Shaw University Launches Doctoral Program in Ethical AI Leadership
Shaw University, a UNCF-member institution, has launched a new doctoral program: the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Artificial Intelligence and Moral Agency, housed under Shaw University’s Divinity School, will begin in Spring 2027. Applications for admission will begin this summer.
The program—the first of its kind at an HBCU—aims to prepare ethical leaders to shape the future of AI and society. This new doctoral degree offering positions Shaw University School of Divinity as a leader at the intersection of theological ethics and emerging technology.
The historic milestone comes as Shaw University celebrates its 160th anniversary and marks the first time the university has been approved to confer doctoral degrees.
The Doctor of Education in Artificial Intelligence and Moral Agency will focus on AI literacy, AI use and applied theological ethics. With the growing demand for responsible AI use across the public and private sectors, this program “integrates moral reasoning, social justice and applied ethics with the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, preparing graduates to critically assess AI technologies and shape ethical norms that promote human dignity and equity,” according to a university press release.
“Artificial intelligence is already shaping decisions in healthcare, criminal justice, hiring and public policy,” said Dr. Mark Harden, dean, Shaw Divinity School. “Those decisions raise questions of fairness and accountability that technical fields alone cannot resolve. That is exactly the kind of question theological and moral traditions have spent centuries working on—and exactly the gap this program is built to fill.”
The program is designed for non-traditional adult learners, especially bi-vocational and pastoral leaders with at least five years of leadership experience and an accredited graduate theological degree (such as a Master of Divinity or Master of Arts in theology and ministry), the press release explained.
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