What Is the Impact of AI on Higher Education?

By Elizabeth West (BA 26)

An English major wonders whether her degree will be useful after college given the rise of AI writing. An art student is frustrated that his friends create AI-generated images without appreciating human-made art. A graphic design graduate is asked how he uses AI to speed up his creative process during job interviews. Discouraged, each questions if earning a college degree is worth it.  

Are you wondering how AI is impacting your degree? 

Grace College realizes that the impact of AI on higher education is a legitimate concern. Our professors are here to answer your questions regarding AI’s impact in their fields. Aaron Winey, assistant professor of visual communication and graphic design, Heidi Miller, associate professor of marketing, and Dr. Lauren Rich, professor of English, offered their professional opinions on the question, “Is a college degree worth it?”

Design 

How is AI impacting your field?

The future of design can be understood by reflecting on the history of design.

“There is a perception that AI is replacing designers, but that is not accurate. For years, tools like Canva have allowed untrained designers to create design artifacts,” said Winey. “However, this type of design often focuses on one-off deliverables that fail to meet real design needs that fit in a larger identity system. In the professional world, trained designers have incorporated AI as another useful tool and use it alongside professional-level design processes and tools.”

What makes a person’s skills in this degree better than AI?

When it comes to AI, realizing our unique value as God’s creation is vital. As smart as AI might become, it cannot replace the inherent worth instilled by God into each human being. Winey shares that while the role of a graphic designer might change, the God-given talent of art will still be an integral part of the job description, even with the impact of AI on higher education.

“AI has not replaced the practice of design itself. Successful designers utilize research, ask a ton of questions to understand their client’s brand, and explore through sketching, all before they develop any final visuals,” said Winey. “AI relies on what is already used and known, but the best designers understand they are made in the image of a Creator and humbly let go of control, embrace curiosity, and let the process lead them to a unique and engaging solution,”

Is an undergraduate degree still necessary?

According to Winey, “design is a very competitive field, and the learning curve is steep.” A graphic design degree provides students with a boost in the industry that helps them build a professional portfolio, showcase their variety of experience to employers, and teaches them “the soft skills that go beyond the visual work, such as how to present their work and build relationships with a client, not just create one-off transactional design.”

What is the short answer to “Is a college degree worth it?” Yes, you should still pursue a degree in design because it allows you to display a variety of experiences to employers and gives you opportunities to improve your work in a low-stakes environment where you are not jeopardizing a company’s branding. 

Marketing

How is AI impacting your field?

The impact on higher education certainly extends to marketing. Miller shares that AI can now generate content, create images and videos, analyze data, and even offer creative suggestions. AI is not meant to be a replacement for marketing students because of the need for human connection, but as the impact of AI on higher education continues to reshape business programs, marketing students who learn to use AI strategically will be better prepared for the evolving workplace. 

“AI is an incredibly powerful tool,” remarked Miller. “Marketing students need to learn how to use AI effectively because employers increasingly expect those skills. While AI cannot replace humans, students who refuse to embrace AI may find themselves at a disadvantage in the job market.”

What makes a person’s skills in this degree better than AI?

Similar to its design capabilities, AI might be able to perform certain tasks in a job efficiently, but it will struggle to consistently, strategically, or creatively build on an original idea, unlike a capable marketing student.

“There is nothing better than human creativity and connection,” said Miller. “AI cannot build relationships, understand human emotions and culture, lead teams, exercise ethical judgment, or align marketing efforts with an organization’s larger mission and goals. Those are uniquely human skills that remain essential to successful marketing.”

Is an undergraduate degree still necessary?

If you’re looking for a marketing program that equips you to handle AI ethically while creating quality content, Miller recommends Grace’s degree, which blends business, AI knowledge, and marketing strategies to best prepare students for their careers. 

“A degree in digital marketing is still needed,” affirmed Miller. “Grace has a strong business-oriented marketing degree that prepares students to understand consumers, analyze data, develop a strategy, and solve organizational problems with experiential learning working with companies.” 

Writing 

How is AI impacting your field?

The impact of AI on higher education in the humanities has been positive in some ways, and AI can serve many practical purposes.

“There are many ways in which AI is beneficial to my field,” said Rich. “For example, AI-powered research tools make it much easier and faster to locate, identify, and organize relevant scholarly research. It allows us to analyze texts in new and different ways and reflect more deeply and critically on their own and others’ interpretations.”

What makes a person’s skills in this degree better than AI?

“While AI-powered tools can be helpful, at the same time, a large part of what attracts students to our English program is the opportunity to learn in community, to share in the experience of reading and discussing literature and writing together, face-to-face with other humans,” shared Rich. “This part of the field hasn’t changed — in fact, many people (including Anthropic’s co-founder, Daniela Amodei, herself an English major) recognize that the humanities are even more valuable in the age of AI.”

Another important distinction of a face-to-face program is the chance to have a faith-based perspective. Grace’s Christian foundation does not cloud our vision of managing AI, but actually gives us a clear view on how to use it ethically, along with increased confidence in our students to use this tool properly. 

An article in Christian Scholar’s Review states, “Christian colleges aren’t just preparing students for their first job; they’re laying a foundation for a lifetime of faithful service in a rapidly changing world. They’re forming graduates who can not only work in the age of AI but who can bring biblical wisdom to bear on the ethical challenges AI presents.”

Is an undergraduate degree still necessary?

As for writers, Rich provides a hopeful response concerning the impact of AI on higher education: “The English major is actually becoming more valuable as employers prioritize new hires with strong communication and critical thinking skills over technical training that quickly becomes obsolete. It’s true that AI can generate content, but people have quickly and pretty decisively rejected ‘AI slop.’ Creating and curating content that really connects with and moves people requires creativity, empathy, nuance, sound judgment, and an appreciation for unpredictability and ambiguity. These are things that AI struggles with and human English majors excel at.”

Rich’s words echo an article from the U.S. News Bureau and World Report, which states that students should focus on gaining versatile skills, such as communication and critical thinking, instead of choosing their major based on profit or projected job stability. While completing the technical training for your degree, make sure your school teaches you how to provide the “humanness” your clients and viewers are seeking. This is unreplicable by AI. 

Is a College Degree Worth It?

At Grace, you’ll be instructed on how to use technology effectively, but you’ll also find personal connection in one-on-one conversations with professors, deep relationships with your peers, and strong commitment to faith. A Christian liberal arts education, by definition, centers ethics and critical thinking in your education. These are vital when handling AI. 

Rich sums up our vision on the impact of AI on higher education well: “At Grace, our understanding of authorship and creativity is rooted in God, who is the author and creator of all things. Because we are made in God’s image, we get to participate in creating with our unique, God-given voices. Because AI is a rapidly evolving area, we want our graduates to be flexible thinkers who understand and adapt to new technologies rather than become dependent on a particular tool.”

Our Creator gave us the ability to create and be like Him, so do not stop creating simply because there is a tool that can do it for you. At the same time, be grounded in the fact that, in the midst of the technological age, God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and we can count on Him to guide our steps.