GIST undergraduates in the Challenge and Exploration Program choose their majors after completing foundational coursework. As of 2026, the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) was the most popular major. Students pursue minors and double majors across fields, as well as advanced majors within their primary field.
How and When Majors Are Declared
GIST undergraduates declare a major once they meet the eligibility requirements. Students admitted in 2018 or later may apply after registering for at least two regular semesters or earning 30 or more credits, with application periods announced each May and November. Students apply through ZEUS, the university’s integrated academic information system, submitting their intended major and study plan. The major is then finalized on the first day of the following semester, after an internal approval process by the Student Records Team. There are no enrollment caps for individual majors, allowing students to choose their preferred major.
Major Declarations and Changes
Declaration records from 2012 to 2026 show that students’ major choices have gradually become less concentrated in a few departments. In 2019, when the declaration window moved from the end of the second year to the end of the first, the number of declarations temporarily increased. More recently, the Department of AI Convergence and the Department of Mathematical Sciences have been newly established, and major choices continue to disperse across departments.
A total of 244 students declared majors in the spring and fall semesters of 2026. EECS drew the most students at 47, followed by Materials Science and Engineering with 39, AI Convergence with 37, and Life Sciences with 36. Chemistry followed with 21, Physics and Photon Science with 19, Mechanical and Robotics Engineering and Environment and Energy Engineering with 18 each, and Mathematical Sciences with 9.
There were 181 major changes between 2012 and 2026. EECS was the most common new major, accounting for 65 changes, followed by Materials Science and Engineering with 29, Mechanical and Robotics Engineering with 22, and Chemistry with 19.
Minors, Double Majors, and Advanced Majors
Beyond their primary major, students can also declare minors, double majors, and advanced majors. The most popular minor in 2026 was Biomedical Science and Engineering, accounting for 28 of the 99 declarations, followed by Culture Technology (15), Humanities and Social Sciences (14), Mathematical Sciences (12), and AI Convergence (10). At the undergraduate level, Biomedical Science and Engineering is available only as a minor, and the number of students applying has remained in the double digits since 2023. By contrast, AI Convergence and Mathematical Sciences — once minor-only programs — now offer undergraduate degree programs, and their minor declarations have been trending downward.
By primary major, EECS students account for the largest share of cumulative minor declarations at 326 (38.1%), followed by Physics and Photon Science with 138 (16.1%) and Life Sciences with 127 (14.8%). Common combinations included EECS students minoring in Mathematical Sciences (90 declarations) and Physics and Photon Science students doing the same (83). There were also 64 declarations by Life Sciences students for Biomedical Science and Engineering and 26 by Chemistry students for Humanities and Social Sciences.
The double major was introduced in the spring semester of 2020, and 32 students declared one in 2026. Mathematical Sciences was the most chosen at 10, followed by EECS at 7. A cumulative total of 102 students have declared a double major.
By primary major, EECS students choosing another department as their double major were the most common at 32 (31.4%). The most frequent pairing was EECS students choosing Mathematical Sciences as their second major (15 students). Eight Physics and Photon Science students also chose Mathematical Sciences as their second major. Conversely, EECS was also the most popular destination: 30 students (29.4%) from other departments declared it as their double major.
Advanced major declarations have been tracked since 2022, and 23 students declared one in 2026. The total has risen sharply from pre-2024 levels since 2025, when the figures began to include students from the Department of Semiconductor Engineering, for whom the advanced major is mandatory. The Department of AI Convergence is the only department with no advanced major declarations.
Translated by Junil Byeon
(junil_byeon@gm.gist.ac.kr)