Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) is broadening the scope of its curriculum by actively incorporating projects and challenges undertaken by students outside the classroom into the formal curriculum. The aim is to recognize the process by which students identify and solve problems on their own—rather than merely attending lectures and taking exams—as a key educational achievement.
 
A prime example of this is the “Alpha Project.” Launched in 2018, the Alpha Project is a program in which ideas proposed by students or faculty are carried out as actual projects over the course of a semester, with regular academic credits awarded based on the process and results. The name combines the Korean character “알” (meaning “egg”) with the Greek letter “Alpha” (α), symbolizing a new beginning, and reflects the initiative’s goal of breaking the mold of traditional education to create new value. Activities that were previously considered extracurricular—such as contests, competitions, entrepreneurship, and club or academic society activities—can now be recognized as projects. Depending on the scale of the project, students can earn up to 12 credits, and activity funds are also provided. From the students’ perspective, this means they no longer have to choose between pursuing their desired challenges and their academic studies.
 
Kookmin University’s self-built car club, “KORA (KOOKMIN RACING),” is a prime example. Building a custom-built car requires students to handle the entire process themselves—from vehicle design to parts manufacturing, assembly, and performance optimization. In the past, preparing for competitions took so much time that some students even took a leave of absence to devote themselves entirely to building the car. However, by utilizing the Alpha Project, they can now earn academic credit and receive activity funding, allowing them to balance their studies with the project.

These achievements continue to pile up. KORA placed fourth overall and first in Asia at the World Student Self-Built Car Competition, and has won the domestic self-built car competition for 10 consecutive years. Projects in other majors have also yielded tangible results. Media studies students won the grand prize in a slogan contest for the prevention of elder abuse and the top prize in the Republic of Korea Blood Donation Contest, while automotive engineering students took first place at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) competition. Projects have also been conducted in areas such as the development of autonomous driving datasets and trajectory prediction models, the construction of object classification systems using robotic arms and AI, and research in the field of mobile edge computing.
 
The university also operates the “Omega (Ω) School,” which connects off-campus experiences to major selection. This program supports students in redesigning their majors when they discover new aptitudes and career paths by linking experiences gained through three tracks—entrepreneurship, global internships, and experiential projects—to major changes.
 
In the first-year curriculum, students are introduced to project-based learning early on through the “Eureka Project.” While typical college courses follow a sequence of learning theory followed by practical application, the Eureka Project reverses this order. It employs a “Experience → Theory → Application” approach, in which students first gain hands-on experience in their major field, then study the theory to address questions that arise during that process, and finally apply that theory to real-world problems. The goal is to enhance academic motivation and understanding of their major by allowing students to directly experience what they will be learning before delving into formal major coursework.
 
Kookmin University President Jeong Seung Ryul stated, “Students must be able to build their competencies not only through knowledge gained in the classroom but also through experiences they encounter and resolve firsthand during their college life.” He added, “We will expand our support to lower the barriers between majors, courses, and the classroom—both inside and out—so that students’ diverse challenges can lead to educational achievements.”