KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology

Location: South Korea One of several prestigious technical universities in South Korea, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, or KAIST, falls one place in the QS University Rankings: Asia this year – swapping places with HKU. Currently at 51st in the world rankings, KAIST was established in 1971 in the city of Daejeon, as South Korea’s first university dedicated to science and engineering research. Smaller in size compared to many of the top universities in Asia, KAIST currently enrolls around 6,000 postgraduate and 4,000 undergraduate students. Within the global top 100 for 13 subjects, KAIST ranks in the top 50 worldwide for chemical engineering, chemistry, civil & structural engineering, computer science, electrical & electronic engineering, materials sciences and mechanical engineering.

The institute was founded in 1971 as the Korea Advanced Institute of Science (KAIS) by a loan of US$6 million (US$34 million[9] 2014) from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and supported by President Park Chung-Hee.[3] The institute's academic scheme was mainly designed by Frederick E. Terman, vice president of Stanford University, and Chung Geum-mo, a professor at the Polytechnic Institution of Brooklyn.[10] The institute's two main functions were to train advanced scientists and engineers and develop a structure of graduate education in the country. Research studies began by 1973 and undergraduates studied for bachelor's degrees by 1984. In 1981 the government merged the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and the Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) to form the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, or KAIST. Due to differing research philosophies, KIST and KAIST split in 1989. In the same year KAIST and the Korea Institute of Technology (KIT) combined and moved from Seoul to the Daedeok Science Town in Daejeon. The first act of President Suh upon his inauguration in July 2006 was to lay out the KAIST Development Plan. The ‘KAIST Development Five-Year Plan’ was finalized on February 5, 2007 by KAIST Steering Committee. The goals of KAIST set by Suh were to become one of the best science and technology universities in the world, and to become one of the top-10 universities by 2011. In January 2008, the university dropped its full name, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and changed its official name to only KAIST.[11] Timeline[edit] February 16, 1971 Korea Advanced Institute of Science (KAIS), Hongneung Campus, Seoul is established March 5, 1973 Candidates matriculate for master's degree August 20, 1975 First commencement for the master's program September 12, 1975 Candidates matriculate for doctorate degree August 19, 1978 First commencement for the doctoral program December 31, 1980 Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is formed by merger with KIST December 27, 1984 Korea Institute of Technology (KIT) is established in Daejeon, South Korea March 28, 1986 First matriculation for undergraduates June 12, 1989 KAIST and KIST separate, KAIST retains institution name July 4, 1989 KAIST merges with KIT, relocates to Daejeon December 17, 1990 First commencement for bachelor's degree students October 1, 1996 Establishes Korea Institute of Advanced Study (KIAS) May 4, 2004 Founds National Nanofab Center (NNFC) January 1, 2008 Officially changes name to KAIST, replacing the spelled-out name March 1, 2009 Acquires Information and Communications University (ICU), renaming it KAIST Information Technology Convergence Campus Academics[edit] Academics[edit] A statue of Jang Young Sil, a Korean scientist, in front of science library, Daejeon campus Admission to KAIST is based on overall grades, grades on math and science courses, recommendation letters from teachers, study plan, personal statements, and other data that show the excellence of potential students. It is Korea’s first test-free admissions system. Full scholarships are given to all students including international students in the bachelor, master and doctorate courses.[citation needed] Doctoral students are given military-exemption benefits. In addition, many courses are provided in English. According to JoongAng Daily National Rankings, more than 80% of major courses taught at KAIST are conducted in English. Governed by a special law, the university has an autonomous and flexible academic system. Other South Korean colleges and universities are required to abide by government-directed admissions and curriculum requirements. Undergraduate students can join the school through an “open major system” that allows students to take classes for three terms and then choose a discipline that suits their aptitude. In addition, undergraduate students are free to change their major anytime.KAIST has also produced many doctorates through the integrated master’s and doctoral program and early-completion system. Students must publish papers in internationally renowned academic journals for graduation.[12] Students[edit] KAIST produced a total of 48,398 alumni from 1975 to 2014, with 13,743 bachelor's, 24,776 master's, and 9,879 doctorate degree holders. As of April 2014, 10,146 students were enrolled in KAIST with 3,980 bachelor’s, 2,918 master’s, and 3,518 doctoral students. More than 70 percent of KAIST undergraduates come from specialized science high schools.[citation needed] On average, about 600 international students from more than 70 different countries come to study at KAIST, making KAIST one of the most ethnically diverse universities in the country. Organization[edit] Former Full emblem of KAIST, used until 2010. KAIST is organized into 6 colleges, 2 schools and 33 departments/divisions. KAIST also has three affiliated institutes including the Korea Institute of Advanced Study (KIAS), National NanoFab Center (NNFC), and Korea Science Academy (KSA).[13] College of Natural Science[edit] Department of Physics Department of Mathematical Sciences Department of Chemistry Graduate School of Nanoscience & Technology College of Life Science & Bioengineering[edit] Department of Biological Sciences [1] Department of Medical Science and Engineering [2] College of Engineering[edit] School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Systems Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Aerospace Engineering Graduate School of Ocean Systems Engineering School of Electrical Engineering School of Computing Graduate School of Web Science and Technology Graduate School of Information Security Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Department of Bio & Brain Engineering Department of Industrial Design Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department of Materials Science and Engineering Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering Department of Information and Communication Engineering The Cho Chun Shik Graduate School for Green Transportation Department of Knowledge Service Engineering Graduate School of EEWS (Energy, Environment, Water, and Sustainability) College of Liberal Arts and Convergence Science[edit] Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Graduate School of Culture Technology Department of Business and Technology Management Graduate School of Future Strategy Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy College of Business[edit] College of Business Graduate School of Management Graduate School of Finance Graduate School of Information & Media Management Graduate School of Green Growth Affiliated Institutes[edit] Korea Institute of Advanced Study (KIAS) National NanoFab Center (NNFC) Korea Science Academy (KSA) A view of the main campus College of Natural Science[edit] KAIST’s College of Natural Sciences has 3 undergraduate departments (Department of Physics, Department of Mathematical Sciences, and Department of Chemistry) and 1 graduate program (Graduate School of Nanoscience & Technology). Also, research teams are organized under each of the specialized areas of the Institute of Natural Science. Core research of government agencies and major industries, global academic exchange, and international joint research is in progress. The College of Natural Sciences was ranked 47th in the 2013 QS World University Rankings. Since the establishment of the college, approximately 2,200 undergraduates, 2,600 master’s students, and 1,700 Ph.D. students have graduated and are actively serving as global leaders in various areas. College of Life Science and Bioengineering[edit] The College of Life Science and Bioengineering is composed of the Department of Biological Sciences, and Graduate School of Medical Science & Engineering. The college pursues multidisciplinary education & research in the area of biology and the development of modern science through the fusion of the IT & NT foundation techniques for the development of the nation’s biological science and technology. College of Engineering[edit] Humanoid Robot, Hubo walks 1.2 km/h by itself, and has 10 fingers and 41 joints The KAIST College of Engineering is composed of 3 undergraduate schools (School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, School of Computing), 11 departments ( Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Bio and Brain Engineering, Industrial Design, Industrial & Systems Engineering, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science Engineering, Nuclear & Quantum Engineering, Information and Communications Engineering, Knowledge Service Engineering), and 2 graduate schools (The Cho Chun Shik Graduate School for Green Transportation and Graduate School of EEWS). College of Liberal Arts and Convergence Science[edit] The College of Liberal Arts and Convergence Science is composed of the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, Graduate School of Culture Technology, Department of Business and Technology Management, Graduate School of Future Strategy, Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy. The College of Liberal Arts and Convergence Science pursues openness between science and liberal arts, education with active communication, and a manifestation of harmony between mathematical logic and emotional imagination. College of Business[edit] Established in 1995, KAIST College of Business (KCB) has been acknowledged as the first and the largest MBA School in South Korea. KCB, located in the northeastern part of Seoul, is renowned as a leading MBA program that leads Korean management education and fosters professionals with in-depth knowledge of technology and management. As an affiliate of the nation’s top science and engineering school, KAIST, KCB also specifically concentrates on analytical problem-solving methodology which can be pragmatically utilized. Thus, KCB has succeeded in producing professional graduates specialized in the 21st century’s strategic management areas including Technology Management, Finance, IT, Social Enterprises and Green Growth. KCB is accredited by AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council), and EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System), and it was selected as a member of Partnership in International Management (PIM) in 2013 as the only school. In doing so, KCB has successfully established itself as a prestigious global business school. Furthermore, KCB was ranked in the FT’s ‘Top 100 Global MBAs’ in 2011, and it has been ranked as Asia’s No.1 in FT’s rankings for Executive MBA Programs for four years in a row since 2012. School of Management Engineering School of Management Engineering The School of Management Engineering (ME) in KAIST College of Business pursues excellence in academic research by placing great emphasis on scientific methodology and theoretical expertise. The ME Program offers master and doctoral programs to train young scholars in various skills necessary for academic research. The research areas are divided into eight tracks – Managerial Economics, Finance, Marketing, Operations Strategy and Management Science, Organization and Strategic Management, Accounting, IT Management, and Green Management. KCB alumni are thriving in various parts of society as policymakers, business managers, CIOs, senior researchers and educators in global companies, universities and research institutes. KCB often receives requests from universities, research institutes, government organizations, and companies, and students are recommended by the school through a recommendation process. Graduate School of Management KAIST Graduate School of Management(KGSM) is made up of Techno MBA, the first full-time MBA program in Korea, IMBA, full-time accelerated 1-year MBA Program, and Professional MBA, a part-time program for employees to combine study with work by taking evening classes, enabling students to upgrade their performance and careers, EMBA, a 22 month long program for executives and CEOs, and SE MBA, a premier MBA for innovative social entrepreneurs and social value creators. Graduate School of Finance KAIST Graduate School of Finance (KGSF) started in March 2006 as the only finance educational institute to be affiliated with the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Korea. KAIST Business School has been well known for its financial engineering program since 1996. KGSF offers 2 programs; i) Finance MBA is to train financial specialists who have global competitiveness in Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, and Asset Management. ii) Master of Finance Engineering is to train finance engineering specialists in financial analytics, quantitative asset management, derivatives, and risk management. Graduate School of Information & Media Management KAIST Graduate School of Information and Media Management aims to provide management education specialized in the IT/ Media/ Business Analytics (B.A.) industries. It offers 2 programs: IMMBA (Information & Media MBA) which is a 1-year full-time MBA, and IMMS (MS in Information Management), a 2-year part-time masters program. Graduate School of Green Growth KAIST Graduate School of Green Growth (GSGG) provides world-class education and research on green business, sustainable finance, and policy through Green Business and Policy Program(MS), Green Business(MS/Ph.D.), Green MBA, and Green Business and Green Finance Track programs. GSGG was ranked 4th in 'Better World MBA' by Corporate Knightsin 2015. Established in 2013, GSGG nurtures professionals in green growth to cope with and adapt to climate change. Executive Education KAIST Executive Education Program has been ranked No. 20 in the world and No.1 among Asian universities in 2015 for four consecutive years by the Financial Times as the only Korean university named on this FT Executive Education ranking. Analyzing the knowledge and information that businesses require, it has been developing executive educational programs that satisfy the needs of global executives. With its focus on practicality and the ultimate goal of providing managerial knowledge that can be used in the business environment, it vigorously pursues feedback and information exchange among participants and academic-industrial partnership. It offers the Advanced Innovative Management Program (AIM) that incorporates new technology trends and business; Advanced Program for Innovation & Change Management (AIC) for helping mid-managers develop the skills to become CEOs; and the Global Leader Program (GLP) for improving the global leadership of managers in public enterprises and enhancing global competitiveness of the Korean public sector. Campus[edit] A view of the main campus KAIST Main Library KAIST has two campuses in Daejeon and one campus in Seoul. The university is mainly located in the Daedeok Research Complex in the city of Daejeon, 150 kilometers south of the capital Seoul. Daedeok is also home to some 50 public and private research institutes, universities and high-tech venture capital companies. The Daejeon campus (besides Daejeon Expo Park) plays main roles including lectures, research activities, housing services. It has a total of 29 dormitories where all students wishing to reside can stay. Twenty-three dormitories for male students and four dormitories for female students are located on the outskirts of the campus, and two apartments for married students are located outside the campus. KAIST Seoul Campus is the home of the Business Faculty of the university. Graduate school of finance, management and information & media management is located there. The total area of Seoul Campus is 413,346 m2 (4,449,220 sq ft). Its primary goal is to achieve an optimal combination of engineering and business studies which will make engineers more effective at their craft. The Munji campus, previously ICU (Information and Communication University) campus, KAIST Information Technology Convergence Campus near main campus, has a total of two dormitories, one for undergraduate students and the other for graduate students. Main Library[edit] KAIST Main Library was established in 1971 as KAIS library, and it went through a merge and separation process with KIST library. It merged with KIT in March 1990. A contemporary 5 story building was constructed as the Main Library, and it is being operated with an annex library. The library uses the American LC Classification Schedule.[14] Daedeok Innopolis[edit] Daedeok Innopolis, formally known as the Daedeok Science Park, is a cluster of institutions in research and development of technology located in Daedeok Valley in northern Daejeon. The cluster is built around KAIST, Chungnam National University, a group of government research institutes in applied technologies, corporate research centers and more than 1,000 venture companies.[15] Research[edit] Seven KAIST Institutes (KIs) have been set up: the KI for the BioCentury, the KI for Information Technology Convergence, the KI for the Design of Complex Systems, the KI for Entertainment Engineering, the KI for the NanoCentury, the KI for Eco-Energy, and the KI for Urban Space and Systems. Each KI is operated as an independent research center at the level of a college, receiving support in terms of finance and facilities. In terms of ownership of intellectual property rights, KAIST holds 2,694 domestic patents and 723 international patents so far.[16] Electric vehicles[edit] Researchers at KAIST have developed an electric transport system called Online Electric Vehicle (OLEV), where the vehicles get their power from cables underneath the surface of the road via non-contact magnetic charging (a power source is placed underneath the road surface and power is wirelessly picked up on the vehicle itself). As a possible solution to traffic congestion and to improve overall efficiency by minimizing air resistance and so reduce energy consumption, the test vehicles followed the power track in a convoy. In July 2009 the researchers successfully supplied up to 60% power to a bus over a gap of 12 cm (4.7 in) from a power line embedded in the ground using power supply and pick up technology developed in-house.[17] Academic rankings[edit] University rankings Global ARWU[18] 201-300 Times[19] 148 QS[20] 43 Asia ARWU[21] 24-35 Times[22] 8 QS (Global version)[23] QS (Asia version)[24] 10 3 In 2015 Thomson Reuters named KAIST the tenth most innovative institution in the world.[25] In 2013/14 QS World University Rankings ranked KAIST 60th overall in the world and 12th within Asia, coming 16th in Material Sciences and 24th in Engineering and Technology.[26] In the 2009 THE-QS World University Rankings (in 2010 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and QS World University Rankings parted ways to produce separate rankings) for Engineering & IT, the University was placed 21st in the world and 1st in Korea[27] and was placed 69th overall.[28] KAIST was again recognized as a number one University in Korea by JoongAng Ilbo Review. In the year of 2009, KAIST's department of industrial design has also been listed in the top 30 Design Schools by Business Week.[29] KAIST ranked the best university in Republic of Korea and the 7th university in Asia in the Top 100 Asian Universities list, the first regional ranking issued by THE-QS World Rankings.[30][verification needed] QS University Subject Rankings (2014):[31] 16th, materials science 17th, chemistry 21st, mechanical engineering 21st, chemical engineering 24th, electrical engineering 32nd, civil engineering and structural engineering 36th, computer science and information systems Times Higher Education ranked KAIST the 3rd best university in the world under the age of 50 years in its 2015 league table.[32] Notable faculty and staff[edit] This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries. Soon-dal Choi, electrical engineer; successfully developed and launched a satellite, KITSAT-3 Dong-ho Cho, electrical engineer; developed online electric vehicle (OLEV), listed on Time Magazine's top fifty inventions of 2010 Jun-ho Choi, discoverer of hSNF5 body protein involved in reproduction of Papilloma virus Yang-gyu Choi, developed world's smallest terabyte flash memory Cho Zang-hee, developed PET Imaging while at Colombia, developed Imaging for MRI/PET/CAT at KAIS, Later KAIST James D. Cumming, Foreign Guest Professor, Published first paper with Cho_Zang-hee on MRI Imaging resolution improvement. Heun Lee, identified mechanism behind hydrogen storage in ice particles Ji-O Lee, chemist; identified structure of protein causing septicemia Sang-yup Lee, developed chip to diagnose Wilson's Disease Gi-hyong Gho, mathematician; developed world's first public key crypto system (PKCS) technology Jong-kyong Jeong, identified cause of Parkinson's disease Eunseong Kim, physicist; discovered new evidence for the existence of a super solid Jin-woo Kim, identified the cause behind senile retinal degeneration disease Se-jin Kwan, aerospace engineer; successfully developed and tested a moon lander Chang Hee Nam, physicist; developed attosecond pulse generation and compression technology[33] Gweng-su Rhim, developed next generation Transparent Resistive Random Access Memory (TRRAM) Seung-man Yang, developed new photonics crystal-based optofluidic technology Yoon-tae Young, physicist; first to observe proper function of complexin protein to control neuron communication Notable alumni[edit] Academia[edit] Hyun-sook Bae, bio-technologist; self-fertilization rejection by plants; first Korean female to appear on cover of Nature Ryong Ryoo, chemist Science and technology[edit] Sang Soo Oh, founder of the world's first internet phone, DialPad Jake Song, programmer Yi So-Yeon, first Korean to fly in space Business[edit] Na Sung-kyun, founder and CEO of Neowiz, Korea's first internet supplier (KAIST graduate school) Jungju Kim, NEXON Young Dal Kim, CEO of Intelligent Digital Integrated Security (IDIS) Hae-jin Lee, Next Human Network (NHN Corporation) Bum-chun Lee, founder of QNIX