The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) announced on Tuesday that it will offer a double undergraduate degree in data science and business administration in the school year 2023–2024 to develop leaders “with the ability to solve user and consumer problems using innovative technology solutions.”
The Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Business Administration (BSDSBA) and Bachelor of Business Administration, Major in Management Information Systems (BBAMIS) will be AIM’s first undergraduate program.
It will leverage the strengths of AIM’s Aboitiz School of Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (ASITE) and the University of Houston’s (UH) C.T. Bauer School of Business.
“Though AIM is known for graduate programs, we’re confident that we can deliver world-class education by joining forces with our partner school. UH Bauer has the credentials and years of experience in undergraduate programs,” said Jikyeong Kang, president and dean of AIM, at a Nov. 15 press conference.
Students will use the computing facilities and hybrid classrooms of AIM and will be taught by data scientists and business experts from both schools.
Each year in the four-year program is composed of two semesters and a summer term, all based in the AIM campus. Students who opt to spend their senior year at the UH campus in Houston for what Ms. Kang called a “transnational education experience” will be granted a 12-month visa and will have to pay additional fees on top of the $13,500 annual tuition (roughly P775,000+).
Christopher P. Monterola, head of AIM-ASITE, said that the program is three to four times more expensive than what universities in the Philippines offer, but its value proposition is a world-class education five to six times cheaper than in US universities.
“We want to train our students to lead and transform a data-powered world,” he said.
Ms. Kang told BusinessWorld that although AIM has already produced captains of industries through graduate programs, the potential of undergraduates trained in both data science and business administration can leave a big impact on nation building.
She shared that if the program goes well, AIM will consider scaling up and introducing more courses involving partner schools in China, Europe, and South Korea.
Interested high school seniors can submit an accomplished application form available at go.aim.edu/bsdsbaform, a two-minute video essay, a personal statement of 500–650 words, and a photocopy of any government-issued identification card.
Admissions deadline is March 17, 2023. The school year will start on August 21, 2023. For inquiries, e-mail bsdsba@aim.edu. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
