BY THE NUMBERS: UMW’s New Masters of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Business
(From 'New Degree Program Proposal'—Submitted by UMW, Approved by State Council of Higher Education for Virginia)
By Steve Watkins
ADVANCE EDITOR
$400,000: Amount requested from the General Assembly to cover first-year start-up costs for new Master’s of Science in AI in Business at UMW (“new faculty to be hired and new faculty and existing faculty to develop the curriculum”).
$140,000: Salary for a new assistant professor of Business/AI to be hired for the 2027-28 academic year.
$43,900: Benefits for a new assistant professor of Business/AI.
$183,900: Total starting compensation for a new assistant professor of Business/AI.
$61,564: Average salary for an assistant professor at UMW, according to AI.
18: Percentage below the national average for an assistant professor at UMW, according to AI.
$20,000: Amount budgeted for first-year marketing of new MS in AI in Business at UMW.
453: Number of surveys sent to senior undergraduate Bachelor of Science students in April 2025 to gauge their interest in a Masters of Science in AI at UMW.
25: Number who completed and returned the survey.
4, 2: Number who responded “Definitely” and “Very Likely.”
374: Number of surveys sent to alumni of UMW Bachelor of Science Business and Bachelor of Liberal Studies in Leadership programs.
12: Number completed and returned.
3, 3, 2: Number who responded “Definitely,” “Very Likely,” and “Likely.”
11: Projected number of 2026-2027 enrollees in MS in AI in Business at UMW.
22: Projected number of enrollees in MS in AI in Business at UMW each of the next four years.
110: Number of 2025 College of William & Mary MS in AI in Business graduates.
594: Number of 2025 University of Virginia MS in AI in Business graduates.
0: Expected number of full-time enrollees in MS in AI in Business at UMW
30: Number of credit hours required for MS in AI in Business at UMW
3, 2, 1: Number of Business Faculty, Computer Science Faculty, and Mathematics Faculty members at UMW who will teach ¼ time in the MS in AI in Business program
0: Number of MS in AI in Business at UMW classes that will involve in-person student-teacher contact.
***
Steve Watkins is editor of The FXBG Advance. You can find Steve Watkins Books, his author Substack page, HERE. You can find Pie & Chai Magazine, which Steve also edits, HERE. And you can contact him HERE.