A Cause for Concern
One of the graduation requirements at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) is completing mandatory Data Science (DS)-based courses, which focus on software programming, artificial intelligence (AI), and data analysis. Students who enrolled between 2021 and 2024 must take four mandatory DS-based courses totaling nine credits to fulfill the DS-based section of the graduation requirement. Moreover, completing all four courses grants the AI certification under the Sam-pum System, which is also mandatory for graduation. While the school automatically registers two courses for freshmen — Computational Thinking and Software Coding and Problem Solving and Algorithm — during the first year, the remaining two courses — AI Basics and Uses and Fundamentals of Data Analytics — must be registered by students themselves. However, due to limited slots, many students fail to secure the remaining courses, forcing them to take additional semesters and delay graduation. This recurring issue has fueled growing frustration, with students demanding more slots for the DS-based courses. In an interview with the Sungkyun Times (SKT), Im Eun-so (Junior, Department of Economics) expressed, “Considering that they were a graduation requirement for all students, I do not think the school offered enough classes or slots. This made it very difficult to register, especially for students who also had to enroll in major classes that already had a lot of competition.” Similar sentiments were expressed during the August course registration period, fueling stronger criticism and concern over this particular requirement.
Revising for Good or Bad?
To resolve this issue, the Office of Academic Affairs announced several changes to the DS-based courses on August 19th, which was during the course registration period. According to the announcement, the DS-based requirement for most students enrolled before 2024 has been lowered from nine to four credits, meaning students now need only two DS-based courses to satisfy the graduation requirement. However, when the revision was announced, students expressed mixed feelings. On one hand, they were relieved that they no longer had to endure the pressure of registering for the courses and risk delaying their graduation. On the other hand, they were dissatisfied with how the situation was handled, as the announcement was not made before the registration period began. In another interview with the SKT, Oh Young-won (Junior, Department of Business Administration) said, “Although I am satisfied with the recent adjustments, considering that this change affects students’ graduation, I feel that it should have been announced well in advance before the registration period.” Furthermore, starting from 2026, four of the main DS-based courses will be discontinued and replaced with two new 3-credit courses. The Computational Thinking and Software Coding course and the Problem Solving and Algorithm course will combine into a single course titled Problem Solving and Computational Thinking. At the same time, the AI Basics and Uses course and the Fundamentals of Data Analytics course will merge into another course titled Introduction to Data Analysis and AI. As the new system takes effect on March 1st, 2026, it remains to be seen whether these changes will bring relief or even more inconvenience to students registering for the DS-based courses next semester.