Universities create international-only majors in response to growing student demand
Published: 30 Dec. 2024, 14:57
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- LEE TAE-HEE
- [email protected]
![Students at Korea University participate in the International Student Fair in May. The university is set to open its international student-only Division of Global Entertainment in spring 2025. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/30/05371ffe-95f1-4384-bd2c-b5fdeae47e75.jpg)
Students at Korea University participate in the International Student Fair in May. The university is set to open its international student-only Division of Global Entertainment in spring 2025. [NEWS1]
Universities are increasingly launching international student-only majors, with new programs being introduced and some universities expanding the scope to meet growing student demand.
Korea University is one of the institutions set to launch a new international student-only undergraduate department, the Division of Global Entertainment, in spring 2025.
The final list of inaugural students was announced in November, with the university stating that the division received “a large number of applicants.”
The university’s Office of International Affairs has been hosting around 30 admissions fairs for the department, both in Korea and abroad. Fairs were held for students in countries such as China, Japan, Canada and Thailand through local high schools, study-abroad agencies and Korean language centers.
“Students from China, Japan and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and Indonesia, were especially interested in the Division of Global Entertainment,” said a spokesperson for Korea University. “They asked many questions about the school curriculum and career prospects during the admissions fairs.”
The new division will educate students about Korea’s entertainment industry, covering K-pop, webtoons, film and esports. Courses will focus on both business and content creation, with students learning about entertainment marketing, film theory and media technology.
Although many universities offer English-taught programs for international students, an amendment to the Higher Education Act in 2022 allowed universities to create majors exclusively for international students. Previously, universities were required to allocate at least one spot in each major for students accepted through the regular admissions quota.
Seoul Women’s University’s Division of Global Commerce is another international student-only major set to open in spring 2025.
The undergraduate program’s curriculum will focus on international trade, business and partly the entertainment industry.
Students can choose between two majors — global business or K-content media — in their sophomore year and delve deeper into each field. The Global Business major will offer courses traditionally seen in business programs, such as human resources management, accounting and marketing. As the name suggests, the K-content media major will offer courses on content storytelling, video editing and digital advertising.
“A lot of the students who applied to our Division of Communications & Media or Department of Business Administration also applied to the Division of Global Commerce this year,” said a spokesperson for Seoul Women’s University. “Our international affairs team is promoting the division to encourage more students to apply in the future.”
Seoul Women’s University has finished its first and second intakes for spring 2025, but the third intake, available only to international applicants physically in Korea, will accept applications between Jan. 7 and 16.
“The Division of Global Commerce is currently a stand-alone division, but we believe it has the potential to grow into a college if more majors are added,” added the university’s spokesperson.
Some universities have started with just a few international student-only majors but are expanding due to popular demand.
Gachon University currently operates the Department of International Liberal Studies and the Department of Korean Studies as international student-only majors but will establish a College of International Studies in spring 2025.
The university’s two existing international student-only programs will move under the new college. Six new majors, exclusively admitting international students, will be added to the college. These include Business Administration, Media Communication, Tourism Management, Psychology, Korean Education and Computer Engineering.
“We have created the first international student-only college among Korean universities to enhance educational efficiency and streamline how we manage international students,” said a spokesperson for Gachon University. “The eight majors [in the college] are popular among international students.”
![Students at Sookmyung Women's University's Division of Global Convergence take classes. [SOOKMYUNG WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/30/32b7da47-867e-465a-a020-ad43d38ddbe3.jpg)
Students at Sookmyung Women's University's Division of Global Convergence take classes. [SOOKMYUNG WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY]
Sookmyung Women’s University also launched the Division of Global Convergence, its international-only undergraduate program, in spring 2024.
The program allows students to focus on Korean language learning in their first year, then choose between three tracks — Global Korea, Digital Communication and Global Business — in their sophomore year, based on their interests.
The Global Korea track offers courses related to Korean politics, society and culture, while the Digital Communication track teaches communication, PR and business analytics. The Global Business track focuses on international business, marketing and the use of AI in business.
Sogang University is another institution with an international student-only program that is rapidly growing despite being in its early stages.
The university’s Division of Global Interdisciplinary Studies, under the Loyola International College, currently has 43 students after opening in spring 2024. According to the university, there were around 170 applicants for the program’s spring 2025 intake.
“The Division of Global Interdisciplinary Studies is made up entirely of international students and we’ve been offering various support to help them adapt, such as providing spaces for students to network and meet one another,” said a spokesperson for the university.
BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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