With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, there is a strong wind of change in the university district. Universities are making every effort to cultivate talents who will lead a rapidly changing future society.
Regardless of their major, they are introducing various programs that deviate from the existing teaching methods by requiring all students to complete basic AI education or strengthening courses related to new technologies such as AI and big data. Flexibility in choosing majors is also increasing. It introduces systems such as non-major, multi-major, and linked major so that students can access and explore various disciplines. It is also seen that the boundaries between disciplines are broken, such as the establishment of a convergence major with other disciplines.
Cooperation between companies and universities is also strengthening. Universities are collaborating with global information technology (IT) companies or large domestic companies to open lectures that reflect the latest technologies and expand opportunities for field training. This is to cultivate talented people with work capabilities that can be put into practice immediately after graduation. Sungkyunkwan University draws attention by establishing an innovative university management model in various fields such as industry-academic cooperation and digital innovation. It is receiving good reviews from students because it introduces an AI-based learning platform to provide a customized educational environment for students and has a system that allows them to access learning anywhere without space constraints.
In order to respond to future technology demand, advanced departments are newly established and research capabilities are being strengthened. The battery department, which is scheduled to be established in 2026, is a process to train next-generation secondary battery experts in cooperation with Samsung SDI. The Department of Energy, which has been operating undergraduate courses since last year, focuses on the research of renewable energy and sustainable energy systems. In addition, the department of quantum information engineering has been established to strengthen future technology competitiveness through quantum computing and quantum technology research, and through the Department of Applied AI Convergence, it is producing professional personnel including employee screening based on AI technology and industrial convergence.
Dankook University is developing talented people who respond flexibly to changes in the times by intensively fostering various convergence and complex majors. Dankook University has developed more than 190 convergence courses since 2021 through the BioHealth Innovation Convergence University Project, and 41,000 students have taken related lectures for four years. In the field of humanities and social affairs, it operates a level-specific curriculum that combines representative fields of K culture such as movies, dramas, and webtoons and representative jobs in the culture and arts fields. In addition, Dankook University requires all students to take AI, coding, and software (SW) courses to acquire the necessary skills in the rapidly changing digital age. According to Dankook University, more than 1,808 related courses have been opened in eight years, and 65,000 people have completed the course. The selection of non-major students has also been expanded. In order for students to freely explore majors suitable for their aptitude without being bound by a specific major, more than a third (33.8% and 1,041 students) of the freshmen quota will be selected by a large-scale wide-area recruitment that selects them regardless of academic (department) unit.
Sejong University operates six high-tech departments, including △ Smart Life Industry Convergence Department △ AI Robot Department △ Artificial Intelligence Data Science Department △ Intelligent Drone Convergence Major △ Intelligence Information Convergence Department △ Content Software Department. The AI Robotics Department will organize a curriculum of AI-related subjects that can be applied to robots and autonomous vehicles, mechanical engineering for mobility production, and electronic engineering for electrical and electronic circuit system production to help students develop robots and mobility themselves. The Department of Artificial Intelligence Data Science is a major that learns artificial intelligence and data science together. An official from Sejong University explained, “It reflects the needs of industries that demand integrated talents of artificial intelligence and data science.”
In addition, Sejong University’s Department of Intelligent Information Convergence aims to cultivate next-generation IoT core personnel who interconnect and converge all information in the real and virtual world, and Smart Life Industry Convergence aims to cultivate advanced life science talents who can solve environmental problems by combining life science and advanced convergence technology.
Kyung Hee University is carrying out various educational innovations, such as expanding convergence education related to high-tech industries and removing barriers between departments. By establishing a convergence multi-major-centered education platform, an educational innovation roadmap was drawn up with the goal of “open university,” “open learning,” and “open major.” Kyung Hee University, in particular, considers ‘open major’ as a new innovation model. Starting in 2025, about 10% of the enrollment quota will be selected as open majors and various programs will be provided for students to design their lives and careers on their own. In the field of research, △space science △ biohealth △ quantum science △ advanced materials △ AI △ human civilization is being developed into six major areas. As a result of these efforts, Kyung Hee University ranked No. 1 in the field of telecommunications engineering, food engineering, and transportation technology in the ‘2024 Shanghai Academic Field Evaluation’. Last year, he opened the Center for Global Quantum Materials Research and invited Nobel Prize winner Professor Konstantin Novoselov as the center’s director. It is also conducting medical artificial intelligence research by participating in the international joint research ‘Global AI Frontier Lab’ promoted by the government.
Deokseong Women’s University is focusing its efforts on nurturing high-tech and talented people by opening a new AI new medicine department in 2025 after establishing a virtual reality convergence department and data science department in 2024. It is also noteworthy that the free major system was introduced to the ‘whole’ of universities from freshmen in 2020. In addition, Deokseong Women’s University will select new students by establishing a free major department from 2025 in accordance with the Ministry of Education’s plan to introduce no-cost deductions.
There is also a wind of innovation in the CEO process. Ewha Womans University’s Ewha Women’s Senior Management Course provides a program to acquire management theory and practical knowledge at the same time by analyzing the latest management issues and practical trends that can respond to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is a process of cultivating the management capabilities required of female leaders in a rapidly changing society such as AI and big data. Seoul National University runs a fashion industry CEO course for CEOs in related industries such as textiles and clothing. The curriculum was organized to enhance the competitiveness of fashion companies by combining the latest design and marketing techniques.
[Juyeon Reporter]
