On Advantages and Disadvantages of Compulsory Major Convergence

The government has proposed a development model for universities to strengthen the capacity of the College of Humanities as part of the university restructuring policy in line with the trend of the times, and encouraged each university to voluntarily induce the establishment of the humanities development plan through financial support under their own individual conditions. With the decline in the school-age population due to the declining fertility rate, the rapid change in the industrial structure has highlighted the decline in the employment rate of the students of the humanities. Therefore, the government is implementing university grading based on the results of the university structural reform evaluation, and pressing low-grade universities through reduction of capacity and reduction of support. In the course of this change, universities have designated the College of Humanities as the primary target of integration with other majors or and its disintegration. This study examines the direction of the government's attempt to change the humanities in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and suggests a precedent example during the reform of the humanities college. If the humanities college is integrated with practical studies such as management, design, IT, CT, and engineering, the strengths of the humanities can be highlighted. However, the results of this study suggest that many variables such as consideration of students' aptitudes and interests in the integration process of majors, autonomy in major selection, understanding between departments integrated, and demand for a single major before integration or disintegration should be considered. In addition, an example of a local private university shows that the hasty attempt to integrate or disintegrate the humanities can rather lead to various educational harms.