A survey on Yonseian's attitude towards their majors
RECENTLY, THE Ministry of Education has proposed the Program for Industrial Needs-Matched Education (PRIME) program. The initiative, as its full name implies, promises to subsidize those universities that reform their academic structures to produce more students with majors that match the demands of industry. Many universities, in turn, are enforcing large-scale reforms of their academic offerings by closing or merging humanities or arts majors that are considered less advantageous for employment. This trend has raised criticisms that universities are turning virtually into prep schools for jobs. As certain majors are given more support than others due to the ‘demand from society’, *the Yonsei Annals* asked Yonsei students about their thoughts on their own majors.
Number of Responses: Total 720
Major Fields: Humanities & Social Sciences: 37.2%, Engineering: 22.2%, Commerce & Business: 18%, Sciences: 9.1%, Interdisciplinary Studies: 6.7%, Art, Music &Physical Education: 3.7%, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy: 3.7%
1. Are you satisfied with your major?
Humanities & Social Sciences
Commerce & Business
Engineering
Sciences
Art, Music &Physical Education
Interdisciplinary Studies
Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy
2. Before entering college, which criteria did you consider to be most important when choosing your major? (Up to two multiple choices)
Aptitude: 68.8%/ Employment: 23.6%/ Future career: 48.3%/ Possibility of getting accepted: 36.8% / Others: 2.8%
3. After entering college, which criteria do you consider to be most important when choosing your major? (Up to two multiple choices)
Aptitude: 79.3%/ Employment: 34.4%/ Future career: 64.4%/ Others: 2.8%
4. Would you choose the same major again if you reenter college? (Please respond to 4-1 and 4-2 if you chose 1, 2 or 3)
1. 11%, 2. 15.8%, 3. 16.4%, 4. 25.4%, 5.31.4%
4-1. Which kind of major would you choose?
Humanities & Social Sciences: 24.8%, Engineering: 19.1%, Commerce & Business: 24.4%, Sciences: 7.2%, Medicine: 12.1%, Others: 12.2%
4-2. Why would you choose that kind of major?
Aptitude: 46.7%/ Advantage when getting hired: 13.5%/ Helpful for future career: 26.1%/ Generally regarded as a better major than current major: 8%/ Others: 5.8%
5. Are you planning for a double major? (Please respond to 5-1 if you said “yes”)
Yes: 45%/ No: 46%/ Not sure: 9%
5-1. Why are you planning for a double major?
Interested in other major: 45.3%/ Might be helpful for studying main major: 21%/ Dissatisfaction with main major: 10.1%/ To get a better chance of getting employed: 20.4%/ others: 3.3%
6. Are you satisfied with the quality of your major’s classes?
1 Very dissatisfied: 4.2%/ 2 Dissatisfied: 13.2%/ 3 Moderate: 26.9%/ 4 Satisfied: 40.6%/ 5 Very Satisfied: 15.1%
Jeong Da-eun
clairejeong96@yonsei.ac.kr