Economic Council Backs Reform of Undergraduate Study Programs

On July 15, 2026, the School of Applied Mathematics and Informatics of Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek held a session of its Economic Council at which the planned changes to the undergraduate study programs were presented. Representatives of the business community took part in a productive discussion and expressed strong support for the proposed direction of the reform.

The reform thoroughly restructures the two existing undergraduate programs in order to align them more closely with the needs of the labor market and with contemporary technological trends, above all in the field of artificial intelligence. The current program Mathematics and Computer Science is being redefined as Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science, which retains a strong software core while placing significantly greater emphasis on artificial intelligence. The current Mathematics program is being transformed into the interdisciplinary program Applied Mathematics, with two profiles:

• Business Analytics, at the intersection of mathematics and economics; and
• Modeling and Data Science, with an emphasis on applied mathematics and working with data.

The School’s Economic Council comprises Zvonimir Ivančević (Privredna banka Zagreb), Krešimir Mlinarić (Span Evolve), Tena Stražanac (Žito), Tihana Gajdošik (AZ fond), and Mihael Tomić (MONO and Osijek Software City). Their practical insight is invaluable to the School in designing programs that prepare students for concrete, in-demand roles — from software and artificial intelligence systems development to business analytics and data science.

The School thanks the members of the Council for their participation and support, and looks forward to continuing the collaboration.