[464 Clip] Lack of Available Courses for the Data Science Major

   Students have been complaining that there are not enough courses for their majors. When the fall semester course was released, students began to make their timetables. However, students who want to take courses as data science majors are confused. There have been complaints every semester that there are not enough lectures for the major. In the case of business majors, which are also highly sought after by students in other majors, the number of lectures is insufficient compared to the number of students, but the case of data science majors is different. When searching for the data science major in the comprehensive course schedule, only one course appears. In the case of last year, likewise, only one course, Theory of Statistics, was opened. This is a problem for those majoring only in data science, but also for students who plan to take double major and interdisciplinary study paths. 

   The Data Science major was established in 2022 with the establishment of the College of AI Software Convergence. It aimed to provide theoretical classes and practical projects for data collection, analysis, and visualization, and to foster human resources through convergence research and education with other academic fields. In 2023, the name of the major was changed from the Department of AI Convergence to the Department of AI Software Convergence, and it is currently one of the College of AI Software Convergence majors. These names and systems will be changed again. From 2025, the College of AI Software Convergence will be renamed the College of Advanced Convergence, and the Department of AI Software Convergence will be renamed the Department of Computer Science and AI. 

   The current majors in the Department of AI Software Convergence, including the Data Science major, will be merged. The reduction in the number of courses in the Data Science major is likely due to this change. Currently, data science majors are recognized as majors if they take courses from other departments. There are 12 major courses in the Department of Statistics, Management Information Systems, and Industrial Systems Engineering. These are available to be acknowledged as Data Science major courses. When looking at the major curriculum provided on the website, students can see that many courses have been abolished or renamed since 2022. In addition, these courses are offered in the Department of AI Software Convergence. 

   Students who want to study data science in-depth have fewer options. A student double majoring in the Data Science major anonymously shared her experience. “I remember there were about 1-2 courses per semester. Data Science is always highly competitive because fewer majors are offered, and the number of seats is even more limited for double majors students, so it was competitive to enroll in courses. Also, I had the expectation that I would be able to learn in-depth content, but, in reality, there are many common majors by the College of AI Software Convergence,” she told The Dongguk Post. “The competition rate for majors and MSC courses is generally high. In this regard, I hope many courses will be offered at various times so that students can study majors easily. Also, since the department has not existed for that long, it is hard to know how to plan a course of study when looking at the academic completion guide, which changes every year. It would be better if the curriculum was finalized and announced beforehand to reduce confusion,” she added. 

   There is a concern about students’ confusion due to the continuous change of majors. There seems to be a need for systematic preparation and planning so students can study what they need.