SeoulTech Data Science Major Selected for the 4 Phase Brain Korea 21 (BK21) Project’s Big Data Field
Data Science Business Potential Academic Research Team and Cultivation of Professionals in Construction Convergence Technology Based Safety Academic Research Team selected

SeoulTech’s Data Science Major (Lead Professor Keum Young Jung) was selected for the big data field of the 4 Phase Brain Korea 21 (BK21) Project operated by the Korea Research Foundation and hosted by the Ministry of Education. the 4 Phase BK21 Project provides support funding of 2.9 trillion KRW over the next 7 years in order to cultivate globally competing research focused universities in anticipation of the 4th Industrial Revolution. The big data field in which the Data Science Major was selected was one of 8 academic research teams nationwide including teams from Seoul National University, Yonsei University and Korea University among others. The selection into the BK21 Project signifies a foundation for the Data Science Major to participate in the top research groups in the big data field.

The Data Science and Business Potential Academic Research Team (lead by Professor Lee Hak Yeon) focuses on cultivating on-demand type data scientists that display flexible industrial adaptability through diverse industrial academic joint research while receiving education on advanced models and algorithms based on a foundation of data science theory. The academic research team will strive to cultivate professionals that adapt to different industries by building a curriculum that has a data science focus based on theory and methodology, a business potential focus based on industrial applications, a data professionals focus based on practical capabilities and enabling students to have a technical portfolio based on practical capabilities.

Graduate students in the Academic Research Team will receive monthly research scholarships of 700,000 KRW for Master’s students and 1,300,000 KRW for PhD candidates so that they can focus on their studies and research. Aside from the BK21 Project, SeoulTech also offers many scholarship benefits to its students. The Academic Research Team’s tuition fees will be waived and with these benefits, total scholarship amounts are expected to be 15,000,000 KRW annually for Master’s students and 22,000,000 KRW for PhD candidates.

SeoulTech’s Data Science Major’s (Industrial Engineering) Data Science Business Potential Academic Research Team and the Construction Systems Engineering major’s (joint participation with the National Security and Safety Engineering Major) Cultivating Professionals in Construction Convergence Technology Based Safety Academic Research Team were selected among 562 academic research teams nationally.
The results of the BK21 Project have shown SeoulTech’s progress in research capabilities from external reviews after its transition from a general university in 2012.

▲ SeoulTech View

President Lee Dong Hoon said, “The selection review of the BK21 Project is a result of our graduate schools’ efforts to strengthen their research capabilities in preparation of the newly instated graduate school innovation reviews. We will do our utmost to become a research focused university that is globally renowned.”

Dean of the General Graduate School, Kim Sung Gon, who was in charge of the project, said,”Our selection for the BK21 Project is a result of our school’s community and its efforts and I thank them for working together to achieve such results. We will continue to create new ways to support efforts to strengthen our research capabilities so that more majors will be selected for the BK21 Project in the future.”