Kookmin University
Enhancing Skills Through Practical Employment Support
Tailored Career Paths for Humanities and Social Sciences Majors
Internships in the U.S. and On-Site Training in Germany Also Available

Through practical career support programs such as CoREP, Kookmin University students undertake corporate projects, apply the skills they have acquired in their majors to real-world job roles, and gain experience through overseas projects and internships. [Photo: Kookmin University]

Recently, companies have placed a high priority on how well applicants understand and have experienced actual job duties when hiring new employees. However, since there are few opportunities to gain practical experience while in school, it is difficult to demonstrate the problem-solving and collaboration skills that companies seek based solely on one’s major, certifications, and language test scores. To bridge this gap, Kookmin University is shifting the focus of its career education from “building up credentials” to “practical experience.” This approach goes beyond the confines of academic majors and classrooms, enabling students to tackle real-world corporate challenges and even participate in projects and internships overseas.
 
A prime example is CoREP (Core Role Expert Program), a hands-on career support program. Students do more than just attend lectures; they analyze companies and markets to generate business ideas, draft proposals and reports, and present their findings. The program is designed to provide mentoring from industry professionals, enabling students to gain the communication and problem-solving skills necessary for real-world work. 
 
There are also cases where projects have led to actual business opportunities or job offers. A graduate of the Department of Education conducted a CoREP project during his studies on a strategy for a men’s shirt company to enter the domestic market and subsequently joined the company as a domestic sales manager. The strategy proposed by the students was utilized in the company’s launch of its own brand and actual sales. Cho Young-jun, a graduate of the Department of Automotive Engineering who joined Kia Motors in a parts procurement role, also noted that his experience conducting meetings with corporate representatives and negotiating product costs through CoREP has directly contributed to his current work. In addition, students who participated in CoREP have gone on to join leading companies such as Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Hyundai Motor Company, Hyundai Mobis, Hanwha Engine, and Lotte Mart.

Kookmin University students are developing practical skills and enhancing their employability by participating in industry-linked projects.

Another unique strength of Kookmin University is its specialized career program tailored for students in the humanities and social sciences. Rather than directly linking students’ majors to specific careers, the program supports them in applying the skills they’ve developed in their majors to a variety of roles, such as sales, marketing, and planning. Based on each student’s areas of interest and desired career path, the university offers job-focused programs in areas such as portfolio development, sales and sales management, and online marketing.
 
This approach is evident in actual employment outcomes. Shin Hyo-jin, a graduate of the Department of Korean Language and Literature who joined A-Sung Daiso, set her sights on a sales position while still a student and gained experience in product sales and performance generation through activities such as the university’s student ambassador program and CoREP. During the job application process, her ability to specifically demonstrate the experience she had prepared for her desired role—rather than simply stating her major—proved to be a key competitive advantage.
  
The scope of career education is also expanding overseas. G-PBL (Global Project-Based Learning), operated in Irvine, California, is a program where students undertake projects in various fields—such as global entrepreneurship, AI, software development, design, and research—under the mentorship of experts with work experience at leading global companies like Google and Amazon, and subsequently connect these projects to local corporate internships. Over the past three years, approximately 50 students have been dispatched to the U.S. A key feature of the program is its focus not merely on the overseas experience itself, but on performing actual job duties locally and connecting those experiences to employment opportunities.
 
In the automotive and mobility sector, the SEA (Software Engineering in Automotive and Mobility Ecosystems) program—jointly operated with the Volkswagen Group’s Woori Foundation—is a prime example. Students spend one year in Germany learning about future automotive software fields—such as embedded systems, autonomous driving, and cybersecurity—through project-based learning. In May of this year, a joint team from Kookmin University proved its capabilities by winning the “Bosch Future Mobility Challenge 2026,” an international autonomous driving competition held in Romania, beating out 57 teams from around the world. This was the result of applying knowledge gained in the classroom to real-world global projects and competitive settings.
 
This hands-on education is also leading to employment. According to the 2025 University Information Disclosure, the employment rate for students in automotive-related majors stands at 81.3%, with graduates securing positions at major domestic companies such as LG Electronics and Naver Labs.
 
The common thread among the various employment programs operated by Kookmin University is that they enable students to move beyond simply “what they have learned” to “what they have actually done.”
 
Kookmin University President Jeong Seung Ryul stated, “As Kookmin University marks its 80th anniversary, we plan to expand our field-oriented education in conjunction with our mid- to long-term development plan, ‘KMU VISION 2035: EDGE.’” He added, “We will break down the barriers between majors, curricula, and domestic and international workplaces, and support students through various programs so they can accumulate the competencies required by industry and society through hands-on experience while still enrolled.”