Every year, all freshmen would face one of the most important moments throughout their university life: declaring a major. While it is exciting for some and daunting and difficult for others, it is an experience all KAIST students would deeply remember.
All students are required to choose an advanced major, minor, double major, or individually designed major. Most majors accept an unlimited number of students, and students can also choose an unlimited number of double majors and minors, allowing them much freedom in their choice without being pressured toward a decision.
According to the Academic Registrars Team, 644 major declarations were submitted by Spring 2021 entry students this year. Majors that have attracted the highest number of students were Computer Science (182) and Electrical Engineering (180), followed by Mathematical Sciences (34). 21 students from Electrical Engineering have entered the School of Semiconductor Systems Engineering, which was newly established starting this year. Computer Science and Electrical Engineering were shown to be the most popular majors in the last two years with each over 200 applications in the Spring and Fall semesters combined; these two departments combined account for more than half of the total freshman population. On the other hand, the least number of students joined the School of Nuclear & Quantum Engineering (3), Civil & Environmental Engineering (5), and Transdisciplinary Studies (6).
Other majors have welcomed a wide-ranging number of students. Compared to previous years, an unusual decrease was observed in the number of students who have entered Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (17) and Mechanical Engineering (29), which was the third most popular choice of major in both 2021 and 2020. Additionally, every semester from Spring 2020 onwards, more than 60% of the total cohort have chosen to undertake a double major or minor. Out of 500 students who have entered in Spring 2021, 195 chose a double major while 141 chose a minor alongside their major.
The time to commit to majors is arriving for Fall 2021 freshmen, who are currently attending their second semester, the declaration period this year being from May 30 to June 10. Students should apply for their majors on the KAIST Academic System, request approval from the advisor, and submit it to the Academic Registrar’s Team. Students will also be able to change their applied major through the Academic System within the first four weeks of the following semester. To guide students toward finding their passion and reflecting on their interests, an increasing number of freshman seminars and freshmen orientation sessions are offered by diverse majors, providing students thorough insights on areas of study, possible experiences, career prospects, and much more.