Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)

POSTECH is one of most renowned universities in South Korea and frequently comes out on top in international rankings in engineering and natural sciences.The private university was endowned by large steel manufacturer.Ever since its establishment in 1986, POSTECH has stayed true to its role in Korean higher education as a pioneer in science and technology research. Located in the city of Pohang, the 400-acre, park-like campus is home to the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory and minutes away from POSCO, the fourth-largest steelmaking company in the world. POSTECH has come a long way in its short history to become globally recognized as one of Asia's premier universities and among the most selective, highly ranked research universities in Korea.

As one of Korea's top universities dedicated to science and engineering, POSTECH offers four-year programs in 10 departments and POSTECH's Graduate School offers programs in 11 departments. Students here are instructed by some of the finest professors and scholars in the world. POSTECH also provides some of the best research facilities and learning resources available on the beautifully laid out campus for its students and faculty to utilize during their tenure here. The excellence of the university extends far beyond the campus, as POSTECH has international cooperative agreements in place with 73 sister universities all across the world. Every year, more of our students are selected to study and take internships abroad while more international students are also admitted to our university.

POSTECH is actively engaged in R&D as it supports over 45 research centers on its campus. Through all this, POSTECH continues its pursuit of excellence and maintains its integrity in providing the best possible education for its gifted students. The ultimate goal of POSTECH is the betterment of not just Korea, but of the entire global family - human civilization in the 21st Century and beyond.

With a founding vision to advance the development of the nation and pursue the betterment of humanity, POSTECH first opened its doors in December 1986 as the first research-oriented university in Korea. After 28 years of its short history, POSTECH today has established itself as one of the top research universities in Asia with global competitiveness and prominent growth potential. POSTECH was ranked 28th among universities in the world in 2012 and no. 1 in the world’s top 100 universities under 50 years old by Times Higher Education for three consecutive years from 2012 to 2014.

The global academic community has been astounded by the rapid rise of this young, private university established in a rural area of a non-English speaking country. POSTECH defied the odds by blazing new trails in higher education and research by placing a strong focus on student-centered learning, excellent research, and well-oiled academia-industry collaboration.

POSTECH has strategically maintained its small size and excellence in quality by admitting only 320 top-notch students each year to the undergraduate programs through a highly selective process. It is currently home to about 1,400 undergraduate students and 2,100 graduate students. POSTECH provides customized education for the selected few and nurture them to become well-rounded future global leaders who can find solutions to grand challenges and drive humanity’s sustainable development. The University offers academic and research programs in four departments of science, seven departments of engineering, and interdisciplinary programs in related academic fields.

As a pioneering research oriented university in Korea, POSTECH has consistently strived to raise the bar higher for advanced research. Home to more than 70 research institutes, POSTECH offers many state-of-art research facilities, including the nation’s only synchrotron radiation facility. In 2016, Pohang Accelerator Laboratory will start operation of the 4th generation light source, which produces lights 10 billion times brighter than the existing 3rd generation light source. POSTECH is a stronghold of cutting-edge research where graduate students, researchers, and faculty members are driven to conduct groundbreaking research.

As POSTECH students and faculty come from all corners of the nation and world, all academic members are guaranteed on-campus housing, making the campus the best environment for intensive education and research that continues day and night. On POSTECH’s bilingual campus, not only instruction in academic degree programs is given in English, but also all official university meetings, events, activities, documents, and announcements are in both English and Korean. The International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) office closely assists foreign members from their pre-arrival to departure.  

POSTECH will continue to be a trailblazer exploring uncharted territories in higher education and research and prepare to take its next leap forward as a world-class institution of higher learning.POSTECH is located in Pohang, South Korea, which is located approximately 250 miles southeast of Seoul, the capital city of Korea.  Pohang was once a small fishing village until POSCO found its steel-making plants near this coastal town in 1970. It was the birth of POSTECH in 1986 that firmly established Pohang’s reputation as a center for science and technology. Pohang and the surrounding area now have approximately half million residents and have become one of the most important industrial centers in Korea. The POSTECH campus is 20 minutes from downtown Pohang, and a 40 minutes from the eastern coast. Pohang’s east coast offers relaxing beaches and picturesque views. The mountainous region hosts Bogyeong and Oeo Temples, which are popular hiking sites. With remnants of an old fishing village and the nation’s latest advancements, Pohang is truly a mixture of the old and the new, both traditional and modern cultures.

Maximization of the university's research capabilities has always been the utmost priority of POSTECH. Home to 64 research centers, POSTECH offers many state-of-the-art research facilities, including Korea's only synchrotron radiation facility. Support on all levels ranging from infrastructure to management and finances have resulted in many distinguished research achievements. POSTECH is guided by the university's motto of Integrity, Creativity, and Aspiration as it strives to become a top 20 world university by the year 2020.

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

Korea  Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is the first and top science & technology research university in Korea. KAIST was established in 1971 as a research-focused university to foster elite human resources in science and technology. KAIST has been the gateway to advanced science & technology, innovation, and a driving engine for the development of Korea for past 4 decades. KAIST has always been touted as Korea’s top-notch research university of science wunderkinds and world famous faculty members. KAIST strives to address global challenges facing humanity through competitive research innovation and convergence. In the future, KAIST must become a university in which the world lays its eye upon, by discovering the best leaders, offering the best education, and becoming the envy of the academic world, not only within Korea but all over the world through the university’s first invention. The Times Higher Education (THE) published in June 2013 the list of top 100 universities less than 50 years old, and KAIST ranked third on the list. The university’s strong faculty conducts internationally recognized research in cooperation with academic institutions and companies all over the world.

KAIST has three campuses, one in Seoul, and two in Daejeon. The Seoul campus houses the College of Business. The main as well as the information and communications technology (ICT) campuses are both in Daejeon, in the center of Daedeok Innopolis, the largest scientific and technological R&D cluster in Korea. It comprises more than 1,399 government and private research institutes, startups, and venture companies.

KAIST offers academic and research programs in the following colleges: College of Natural Sciences, College of Life Science & Bioengineering, College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Convergence Science, and College of Business.

 With over 300 agreements with more than 200 world-renowned universities and research institutions, KAIST has become an international hub for interdisciplinary convergence, and a prominent collaborator for academia, industry, and business, KAIST continues to make significant contributions to the world’s fast-paced economy. KAIST has successfully fostered a culture of entrepreneurship, actively supporting both student and faculty start-up activities through a host of diverse programs, events, and resources specifically tailored to allow the KAIST community to hone their business communication skills, to gain access to funding and office/lab space, resources, and equipment for producing prototypes and test-platforms, and to receive mentoring from world-renowned faculty and successful entrepreneurs.

In the late 1960s, as Korea shifted its focus from light industry to heavy industry, the lack of highly educated scientists and engineers emerged as a serious problem. Korea, then heavily dependent on foreign products and technologies, had difficulty conducting its own research and development (R&D).The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) was established in 1971 as the nation’s first graduate school specializing in science and engineering education and research. In 1986, KAIST started offering undergraduate degree programs in science and technology. In 1989, the university’s campus moved out of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, to Daejeon, about 50 minutes away by high speed train from Seoul. In 2009, KAIST merged with another public university, the Information and Communications University that had been established in 1997 and based in Daejeon as the nation’s only information technology research university. KAIST has set itself a new model for research universities in Korea and has evolved into a global research university. The university has six (6) colleges,  eleven (11) graduate schools  604 tenure track faculty and 402 staff members .

In recognition of the nations need for elite human resources in science and technology, KAIST was developed to support industrialization as part of the economic development plan. To satisfy the need of producing talents, a systematic graduate school of science and engineering was needed, to prevent international leakage of intellectual talent. KAIST launched as the nation’s first science and technology graduate school focused on research.

From the outset, KAIST has emphasized on conducting research projects in both theoretical and applied sciences. KAIST continues to be Korea’s foremost institution for mid- to long-term strategic R&D projects of national and international significance. Research at KAIST focuses on projects of basic science and technological innovation that will have the greatest impact on humanity and industrial society. KAIST has a wide range of international exchange and cooperation programs; hosts international academic conferences, workshops, and symposia ; holds academic exchanges of professors; supports exchanges of research personnel and students with overseas universities; and conducts international joint research projects.