Artificial intelligence, once treated cautiously or outright restricted in college classrooms, may soon become a standardized part of higher education in New Jersey.
Introduced on Jan. 13, New Jersey Senate Bill S2862 would require the state’s Secretary of Higher Education to develop an official “Artificial Intelligence Model Curriculum” for colleges and universities. The legislation requires public institutions to offer degree programs and certificate courses in artificial intelligence. It strongly encourages private universities to voluntarily adopt the standards to ensure their graduates remain competitive in an increasingly AI-driven workforce.
Governor Phil Murphy emphasized the urgency of this shift earlier this month during a press conference announcing a new statewide partnership between higher education institutions and the artificial intelligence sector.
“We have an opportunity to put New Jersey at the forefront of the most profound revolution in human history,” Murphy said. “This is about connecting education, workforce development, and research so that every student is prepared for the economy of tomorrow.”
The bill reflects a broader shift in the state’s approach to artificial intelligence, not as a shortcut to avoid learning, but as a skill students are expected to understand and use responsibly.
While the bill applies directly to public institutions, its implications extend to private universities, including Monmouth University. According to Student Government Association President Brendan Sheehan, the university has already begun addressing the issue internally.
“Currently, the University has an AI Task Force working on this issue,” Sheehan said. “The SGA has had meetings and coordinates with the committee often. At SGA’s upcoming Hawk Flight Plan strategic planning conference, one of our breakout discussions, led by students, is ‘AI Policy at Monmouth University,’ allowing student leaders to sit down with the administrators, forming a policy to ensure adequate student voice is taken into consideration when developing a university-wide AI policy.”
The Hawk Flight Plan is a university-wide strategic planning initiative aimed at shaping Monmouth’s long-term academic and institutional priorities. However, student experiences with artificial intelligence in the classroom remain inconsistent. Julia Eck, a senior psychology major, said her exposure to AI largely depends on her professor.
“It’s very mixed and depends on the professor,” Eck said. “I’ve had professors who view AI as a tool. They don’t want you to use it, but they recognize that society has advanced with these systems. They want you to learn how to use it to help, but not as a replacement for your critical thinking.”
Eck believes regulation, not avoidance, is the more realistic approach moving forward.
“I feel like it’s inevitable that it’ll be used,” she said. “They just need to regulate it better and teach students how to use it better.”
For some students, formal AI coursework is not only acceptable but also necessary. Samantha Wagner, a freshman triple major in secondary education, English, and theatre, said she does not view AI certificates as a misuse of tuition dollars.
“Yes, I don’t think it’s a waste of tuition,” Wagner said.
She added that structured instruction would help demystify the technology.
“Add somewhere in the curriculum where a professor teaches students how to use it for good, how to use it for bad, so they know in the future,” she said.
Others feel the gap between policy discussions and classroom reality is still wide. Giani Garcia, a senior fine arts major, said AI is rarely addressed in his courses.
“No, I don’t think my classes have taught it at all,” Garcia said. “Other than a few that have said it’d be good to learn how to use it as a tool, the rest tell me not to.”
Garcia supports a balanced approach rather than a blanket endorsement or ban.
“I think there should be a balance between teaching it and regulating it,” he said. “The people who want to learn will learn, and whoever just uses it for answers won’t benefit much anyway.”
As New Jersey moves toward formalizing artificial intelligence education, universities like Monmouth may soon face pressure to transition from fragmented, professor-by-professor policies to institution-wide standards.
Senate Bill S2862 signals that, at least at the state level, artificial intelligence is no longer viewed as a temporary disruption, but as a core competency higher education must address.
