Rice University will begin offering a Master of Artificial Intelligence degree in the fall of 2027, with prospective students able to apply this year, according to the university's Dateline Rice news roundup for Sept. 30, 2026.
Luay Nakhleh, dean of engineering and computing, and computer science professor Chris Jermaine are quoted in coverage of the new program by InnovationMap.
The announcement comes as Rice faculty appear in national and international news coverage on artificial intelligence, energy markets and politics. Computer science professor Moshe Vardi is quoted in a CBSNews.com report asking whether AI could really take over the internet, while civil and environmental engineering professor Daniel Cohan is quoted in a Newsweek explainer on how data centers can be bad for the environment.
On energy, Baker Institute for Public Policy fellow Jim Krane is quoted in The New York Times on Middle East oil exports rebounding even as prices remain elevated, and fellow Skip York is quoted by Deutsche Welle on why diesel prices are soaring and what it means for Europe. Fellow Kristian Coates Ulrichsen is quoted by Middle East Eye on Saudi Arabia turning to the UAE as it gears up to battle Yemen's Houthis.
In politics, Rice political science professor Mark Jones is quoted by USA Today on attacks on Texas candidate Talarico's masculinity.
Rice research also drew coverage. A collaborative Rice study developed a theoretical strategy for eliminating an unintended directional bias that can arise when magnetic particles are assembled using rotating magnetic fields, with chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Sibani Lisa Biswal and research scientist Aldo Spatafora-Salazar quoted by Futurity. Another Rice collaboration developed a method designed to find clearer answers from sports rankings across multiple outlets, with statistics professor Marina Vannucci and doctoral student Rose Graves quoted by Phys.org.
Rice biosciences professor Scott Solomon is quoted by The National News Desk on SpaceX's orbital flight being a "major milestone" for missions to the moon and Mars.
In Houston coverage, Rice's Kinder Institute for Urban Research is cited in ABC13.com reports on a new air conditioning requirement's possible effects on renters and on how some Harris County courts help people receive rental assistance and navigate eviction hearings. The institute's Michelle Smirnova is quoted.
Rice's soccer team is scheduled to play the University of Texas at San Antonio on Oct. 2, and the football team is scheduled to play UTSA on Oct. 3, with head coach Scott Abell interviewed by KRIV-TV.