{"id":9562,"date":"2026-10-18T04:36:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T04:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=9562"},"modified":"2026-10-18T04:36:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T04:36:24","slug":"cover-story-korea-focuses-on-ai-majors-while-global-universities-rewrite-rules-of-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=9562","title":{"rendered":"[COVER STORY] Korea focuses on AI majors while global universities rewrite rules of education"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Editor\u2019s note<\/h3>\n

This is the first in a three-part series examining how universities worldwide are adapting to the AI era and redefining their roles amid rapid technological change. Drawing on the experiences of leading global institutions and insights from international experts, the series explores what these changes mean for the future of Korean higher education and its global competitiveness. The series is supported by the Korea Press Foundation’s Press Promotion Fund.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

SINGAPORE, LONDON, SEOUL \u2014 Artificial intelligence (AI) is rewriting the rules across industries and higher education is no exception.<\/p>\n

While Korean universities are racing to establish AI departments and expand enrollment in advanced technology fields, some of the world\u2019s leading institutions are taking different approach in adapting to the rapidly evolving technology.<\/p>\n

Rather than focusing solely on expanding AI-related education, these universities are rethinking the fundamentals of higher education, from what students should learn and how their abilities should be assessed to which academic strengths will remain valuable as AI takes on tasks once performed exclusively by humans.<\/p>\n

At Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, AI education is no longer limited to engineering and computer science majors. The university is working to make AI part of learning across every discipline, including the arts and humanities.<\/p>\n

The university aims to integrate AI into 40 percent of courses across all 52 undergraduate degree programs by 2030, up from just 5 percent today.<\/p>\n

Under the initiative, half of the AI-integrated courses will use the technology to personalize learning, while the other half will teach students to develop and manage AI agents. Students will also work alongside AI agents as virtual team members on real-world industry projects.<\/p>\n

NTU President Ho Teck Hua said the goal is not to turn every student into an AI specialist, but to equip graduates with the ability to combine expertise in their chosen fields with AI capabilities.<\/p>\n

“We want a graduate to be both a domain expert plus an orchestrator of AI agents,” Ho said.<\/p>\n

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National University of Singapore’s School of Computing graduate Eugene Chia, co-founder of Ecovolt, which is supported by NUS Enterprise, demonstrates how AI and Internet of Things can help buildings reduce energy waste, Aug. 14. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rewriting rules of education<\/strong><\/p>\n

The National University of Singapore (NUS), meanwhile, is placing greater emphasis on how students learn and think than on how much technology they use.<\/p>\n

NUS President Tan Eng Chye said the university began redesigning its undergraduate curriculum in 2016, when Google’s AlphaGo defeated Korean Go champion Lee Se-dol. The reforms made quantitative reasoning and computational thinking compulsory for all undergraduates, laying the groundwork for an education increasingly shaped by AI.<\/p>\n

But Tan emphasized that technology should serve educational goals, not dictate them.<\/p>\n

“Pedagogy must drive technology,” he said.<\/p>\n

Under this principle, NUS emphasizes mastering the fundamentals of each discipline before turning to AI, while rethinking assessments to focus on students’ reasoning rather than simply the answers they produce.<\/p>\n

“You shouldn’t assess based on answers; you should assess the thinking,” Tan said. “You shouldn’t outsource your thinking.”<\/p>\n

King’s College London (KCL) is also rethinking how students should be assessed in the AI era, with a greater focus on preparing them to use the technology in their future careers.<\/p>\n

Rather than restricting AI use to prevent cheating, KCL is exploring ways to incorporate the technology into teaching and assessment that reflect real-world professional demands.<\/p>\n

For example, its law school provides students with professional-grade AI software used by law firms, allowing them to gain practical experience while learning to critically evaluate AI-generated work.<\/p>\n

KCL President Shitij Kapur argued that returning to traditional handwritten exams to prevent AI misuse would be “a backward-looking answer,” as such assessments may do little to prepare students for the environments they will enter after graduation.<\/p>\n

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The London School of Economics and Political Science sign is seen on the university’s campus in London in June. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-hyun <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For universities specializing in business and the social sciences, AI is also creating opportunities to build on their existing academic strengths rather than simply expand technical programs.<\/p>\n

London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) President Larry Kramer argued that many of the biggest challenges posed by AI are not technological, but social.<\/p>\n

“If you think about AI, all of the important and interesting issues and challenges and problems are social science problems,” Kramer said.<\/p>\n

Rather than pursuing new programs dedicated to technology, the university is incorporating AI into its existing disciplines. It has provided all students with access to Anthropic’s Claude and all staff with Microsoft Copilot. It also gives faculty members time away from teaching to redesign their courses around AI, with the results shared publicly to encourage wider experimentation.<\/p>\n

Singapore Management University (SMU) is similarly integrating AI across its four-year undergraduate curriculum, emphasizing critical thinking and human judgment alongside technological skills.<\/p>\n

Through capstone projects with industry and government partners, students learn to apply AI to real-world problems while critically evaluating its outputs.<\/p>\n

“It’s not so much finding the right answers, because AI can find you many answers at your fingertips, but it’s being able to ask the right question,” SMU President Lily Kong said.<\/p>\n

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A researcher demonstrates robotic technology at Jeonbuk National University’s Physical AI Test Lab, May 19. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Korea bets on AI departments<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Korea, efforts to strengthen universities\u2019 AI capabilities have largely centered on expanding specialized programs and training more people for advanced technology industries.<\/p>\n

Universities have increased enrollment in AI, semiconductors and other advanced fields by more than 4,000 seats since 2024, as the government seeks to make Korea one of the world’s top three AI powers.<\/p>\n

The country’s four science and technology institutes, including Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, plan to establish AI colleges next year, adding a combined 400 admission spots.<\/p>\n

The expansion has been driven by strong government support and growing student demand, as AI-related degrees are increasingly seen as a pathway to promising careers.<\/p>\n

The Ministry of Education plans to invest 30 billion won ($22.24 million) in establishing AI colleges at three major national universities. The Ministry of Science and ICT is also offering up to 3 billion won annually for eight years to each of 18 universities under its AI-Centered University program, along with similar annual funding for up to six years for 15 graduate schools specializing in AI transformation (AX).<\/p>\n

“The government’s push to foster the AI industry has made its future prospects clearer, prompting universities to establish new AI departments or reorganize existing ones,” said Lim Sung-ho, head of Jongro Academy, a major college admissions institute.<\/p>\n

Student interest has also surged, fueled partly by expectations of better job opportunities after graduation.<\/p>\n

Applications to AI-related departments at 20 major universities rose 16 percent in this year’s regular admissions, and the country’s four science and technology institutes attracted a record 33,349 applicants for 2027.<\/p>\n

The growing appeal of technology-related careers has also intensified competition for industry-sponsored degree programs linked to major chipmakers such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, with some drawing higher applicant-to-seat ratios than medical schools.<\/p>\n

More recently, the focus has begun to shift beyond simply expanding enrollment. The government has limited additional enrollment slots in advanced technology fields to 434 for 2027, with concerns over shortages of faculty and facilities at some universities.<\/p>\n

The move reflects growing recognition that preparing students for the AI era requires more than training additional technology specialists.<\/p>\n

However, many Korean universities continue to pursue similar strategies centered on expanding AI-related programs rather than developing approaches that build on their distinct academic strengths.<\/p>\n

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An image generated by ChatGPT Editor\u2019s note This is the first in a three-part series examining how universities worldwide are adapting to the AI era and redefining their roles amid rapid technological change. Drawing on the experiences of leading global institutions and insights from international experts, the series explores what these changes mean for the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-korea"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t