What happened
Mirage News reports that EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) will introduce a Bachelor degree in Artificial Intelligence, with the first students entering in the 2027-2028 academic year. The program will be run by the School of Computer and Communication Sciences (IC) and will share a common first year with the existing computer science bachelor, built around mathematics and computing foundations. From the second year onward, the two programs follow distinct curricula, combining theory with substantial hands-on projects. The report quotes Haitham Al Hassanieh, professor at IC and director of the new program, who says the goal is to educate students who can develop new AI technologies rather than only apply existing ones, with close collaboration with EPFL's Institute of Mathematics. The curriculum will include elective orientations in areas such as AI theory, life sciences, and robotics, and a mandatory course in AI Ethics and Policy covering fairness, accountability, and societal consequences. Katerina Argyraki, Vice-Dean of Education at IC, and Nicolas Grandjean, EPFL's Vice President for Education, are also quoted. Language policy is specified: first-year programming courses will be taught in French, mathematics and physics will be available in French or English, and all second- and third-year courses will be taught in English.
Mirage News reports that EPFL's School of Computer and Communication Sciences (IC) is introducing a Bachelor degree in Artificial Intelligence, with the first students entering in the 2027-2028 academic year. The stated rationale is AI's growing importance as a scientific discipline and its role as an essential tool across scientific and engineering fields, from medical treatment discovery to climate modeling.
The new AI bachelor and the existing computer science bachelor will share a common first year providing foundations in mathematics and computing. From the second year onward, the programs follow distinct curricula, both combining rigorous theoretical foundations with substantial hands-on projects. Haitham Al Hassanieh, professor at IC and director of the new program, is quoted saying the goal is students who understand the scientific principles behind AI technologies and can develop new ones, requiring rigorous education in both mathematics and computing, developed in close collaboration with EPFL's Institute of Mathematics.
The curriculum is described as interdisciplinary. IC is developing orientations allowing students to devote substantial elective coursework to dimensions of AI and its connections with other disciplines, including AI theory, life sciences, and robotics. Katerina Argyraki, Vice-Dean of Education at IC, is quoted explaining that AI draws on computer science, mathematics, engineering, and other fields, and that studying AI in the context of robotics should mean learning mechanics and control systems, not just applying machine learning to robots.
The program will include a mandatory course in AI Ethics and Policy, which the report says will help students critically examine fairness, accountability, and the broader societal consequences of AI technologies, reflecting AI's increasing influence on decisions in healthcare, employment, and public services. Nicolas Grandjean, Vice President for Education, is quoted saying EPFL, as a public institution, has a role in educating future talent for Switzerland, and that the institution is also developing minors in AI and exploring a cross-disciplinary course on AI's use.
Language and access details are specified: first-year programming courses will be taught in French, students can choose between French and English for first-year mathematics and physics, and all second- and third-year courses will be taught in English. The report does not state admission requirements, application timelines, class sizes, or fees.
Source details: miragenews.com
Why it matters
A leading European technical university creating a standalone AI bachelor's degree is a concrete marker of AI's shift from a specialty topic to a foundational scientific discipline with its own curriculum, rather than a concentration inside computer science. Because EPFL is a public institution, the move also reflects an explicit government-linked talent strategy: Grandjean is quoted saying EPFL has a role in educating the expertise Switzerland needs. The design choices are notable for what they signal about how the field is being taught. The mandatory ethics and policy course responds to AI systems increasingly affecting decisions in healthcare, employment, and public services. The shared first year keeps the mathematical core common, while the orientations in AI theory, life sciences, and robotics push students toward interdisciplinary depth — Argyraki gives the example that studying AI in robotics should include mechanics and control systems, not just machine learning applied to robots. The program's framing, that foundations will outlast today's specific technologies, positions graduates to shape future systems rather than merely adapt to them. For prospective students, employers, and other universities, this is a concrete data point on how AI education is being formalized in Europe.
The creation of a standalone AI bachelor's at a top-ranked European technical university treats AI as a foundational scientific discipline with its own degree, rather than a track within computer science. That is a concrete curricular shift in how the next generation of AI scientists and engineers is trained.
The program design signals what EPFL considers durable knowledge: mathematical models, algorithms, and computing systems, rather than training tied to current tools. Al Hassanieh is quoted framing the degree as preparing students to develop new approaches, not only apply existing technologies.
The mandatory AI Ethics and Policy course institutionalizes societal-impact training in the core curriculum, which the report links to AI systems increasingly influencing decisions in healthcare, employment, and public services.
As a public institution, EPFL frames the degree as serving Switzerland's talent needs, and the planned AI minors and cross-disciplinary course suggest the change could reach well beyond one program. However, the report is a single-outlet account relaying EPFL's announcement; enrollment demand, employer response, and the program's final approved curriculum are not independently confirmed.
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What to watch next
Key details remain unconfirmed by the report. Admission requirements, class size, and any tuition or fee structure for the new degree are not stated, and it is unclear whether the program has completed all internal and Swiss regulatory approval steps or when applications will open. The orientations in AI theory, life sciences, and robotics are described as being developed, so their final scope may change. EPFL is also said to be developing minors in AI and a cross-disciplinary course on AI's use, which could extend the institution's AI offerings beyond this degree. Whether other major universities follow EPFL's lead with dedicated AI bachelor's programs, and how the first cohort in 2027-2028 is filled, will indicate how durable this curricular shift is.
Whether the program completes all approval steps and when applications open; the report does not document admission criteria, selection process, or any tuition or fee structure.
How the elective orientations in AI theory, life sciences, and robotics are finalized, since these are described as still being developed.
The rollout of the planned AI minors and the cross-disciplinary course on AI's use, which could broaden the change across EPFL's other schools.
The composition and size of the first cohort entering in 2027-2028, and whether other major universities introduce dedicated AI bachelor's degrees in response.