See AI in action by discipline

AI literacy is not enough.

Your subject comes first. AI is taught through the standards of your field.
AI should not replace subject expertise. In simple terms, you will learn how to tell whether an AI answer is good enough for the subject you care about. At Surrey, you will judge AI through disciplinary standards – the ways each subject decides what is accurate, ethical, useful and good enough.
See AI in action by discipline

Learn with AI. Judge it through your subject.

You will not be taught to accept AI uncritically. You will learn when it is useful, when it is limited and how to test it against the standards of your discipline - safety, evidence and fairness, originality, responsibility and professional judgement.

  1. Use AI selectively where it supports your learning
  2. Judge AI by the standards of your subject
  3. Learn what 'good enough' means in your future profession
  4. Graduate ready to question, create and lead.
Artificial Intelligence image

See AI in action Choose your subject

Pick a subject area to see what you might actually do with AI at Surrey – and the disciplinary standard you would use to judge whether the output is good enough. 

These are examples: AI will be taught through the standards of your own course.

Example Engineering

Use AI to generate design ideas, compare options and run early checks - then use engineering judgement to decide what is safe, realistic and worth building.

What you might do as a student

You might ask AI for three bridge concepts, test the assumptions, spot the weak one and improve the final design.

The disciplinary standard

Is it safe, buildable and sustainable?

Explore our subjects

Chemical and process engineering Civil and environmental engineering Electrical and electronic engineering Engineering

Your Surrey degree in an AI-shaped world

You have applied at a time when AI is changing almost every profession. That is why, from September 2026, we are embedding AI across our degrees in ways that are specific to each subject.

You will get opportunities to experiment with AI in the context of your subject, using it to explore ideas, test options, and build confidence with technologies that are reshaping professional life.

The aim is simple: you will not just learn how to use AI. You will learn how to judge it.

You do not need to be an AI expert

Build confidence step by step.

Whether you have already used AI tools, barely tried them, or feel sceptical about them, Surrey will help you understand when they are useful, when they are not, and how to stay in control of the final decision.

  • Start from your subject: You learn AI in the context of the course you actually chose.
  • Practise safely: You explore what AI can do before applying it to more complex work.
  • Spot weak answers: You learn how to identify errors, bias, gaps and overconfident claims.
  • Own your work: You learn to explain your decisions and show what you contributed.
Student doing robotics
Student doing robotics

What makes Surrey’s approach different?

Universities must teach AI through disciplinary standards.

AI literacy helps you use the tool. Disciplinary standards help you decide whether, when and how the tool should be used. In every subject, you will learn what a good AI answer looks like – and how to spot a weak one. A good AI answer looks different in every subject, explore our interactive examples below.

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What this means in practice

You will not just use AI. You will learn how to judge it.

The same AI answer can be useful in one subject and unsafe, weak or unacceptable in another. At Surrey, you will learn AI through your course, not as a generic add-on. You will test its outputs against the standards of your subject and learn when to use it, when to challenge it, and when to reject it.

FAQs

AI should feel useful, not forced. These are the questions many students ask.

Will I be allowed to use AI in assignments?
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Yes, where it supports learning and your course allows it. You will be taught how to use AI properly, ethically and critically - not as a shortcut, but as a tool you can explain and evaluate.

Does this mean AI will do the work for me?
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No. The point is to help you become better at using AI, checking it and improving it. Surrey’s approach focuses on your judgement, evidence and subject expertise - including the critical literacy to spot bias, weak evidence and missing perspectives.

Do I need to be technical already?
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No. AI will be taught in ways that make sense for your subject. A business student, engineer, nurse, lawyer and creative student will use AI differently.

How will this help my career?
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Employers will not just need graduates who can use AI. They will need graduates who can check it, explain it and make responsible decisions with it. That means knowing how to create with AI, test it, spot risks, recognise when not to use it and make sound decisions.

What if I am sceptical about AI?
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That is a good starting point. Surrey’s approach does not ask you to accept AI uncritically. You will learn how to question it, understand its limits, identify risks and decide when AI should or should not be used.

What does "AI literacy is not enough" mean?
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It means knowing how to use an AI tool is only the starting point. The real skill is knowing whether the answer is good enough for your subject, your assignment and your future profession.

What does "disciplinary standards" mean?
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It means every subject has its own way of deciding what good looks like. In engineering, good might mean safe and buildable. In health, it might mean evidence-based and safe for people. In English, it might mean questioning whose story is being told, whose voice is missing and how language is shaping belief. In creative subjects, it might mean original and purposeful. Surrey teaches you to judge AI by those standards.