UA Pushes for First Southeast Data Science School

0:00It's April 28th. Welcome in. This is Birmingham News Today, where local news meets AI. I'm Corey with the story. University of Alabama is pushing hard for a new School of Data Science, the first in the state and one of the first in the southeast. The proposal heads to the Board of Trustees for approval soon. President Peter Mueller says it's about prepping students for a job market exploding with AI and data needs. Demand for skilled workers already outpaces supply, sometimes three to one. Leaders stress this isn't just for tech majors, nursing, business, health care, you name it. Everyone needs these skills. Folks with AI expertise can snag pay boosts up to 65% across industries like finance and defense. The school plans undergrad, masters, doctoral programs, plus certificates to prove real-world chops. They'll tie right into UA's high-performance computing center, opening next year for hands-on data work. If the board signs off, they'll search for a dean this fall and target a 2027 launch.

1:04This move could pump up Alabama's workforce and draw big tech players to the state.