Ajou University

Infobox University
name = Ajou University


established = 1973
city = Suwon
country = South Korea
undergrad = 8,560
postgrad = 2,394
faculty = 750
website = http://www.ajou.ac.kr/

Infobox Korean name
rr = Aju Daehakgyo
mr = Aju Taehakkyo
hangul = 아주대학교
hanja = 亞洲大學校

Ajou University is a private, co-educational, doctoral institution. It is located in Suwon, 20 km south from Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

Founding

In 1971, Korea and France agreed on the establishment of Technical Junior College in order to exchange technology and culture through education. Thus, Ajou Engineering Junior College was founded in March 1973 by Yusin Institute.

Growth

In 1974, the Junior College became a 4-year engineering school and it is renamed as Ajou Institute of Technology. The college quickly became one of the best engineering schools in Korea in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s thanks to the significant endowment from the CEO of Daewoo International (one of the largest conglomerates in Korea at that time) in 1977. It was envisioned as the MIT or Caltech of Asia. Indeed, ‘Ajou’ literally means ‘Asia’ in Korean. A number of newly-minted Ph.D.s joined the faculty during this period and thereafter, notably from renowned research institutions in France and the USA, and top-notch high school students were aggressively recruited with scholarships. The institute established its academic reputation.

Campus

Campus is renowned for its beauty and bustles with student life.

Restaurants

The campus is served by 2 big restaurants and many minor restaurants. The biggest restaurant is close to dormitories and is called Dormitory restaurant. It is double storey and serves Korean style food as well as western style food. The second biggest restaurant is called Student restaurant and is located in Student union building. Apart from this there are restaurants in Woncheon hall and Tasan hall.

Dormitories

There are four big dormitories on campus. Nam-jae dormitory, Yong-Ji dormitory, Hwa-hong dormitory and Kwang-Gyu dormitory. Nam-jae and Yong-ji dormitories are exclusively boys dormitories while Kwang-gyu is a girls dormitory. Hwa-hong houses both males and females. Also it is the only dormitory open to foreigners. Except Hwa-hong dormitory all the dormitories have rooms with four occupants each. Hwa-hong has 2-bed room rooms as well apart from 4-bed rooms. It also has single rooms for visiting professors.

Notable Academic Programs

The oldest and the largest school at Ajou University is the College of Engineering with its four divisions: Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, and Environmental and Urban Systems Engineering. Since its inception in 1994, Ajou University's College of Medicine has become one of the best medical colleges in Korea, boasting highly qualified students and superb faculty in the nation. At Ajou University's College of Medicine, small school personal attention is offered (6:1 student to faculty ratio) with 200 faculty members.

Reputation and Rankings

Over the past 30 years, Ajou University has achieved remarkable growth, becoming one of the leading research institutes in Korea. Ajou University is now recognized by its distinguished education and research in Korea and abroad. JoongAng Ilbo, one of the most-subscribed newspapers in Korea, ranked Ajou University 4th and 6th in 2006 and 2007, respectively, among approximately 400 universities in South Korea.

Sports

The Ajou university soccer team has been the source of pride and excitement on campus. Notably, the team won three consecutive national championships from 1993 to 1995. Notable alumni include:

Ahn Jung-Hwan (2002 Korea/Japan and 2006 Germany World Cup hero as a member of Korean National Team)

Ha Seok-Ju (1998 France World Cup hero as a member of Korean National Team)

Lee Min-Sung(1998 France World Cup hero as a member of Korean National Team)

Woo Sung-Yong (appeared in 2007 Indonesia/Malaysia/Thailand/Vietnam Asian Cup as a member of Korean Nation Team)

Undergraduate programs

*College of Law
*College of Engineering
*College of Medicine
*School of Business Administration
*College of Information Technology
*College of Humanities
*College of Natural Sciences
*College of Social Sciences
*College of Nursing

Graduate programs

*Graduate School for Professionals
*Graduate School of Industry
*Graduate School of Business Administration
*Graduate School of Public Affairs
*Graduate School of Education
*Graduate School of Information and Communication
*Graduate School of Information and Communication Technology
*Graduate School of International Studies
*Graduate School of LawAjou University also administers a teaching hospital.

Symbol

The Statue of Pioneer is the symbol of Ajou University. It is located at the school’s main entrance.

Four Seasons at Ajou

See also

* List of Korea-related topics
* Education in South Korea

External links

* [http://www.ajou.ac.kr Ajou University Website]