Pukyong National University

‘Make your own major and obtain a degree’

- PKNU opens 12 new majors designed by students this year

A system that allows students to create a major that did not exist before and receive a double major degree is attracting public attention.

Pukyong National University (President Jang Young-Soo) has newly established 12 ‘student-designed majors’ in the curriculum for the 2023 academic year.

‘Student-designed interdepartmental major’ is a double major that college students complete in addition to their first major. While general double majors additionally complete an already designed major, a ‘student-designed interdepartmental major’ allows students to design their own curriculum, additionally complete a newly established major, and receive a double degree.

After presenting three majors as standard models as a pilot project in 2020, Pukyong National University offered ‘media tech design’, a major designed by students for the first-time last year.

This year, twelve new majors including public linguistics, Asian regional (Japan) diplomatic fusion research, foreign affairs administration, integrated science in maritime and fisheries, planning and management as a creator, biomedical engineering, integrated sport science, education designs, industrial and artificial intelligence convergence, artificial intelligence imaging engineering, creative integrated and applied engineering, biomimetics in artificial intelligence, which students applied for, were newly established and significantly expanded compared to last year.

The characteristics of the 'student-designed interdepartmental major' are that it is possible to design a curriculum by combining subjects from two or more majors, and as it is directly designed according to the field of interest of each student, three or four different majors can be added to create a unique major that did not exist before.

The ‘media tech design’, a major which was designed by students last year, was created by the convergence of subjects from three majors including transdisciplinary studies on human ICT, visual communication design, and international business administration.

‘Planning and management for a creator’, which is a student-designed major this year, was born from the convergence of majors including information and communications engineering, transdisciplinary studies on human ICT, and business administration. Meanwhile, the major of biomimetics in artificial intelligence is a student-designed major that crosses the majors of artificial intelligence convergence, computer engineering, biomedical engineering, and bioconvergence.

‘Student-designed major’ can be applied for by any student who has designed a major as well as any current student who wishes to complete it. 17 students have completed or are completing the ‘student-design major’ thus far.

Pukyong National University will further vitalize the operation of a 'student-designed major' that can spread customized interdepartmental curriculum, such as providing design consulting on the curriculum in which professors and staff participate, or strengthening monitoring to support students successfully complete the course. <Pukyong Today>