Kookmin University Unveils Vision for Future Education on Its 80th Anniversary

Expanding Educational Programs in AI, Quantum Computing, and Robotics

Strengthening Research Infrastructure with the Establishment of a New College of Quantum Convergence Next Year

Expanding Major Options and Breaking Down Interdisciplinary Barriers

△ Starting in March 2027, the university plans to establish a new College of Quantum Convergence to strengthen its educational and research infrastructure, including the development of quantum cryptography modules. The ceremony marking the launch of the nation’s first quantum campus at a university.

Celebrating its 80th anniversary, Kookmin University has established a vision to be “a university that sets the standard for higher education” and adopted the slogan “Make the Rule, Break the Rule,” and is accelerating its efforts to secure a distinctive competitive edge in an increasingly competitive higher education landscape.
 
Having pioneered Korea’s first specialized colleges—such as the College of Fine Arts and the College of Automotive Convergence—Kookmin University has recently expanded its educational and research scope into future-oriented industries such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technology, and biotechnology. This trend is now being channeled into “KMU VISION 2035: EDGE,” the university’s mid- to long-term development plan. “EDGE” stands for four core values: Entrepreneurship, DX (Digital Transformation), Global (Global Competence), and ESG (Sustainable Management).
 
The most notable aspect of this future strategy is the eight specialized fields. Kookmin University has designated Design & Content, Mobility, Quantum, AI+X, Robotics, Bio, Advanced Materials & Semiconductors, and Water, Energy, and Environment as its core growth pillars for the future. Its key strengths lie in Design & Content and Mobility. In the field of design, the university is integrating cutting-edge technology into its existing design education, including hosting the world-class international design award (DBEW AWARD) and launching the Department of AI Design in 2022. In the mobility sector, building on its long-standing competitive edge in automotive engineering, the university is leading the “Future Automotive” division of the Advanced Innovation Convergence University Project and operating the Department of Future Mobility, thereby expanding its educational scope to include software.
 
Recently, the university has been focusing its investments on quantum computing, AI, and robotics. It has strengthened its educational and research infrastructure by establishing a new Quantum Convergence College in March 2027 and leading the Advanced Innovation Convergence University Project in the field of next-generation communications, while also continuing research on quantum cryptography modules and defense technologies. In the field of AI, the university is expanding its “AI+X” education—which integrates AI with various majors—centered on the School of Artificial Intelligence and the Department of AI and Big Data Convergence Management. In the field of robotics, diverse research is also underway based on the Global Leading Research Center (ERC) initiative.
 
The university is also increasing its focus on the fields of biotechnology, advanced materials and semiconductors, and the environment. In the 2027 academic year, it established the College of Bio-Convergence, unifying the Department of Forest, Climate, and Environmental Sciences; the Department of Bio-Materials Convergence Engineering; the Department of Biomedical Sciences; the Department of Convergence Bioengineering; and the Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering into a single educational framework. Additionally, it is expanding its experimental and practical training infrastructure through the Specialized University for Advanced Industries in the Biofield project. Based on these eight specialized fields, the university aims to connect disparate disciplines—such as design and AI, automotive and software, and bio, materials, and the environment—to create new educational and research domains that respond to the evolving needs of future industries.

△ Kookmin University launched its Department of AI Design in 2022, integrating cutting-edge technology into its existing design curriculum. Exhibition pieces by students in the Department of AI Design.

Kookmin University, advocating for an “education ecosystem without boundaries,” is bringing educational innovation to life by breaking down barriers between majors, between academic and extracurricular activities, between the university and the workplace, and between domestic and international contexts.
 
First, the university has revised its major selection and change policy—which previously allowed only one change—to permit students to apply every semester until the eighth semester. This expands opportunities by allowing students to apply for a major change during the first semester of their freshman year and begin studying in their new major starting in the second semester of their freshman year.
 
Students admitted through the “Autonomous Major Selection System” are provided with broader opportunities for exploration. They can choose from approximately 50 majors—including not only the humanities and natural sciences but also the arts and physical education—and are encouraged to decide on their major only after directly experiencing classes and practical training in fields of interest. Rather than separating students in the Autonomous Major Selection System into a distinct group, they attend the same classes, participate in the same practical training, and join the same orientation and club activities as freshmen admitted through major-specific tracks. This is designed to allow students to experience the actual educational environment and naturally interact with students in their prospective majors before making a final decision. To this end, the University of Future Convergence will be established in 2025, and the university is offering major selection counseling with academic advisors, mentoring, major exploration fairs, and major exploration seminars. It also provides support for major exploration, comparison, and career information through “K-Smart Mentor,” an online major and career support system.
 
Furthermore, the university supports students in redesigning their majors if they discover new aptitudes or career paths outside the university. Through the “Omega (Ω) School” program, off-campus activities—such as entrepreneurship, global internships, and experiential projects—are linked to major changes. Under the “Alpha Project,” students undertake contests, competitions, entrepreneurship, and club or academic society activities as semester-long projects, and are awarded regular academic credits based on their results. The student-built car club “KORA” utilized this system to balance vehicle design, manufacturing, and competition preparation with their academic studies, achieving results such as 4th place overall and 1st place in Asia at the World Student Formula Car Competition, as well as consecutive victories in domestic competitions.
 
“Eureka Project,” an introductory major course for first-year students, allows students to directly experience their field of study before diving into formal coursework and connects questions arising from that experience to theoretical learning.
 
This approach extends to career education as well. Rather than simply helping students accumulate another credential for employment, the university supports them in gaining real-world work experience while still in school. In the flagship program, CoREP (Core Role Expert Program), students analyze companies and markets, develop business ideas, and draft and present proposals and reports. Mentoring by industry professionals is also provided. For example, an Education major who developed a domestic market entry strategy for a men’s shirt company through CoREP was hired as the company’s domestic sales manager, and the strategy proposed by the students was utilized in the launch and sales of the company’s own brand. Similarly, an Automotive Engineering graduate noted that the experience of meeting with company representatives and negotiating product costs during the program led to actual work in parts procurement.
 
For students in the humanities and social sciences, the program helps them extend the competencies they’ve built in their majors to various roles such as sales, marketing, and planning. This is achieved by offering practice-oriented programs—including portfolio development, sales and sales management, and online marketing—tailored to students’ desired career paths. Graduates are securing positions at major domestic companies such as Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Hyundai Motor Company, LG Electronics, and Naver Labs.
 
The stage for this boundary-less educational ecosystem is also expanding overseas. The G-PBL (Global Project-Based Learning) program, operated in Irvine, California, is designed to allow students to carry out projects under the mentorship of local experts in the fields of global entrepreneurship, AI, software development, design, and research, and subsequently gain experience through corporate internships. Over the past three years, approximately 50 students have been dispatched to the U.S.
 In the automotive and mobility sectors, through SEA:ME—a program jointly operated with the Volkswagen Group’s Woori Foundation—students spend a year in Germany learning about embedded systems, autonomous driving, and cybersecurity through project-based learning. This year, a Kookmin University team won the “Bosch Future Mobility Challenge 2026” held in Romania, beating out 57 teams from around the world.

△ At the 80th anniversary ceremony held on the 16th, President Jeong Seung Ryul presented Kookmin University’s vision for the next 100 years, describing it as a university that pioneers uncharted paths, solves social problems with new technologies and knowledge, attracts global talent eager to conduct research together, and fulfills its responsibility to future generations.

At the 80th anniversary ceremony held on the 16th in the Academic Conference Hall of the Main Administration Building, President Jeong Seung-ryeol outlined Kookmin University’s vision for the next 100 years as “a university that pioneers paths others have not taken, a university that solves social problems with new technologies and knowledge, a university where global talents want to conduct research together, and a university that fulfills its responsibility to future generations.” He continued, “Let us take pride in our 80-year history and build a future spanning 100 years.”

Park Eun-ah, Guest Reporter

“Dreaming of Becoming a Designer Who Bridges the Humanities and Engineering”

Interview | Moon Seung-chan, Class of 2021, Department of AI Design

△ Moon Seung-chan, a Class of 2021 student in the Department of AI Design, expressed his aspiration to develop ideas that can bring about real change in our society, drawing on his experience of winning three awards at an international advertising and design competition.

“It’s a significant achievement because I was able to take the problem-identification and interdisciplinary problem-solving approaches I learned in class and apply them to an actual international competition.”

Moon Seung-chan, a Class of 2021 student in the Department of AI Design who submitted three projects to the “2026 Young Ones Student Awards” and received a Silver Award, a Bronze Award, and a Merit Award, shared his thoughts on winning three awards at the international advertising and design competition. “Going forward, I want to develop ideas that can bring about real change in society, rather than simply creating advertisements that encourage consumption,” said Moon Seung-chan. We asked him about the Department of AI Design.

— How is the Department of AI Design different from a typical design department?

“It’s more like a department where you study design alongside AI and engineering. We explore various fields—not just visual design and UI/UX, but also data and programming—and go beyond simply using AI as a tool for creating images to focus on how to solve real-world problems. The most distinctive feature is that we experience the entire process: identifying and planning solutions, then using design and technology to implement them ourselves.”

— How are the actual classes conducted?

“There are many classes where students identify problems in daily life or society and develop solutions in the form of apps, services, or content. Since they experience the entire process—from defining the problem to planning, designing, and developing—as a single flow, they no longer think of design and technology as separate entities. There are also many opportunities for students to showcase the work they’ve developed in class, such as generative AI videos, UI/UX improvements using data, and AI-based visual projects.”

— What do you think is the most essential skill for designers in the age of AI?

“I believe the ability to identify problems and determine how to apply technology is more important than how proficiently one uses AI. Through my experience in the Department of AI Design, where I’ve crossed the boundaries between design, the humanities, and engineering, I’ve learned that the role of a designer can expand from simply making the end product look good to proposing new problems and solutions.”