Sahmyook University Selected as SW-Centered University... Establishment and Reorganization of SW Majors

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[Asia Economy Reporter Jinju Han] Samyuk University has been newly selected for the '2021 Software-Centered University' project led by the Ministry of Science and ICT and will receive 2 billion KRW in funding.

The Software-Centered University project aims to innovate university education by focusing on software (SW) and cultivate core SW talents. Since its inception in 2015, 40 universities have been selected. This year, 9 universities were newly selected, including 2 specialized track universities (competition rate 5.2:1) including Samyuk University, and 7 general track universities (competition rate 4:1).

Samyuk University will operate the project with the goal of "cultivating SW health science convergence talents for a healthy local community." Utilizing accumulated know-how in the specialized field of health science, the plan is to integrate new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data into healthcare to nurture convergence talents equipped with SW capabilities.

As part of the SW Health Science specialized major, three linked major courses?SW Addiction Psychology, SW Addiction Rehabilitation, and SW Health Big Data?will be newly established and operated. These majors combine the Computer Engineering Department and Intelligent Information Convergence Department, which specialize in SW and AI, with healthcare departments such as Nursing, Physical Therapy, Health Management, Counseling Psychology, and Pharmacy.

Reorganization of SW-related departments will also be pursued. The Intelligent Information Convergence Department, which integrates the humanities and social sciences-based Department of Management Information Systems and the engineering-based Department of IT Convergence Engineering, will be reorganized into the 'Department of Artificial Intelligence Convergence' to establish a foundation for SW education. The number of full-time faculty will be significantly expanded from 14 to 30 by April next year. The number of specialized SW practice labs will increase from 7 to 24. A new 'SW Talent Admission Track' will be established to select outstanding SW talents, and SW specialization scholarships will be provided to all students admitted to the Future Convergence College, a SW and AI college.

Basic SW education for all students will be strengthened. The existing single course 'Computational Thinking' will be subdivided by major and the number of courses increased. Two basic education courses, 'SW and Future Society' and 'Computational Thinking and Basic Coding,' will also be introduced for prospective freshmen before admission.

Industry-academia cooperation curricula will be strengthened to cultivate field-oriented SW professionals. Third- and fourth-year SW majors must complete industry-linked courses where they carry out actual projects in companies. A global fund utilizing overseas networks will also be established to support overseas internships and employment/start-ups.

Kim Ilmok, President of Samyuk University, said, "Samyuk University has traditionally had strengths in healthcare and health science fields, and with the selection for the Software-Centered University project, we will transform these specialized fields into SW-based convergence education suitable for the Fourth Industrial Revolution era."

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