?The School of Social Information Science was established in April 2019 with the aim of cultivating students who acquire a solid foundation of information science, both in knowledge and skills, and create social value through data analysis. To date, many graduates have gone on to be active in various fields, including IT and systems companies. In addition, to further deepen their expertise through advanced research, more than 30% of our graduates proceed to graduate school.

?Meanwhile, information technology continues to evolve rapidly, and the recent emergence of generative AI has had a great impact on our lives and on the structure of society. The relationship between AI and humans is also changing, and the importance of proactively utilizing AI is increasing. At the School of Social Information Science where we aim to cultivate individuals who leverage big data to create new value and who can identify problems and derive solutions, the proactivity will become increasingly significant.

?The School of Social Information Science has strengths in mathematical sciences and algorithms, AI and data science, and their practical applications in society, and we will restructure the curriculum to exploit these strengths. At the same time, we will continue our efforts to ensure that students acquire a solid foundation in information science and develop the ability to identify and solve problems in organizations, communities, and society. Since our faculty members are also affiliated with the Graduate School of Information Science, we will design our education programs with a view toward progression to graduate studies and provide a foundation for cultivating highly specialized professionals.

?Given the growing demand for talent in the DX (digital transformation) field, we will increase the number of places from 100 to 160 students per year. We expect that each student will have expanded opportunities to grow by leveraging their individual interests and strengths. We welcome those who wish to study at the University of Hyogo and contribute to the development of a society undergoing rapid change.