1. Establishment
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. The school’s founding was a catalyst for Korea’s rapid rise from a producer of light industry goods to a world leader in high-technology industries.
The political leadership in the 1960s and 1970s singled out education, work ethics and technological advancement as the means of transforming Korea from an underdeveloped agrarian society into an emerging economy equipped with technological and industrial competitiveness. KAIST was founded under a special law with government funding and initially staffed with a number of Korean engineering and science faculty educated in the United States.
Research emphasis from the outset has been put on both theoretical and applied studies. KAIST continues to be Korea’s foremost center for mid- to long-term strategic R&D projects with national and international significance. The University has pioneered the establishment of competitive graduate school programs in Korea.
Over the past four decades, KAIST has evolved into a global research university. The University’s strong faculty conducts internationally recognized research in cooperation with academic institutions and industries all over the world. KAIST offers generous grants and fellowships to international students, promoting Korea as a global educational power.
The University has in recent years been recruiting distinguished scholars from overseas. All lectures at KAIST are given in English in principle to better serve a growing number of graduate and undergraduate students from overseas.
The merger of KAIST and Information and Communications University in March 2009 further expanded KAIST’s academic asset in both research and education and enhanced its role as the major provider of high-tech manpower for Korea’s ever-growing economy. ICU had been established in 1997 as the nation’s only information technology research university jointly funded by the Korean government and some IT industrial organizations. Before the merger, ICU had 109 faculty members for bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in its School of Engineering and School of IT-Business to a student-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, the lowest in Korea.
2. Current Status
KAIST is located in the Daedeok Research Complex in the city of Daejeon, 150 kilometers south of the capital city, Seoul. Daedeok complex is the nation’s R&D capital and home to some 50 public and private research institutes, universities and high-tech and venture capital companies. KAIST’s Daedeok and Seoul campuses house six colleges (Natural Science, Life Science & Bioengineering, Engineering, Information Science & Engineering, Business, and Cultural Science with 20 departments), eight research institutes and five affiliate schools. For the 2009 academic year, over 8,000 students are enrolled; 3,452 in the bachelor’s, 2,197 in the master’s, and 2,357 in the doctorate programs. International students number 389 and account for approximately 5 percent of all students, with 124 in the bachelor’s, 134 in the master’s, 22 in the joint M.S.-Ph.D., and 109 in the doctoral programs. KAIST has 842 professors and 334 staff members as of January 2009.
3. Education System
KAIST has a unique, autonomous and flexible academic system. Other Korean colleges and universities are required to abide by government-directed admissions and curriculum requirements. KAIST’s “open major system” for the undergraduate program allows a student to take classes for three terms before choosing a discipline that suits their aptitude and interest. In addition, undergraduate students are free to change their major at anytime.
With its test-free admission system, first in Korea, KAIST recruits students on the basis of their overall high-school grades, math and science grades, teacher recommendations, study plan, personal statement, and other data that demonstrate their excellence. Scores from the state-run scholastic aptitude test are not considered. KAIST is currently making changes in the admissions policy with special emphasis on personality, responsibility, and creativity. This multi-pronged and flexible admission procedure enables KAIST to recruit students of well-rounded personality.
KAIST has produced many young doctors in their 20s through the Integrated Master’s and Doctoral Program and Early Completion System. KAIST requires candidate students to publish their papers in globally renowned academic journals to ensure high quality of their doctoral dissertation. KAIST students take strongly research-oriented classes in which teaching and research activities are simultaneously conducted.
Scholarships are given to all students in the bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate programs. Doctoral students are exempted from Korea’s compulsory military service duty. On-campus dormitories are provided for all students who wish to use them.
4. Research Institutes
Research at KAIST focuses on basic science and technological innovation that will have the greatest impact on industrial society. Eight KAIST Institutes (KIs) have been set up to concentrate the University’s research capabilities in advanced fields. Each KI is operated as an independent research center at the level of a college, receiving financial and facility support. The eight research institutes are KI for BioCentury, KI for Information Technology Convergence, KI for Design of Complex Systems, KI for Entertainment Engineering, KI for the NanoCentury, KI for Eco-Energy, KI for Urban Space and Systems, and KI for Optical Science and Technology.
KAIST is currently conducting research projects commissioned by the government and private businesses with research grants totaling 463 billion won (US$320 million). In terms of ownership of intellectual property rights, KAIST holds 2,694 domestic patents and 723 international patents.
5. Graduates
KAIST has educated 33,380 outstanding scientists and engineers over the last 37 years, producing 6,867 Ph.D. graduates, 17,911 master’s degree holders and 8,602 bachelor’s degree holders (Table 1). Of the Ph.D. holders, 43 percent were in their twenties upon graduation. KAIST graduates are working in universities, businesses and research institutes as well as in some of the most prestigious schools abroad.
Table 1. Number of KAIST graduates from 1975 to 2007.
Year |
Bachelor’s |
Master’s |
Doctorate |
Total |
2007 |
566 |
933 |
356 |
1,855 |
1975-2006 |
8.602 |
17,911 |
6,867 |
33,380 |
Total |
9,168 |
18,844 |
7,223 |
35,235 |
KAIST graduates teach and conduct research at MIT, UCLA, Harvard, Pennsylvania State, GIT and other universities. Major business establishments, including Samsung, SK Telecom, LG, Hyundai and NHN, employ large numbers of KAIST graduates. Among Korea’s state-run research organizations, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) and many others are staffed by KAIST graduates.
KAIST has a job placement rate of nearly 100 percent. KAIST graduates account for 20 percent of all engineering doctorates in Korea and make up 10 percent of all engineering professorships in Korea. Nearly 25 percent of the R&D personnel at Samsung Semiconductor are KAIST graduates. Graduates have set up about 360 venture businesses that deal with modern technologies. A recent employer satisfaction survey conducted at companies hiring KAIST graduates showed that 91 percent were satisfied, while 93 percent showed interest in employing KAIST graduates.
6. Research and Academic Activities
KAIST professors had 1,716 publications listed in science citation index (SCI) journals in 2008 or nearly four papers per professor per year. KAIST professors conduct advanced contract researches that average nearly 200 million won (US$ 200,000) per professor. Academic journals such as Nature and Science evaluated KAIST in 1993 as having the potential to be one of the world’s best educational institutions.
The university is gaining prominence in the world’s academic society with notable research results produced by highly qualified faculty and research manpower. In 2008, KAIST was ranked 95th among top 200 universities of the world in the prestigious Times Higher Education-QS World University rankings. It ranked 34th in the area of Engineering and Information Technology, 46th in Natural Science, and 134th in Biological Sciences and Biotechnology. In domestic rankings compiled by the major daily JoongAng Ilbo, it topped the list of entire Korean universities for four consecutive years from 1998 to 2001 and again in 2008 Earlier KAIST was chosen as the No. 1 Asian university in science and technology by the Hong Kong-based newsmagazine Asiaweek.
7. International Exchanges
A goal of KAIST is to globalize academic and research activities and produce creative global leaders equipped with international experience. KAIST has a wide range of international exchange and cooperation programs, hosts international academic conferences, workshops and symposiums, exchanges professors, research personnel and students with overseas universities, and conducts international joint research projects.
Memorandums of understanding and other forms of agreements have been signed with 102 universities in 30 countries for academic collaboration and exchanges. Approximately 600 students are exchanged annually with overseas partner universities. Among them are the Georgia Institute of Technology (USA), the University of Waterloo (Canada), the University of Melbourne (Australia) and INSA de Lyon (France).