I'd say that it's usually because the pace of change in the industry is too fast for the curriculum to keep up. Maths courses written in the time of COBOL are

I'd say that it's usually because the pace of change in the industry is too fast for the curriculum to keep up. Maths courses written in the time of COBOL are still being taught. The only option is to teach the basic fundamentals, which (without application) makes for a very dull subject.