Pepperdine University Adds AI Skills Course to its Core Curriculum
Undergraduate students can now study artificial intelligence at Pepperdine University.
Starting in the fall of 2026, students will have the opportunity to sign up for the new AI skills class, which is open to undergraduates of all majors and minors through the University’s Core curriculum.
“The goal of this course is to get our students thinking critically about AI,” said Ben Postlethwaite (‘96), a professor of organizational behavior and management at Seaver College and the leader of the new AI skills course. “We want to help our undergraduates enhance their skills as AI practitioners, while also leading them to understand the societal implications of the new technology.”
Postlethwaite explained that the new AI skills course was created, in part, to prepare students for their careers in this emerging age of artificial intelligence. In many industries, the ability to successfully wield different forms of the expanding technology is becoming a necessity for skilled workers. As a result, Postlethwaite created a course to enhance their abilities within a framework of ethical applications that benefit humanity.
Pepperdine's new Core offering will not revolve solely around large language models such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, or Claude. Rather, students will be asked to engage with a variety of AI tools throughout the curriculum. By understanding the technology’s capabilities over an array of formats, students will gain the ability to adapt across interfaces and discern quality outputs from less authoritative ones.
“AI is going to play a huge role in everyone's lives going forward,” said Thomas Brunt, a Seaver College student majoring in public relations. “To have a class that will help me understand how to use this new technology properly will be an incredible addition to my education. I want a trusted mentor who can help me sharpen that AI tool.”
Overall, Postlethwaite hopes that the AI skills course provides students with an understanding of when and how to use AI responsibly and effectively. In introducing this topic through the classroom, he believes that Seaver College is empowering undergraduates to make an immediate impact in their chosen vocation.
“For recent college graduates, there is an ongoing cultural discussion about the types of entry-level jobs that will be replaced by AI,” said Postlethwaite. “Many of the jobs that will have staying power will ask potential candidates to actively use AI. At Seaver College, we’re equipping our students—of all majors and disciplines—with an AI toolkit they can use.”
Seaver College’s Core curriculum is designed to incorporate new and emerging topics of importance, like AI. This curricular flexibility allows Seaver College to cultivate a relevant and dynamic learning environment that will aid students in their pursuit of purpose.
"When designing the Seaver Core curriculum, we recognized a gap between traditional academic disciplines and the skills students may need beyond graduation—financial literacy, career readiness, relationship cultivation, and more,” said Paul Begin, Seaver College’s interim senior associate dean and one of the chief architects behind the new Core curriculum. “With that in mind, the Skills portion was purpose-built for incubating classes that would be truly meaningful: a space to experiment, meet the moment, and respond to emerging needs.”