Pukyong National University

Students can ‘design their own major’ by including lectures from other universities and MOOCs

- PKNU expands 'student-designed majors, plans to open and operate 39 majors

Pukyong National University (President Jang Young-Soo) announced that it is expanding the 'student-designed major', which allows students to design their own double major.

Pukyong National University began operating student designed majors in 2022 and will open and operate a total of 39 majors in the first semester of this year.

Unlike a typical double major that a student selects and completes an existing major, a student-designed major is a method in which the student designs the curriculum by combining the curriculum of two or more majors, creating a new major that did not exist before.

For example, students majoring in advanced materials and systems engineering as their main major design their own 'biotechnology medical engineering student designed major' by combining the curriculum of the biomedical engineering major, department of biotechnology and department of microbiology, and complete the course as a double major.

Particularly this year, there were cases where students not only integrated the curriculum of other majors on campus, but also designed and opened a new major by including lectures from other universities as well as online open lectures (MOOC).

A student majoring in Japanese language and literature designed the 'interdisciplinary self-designed major in global animation' by incorporating not only the on-campus Japanese studies and English literature major, but also lectures from the department of video and animation at Dongseo university. A student in the global & interdisciplinary studies (business administration) designed the 'foreign affairs and public administration student-designed major' by incorporating lectures from the department of German language and literature at Busan national university in addition to the department of law, international studies, international development and cooperation studies, and political science and diplomacy.

There have been many cases where students take classes at other universities during the summer semester, but it is unusual for them to organize their majors and take them directly. Pukyong National University is also expecting a synergy effect in the project glocal university 30, through this case of opening a major by combining the specialized strengths of each university.

In addition, a student in the department of Korean language and literature designed the 'realistic content planning student designed major' by incorporating lectures from Coursera, one of the online open lecture platforms, into the curriculum along with the transdisciplinary studies on human ICT and mass communication studies. This is an example of a school recognizing major credits even if students complete online open lectures.

Pukyong National University plans to expand its student-designed major following last year's holding of a student-designed major contest, this year the university reviewing ways to open and complete student-designed majors as majors to improve students' self-directed learning ability, ensure selection of majors, and expand participation in curriculum management. <Pukyong Today>