New research from Studyportals has highlighted a growing disconnect between the soaring demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI), UX and Big Data courses and their limited availability. According to the Studyportals Subject Opportunities for 2024 report, student enthusiasm for AI and Big Data is overtaking the current supply at both undergraduate and master’s levels.
A shortage of AI, UX and Big Data courses
The report reveals a clear shortage of AI study programmes, with demand significantly outpacing the numbers of courses on the market. At master’s level, the areas of data science, Big Data and robotics all have severe shortages, with few courses available in the academic sector.
At undergraduate level, user experience (UX) design and European Law join AI in having the greatest undersupply.
Interest grows in UX, European law and AI
European law and UX design have experienced a 32.9% increase in student interest, with AI seeing a dramatic 36.1% rise. The gap is greatest however in AI, where student interest is 4.4 times higher than the number of courses available.
At master's level, data analytics, data science and Big Data lead demand, with interest exceeding availability by 2.6 times. AI and robotics follow closely, with demand at 2.4 and 2.3 times the supply, respectively.
How universities can close the tech course gap
To stay competitive and meet rising demand for emerging and new technologies in the digital space, universities need to act by creating new courses and updating existing ones to align with student demand and shifts in the tech sector.
University marketing teams should focus their efforts on promoting courses that will be in greater demand because they are linked to evolving industry trends.
Companies also need to stay ahead of tech trends by integrating the latest technologies and continuously updating their offerings to meet evolving market demands. Investing in employee training and enhancing digital strategies are also crucial for maintaining a competitive edge.
