics | 3 |
| ECN 102 | Intro to Macroeconomics | 3 |
| FIN 200 | Intro to Finance 1 | 3 |
| or FIN 225 | Fund of Quantitative Finance | |
| MGT 110 | Essent'ls of Organzational Beh | 3 |
| or MGT 120 | Essentials of Management | |
| MGT 360 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| MKT 201 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| BUS 495 | Business Strategy | 3 |
| Total Hours | 34 | |
- 1
ECN 101 is a prerequisite for FIN 200 and may count towards the Cornerstone Core Curriculum Social Science requirement.
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| DSS 325 | Open Source Program Lang | 3 |
| DSS 415 | Data Wrangling & Visualization | 3 |
| or DSS 416 | Data Wrangling: Ethics Int. | |
| DSS 420 | Introduction to Data Mining | 3 |
| DSS 451 | Machine Learning for Bus I | 3 |
| DSS 455 | Machine Learning for Bus II | 3 |
| Calculus (will count for CCC: Mathematics) | 3-4 | |
| Differential Calculus | ||
| Fundamentals of Calculus | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| DSS Elective (select one of the following): | 3 | |
| Database Management | ||
| Analytics Cup | ||
| Advanced Business Analytics | ||
| Statistical Programming Lang | ||
| Resilient Supply Chains | ||
| AI & Analytics in Supply Chain | ||
| DSS Special Topics I | ||
| DSS Special Topics II | ||
| Independent Study I | ||
| Independent Study II | ||
| AI in Food Marketing | ||
| Total Hours | 21-22 | |
Free Electives
To be awarded a bachelor's degree at Saint Joseph's University, students must complete at least 120 total credits. As such, elective credits may be required in addition to Cornerstone Core Curriculum (CCC) and major requirements. Any credits necessary to reach at least 120 total credits outside of the CCC and major requirements are considered free electives. Under the CCC, there are no fixed number of electives required. A student's total number of electives will vary based on major requirements, transfer credits, as well as math and language placement.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| DSS 100 | Excel Competency | 1 |
| ACC 101 | Concepts of Financial Acct | 3 |
| MGT 110 or MGT 120 |
Essent'ls of Organzational Beh or Essentials of Management |
3 |
| ECN 101 or ECN 102 |
Intro to Microeconomics or Intro to Macroeconomics |
3 |
| Mathematics (MAT 123, 155 or 161) | 3-4 | |
| ENG 101 | Craft of Language (or World History) | 3 |
| Hours | 16-17 | |
| Spring | ||
| ACC 102 | Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| ECN 102 or ECN 101 |
Intro to Macroeconomics or Intro to Microeconomics |
3 |
| ENG 101 | Craft of Language (or World History) | 3 |
| Non-Native Language | 3-4 | |
| Literature | 3 | |
| INT 151 | Inequality in American Society | 1 |
| Hours | 16-17 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Fall | ||
| DSS 200 | AI in Business | 3 |
| DSS 210 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| MKT 201 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| FIN 200 | Intro to Finance | 3 |
| Theology | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| DSS 220 | Business Analytics | 3 |
| Diversity | 3 | |
| Natural Science | 4 | |
| Philosophy Level One | 3 | |
| Free Elective/Writing Intensive consider FMK 250, HAD 304 | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Junior | ||
| Fall | ||
| DSS 325 | Open Source Program Lang | 3 |
| DSS 415 or DSS 416 |
Data Wrangling & Visualization or Data Wrangling: Ethics Int. |
3 |
| MGT 360 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| Free Electives | 6 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| DSS 420 | Introduction to Data Mining | 3 |
| Philosophy Level Two | 3 | |
| Major Elective | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 6 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Senior | ||
| Fall | ||
| DSS 451 | Machine Learning for Bus I | 3 |
| BUS 495 | Business Strategy | 3 |
| Fine & Performing Arts, Design & Creativity | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 6 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| DSS 455 | Machine Learning for Bus II | 3 |
| Religious Studies | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 9 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 123-125 | |