Reworked degrees at Adelaide University to include AI components, regardless of degree
About 3000 academic staff are modernising “more digitally underpinned” course content for the new Adelaide University. Have your say.
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All students studying at the new Adelaide University will be educated in AI and data technologies to equip graduates with the contemporary and future needs of industry.
About 3000 academic staff are working on converting existing programs from the two institutions into new accessible and future-focused Adelaide University content.
The university’s unique position means it can modernise its 300 degrees ahead of their release in 14 instalments next year, with applications for 2026 opening from August.
Adelaide University co-Vice Chancellors Peter Hoj and David Lloyd said their 2025 focus was on course execution, a new campus masterplan and the release of its Indigenous name.
“We have a body of work to do before we hit the end of the year and open on the 1st of January 2026, but preparation for all those course changes is well underway,” Prof Lloyd said.
“The core content we’ll have as Adelaide University is to make sure students know how to use AI properly and how to read a balance sheet in terms of being entrepreneurial.
“Different skills will be given to students through the core content of the institution and then the disciplinary notion or the professional orientation for each program will have variations.”
Prof Hoj added AI and data were something every young person would have to use in their careers, so it was a compulsory part of any program “whether you study accounting or whether you study conservation, biology or social work.”
“It’s about being able to operate in society irrespective of what profession you choose,” he said.
The courses will be “more digitally underpinned” to reflect student expectations, but both stressed previous reports the university would be online-only were incorrect.
“This is not an online university. This is a university where the on-campus experience will be every bit as important as anything in the organisation,” Prof Lloyd said.
The university’s five key research themes were defence and national security, food and agriculture, personal and societal health, creative and cultural and sustainable green transition.
Prof Hoj said a major coup of the newly formed university was being selected in May to operate the $60m Australian Defence Technologies Academy at Lot 14.
“I’m absolutely certain if we had not merged, we would not have been given that opportunity,” Prof Hoj said. “We will be the university in Australia with the most secure facilities to train people to very, very high secrecy levels.”
He added the university, part of the research intensive Group of Eight, would like to open with close to 7000 international students, making up around 30 per cent of students.
“One of the reasons why we merged is to have the most domestic students of any university in Australia to future-proof us for a time where we might not get as many international students, and therefore have enough student revenue to run a very good university in respect to what comes,” he said.
“In the meantime, we like international students to be here because it strengthens the South Australian economy.”
The university will begin transferring its 11,000 staff under the new amalgamated banner in the new year and once operational will be the largest recruiter of domestic students in Australia.
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