Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

About the University

KAIST was established in 1971 to model a research focused university and to foster elite human resources in science and technology needed by the nation. Currently, KAIST has successfully become a well-respected member of the worldwide science community. KAIST has grown into a globally competitive institution by producing core scientists, engineers, and future leaders in research critical for the 21st century’s globalized economy and society. In the future, KAIST must become a university in which the world lays its eye upon, by discovering the best leaders, offering the best education, and becoming the envy of the academic world, not only within Korea but all over the world through the university’s first invention.

• College of Natural Sciences

  The development of science & technology is not possible without the creative research of the basic sciences such as physics, mathematics, chemistry, etc. In a world with ever-thickening technological barriers and unlimited competition, the possession of independent technological skills decides the survival of a country. These independent technological skills require creative research and education in the area of basic science.

  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) and fosters advanced science & technology talents that will play a pivotal role in society with the practical application of profound theories in all areas of natural science. With the formation of an intimate cooperation system between each department, seamless interaction and research between each area of study is possible. Based on this cooperation, active research activity is in progress, and leads the development of the rapidly changing industry of new 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. Arranging a research chapter together with industry, academia and research, the College of Natural Sciences is significantly contributing to the development of technology and academics in all areas of the natural sciences.

  The College of Natural Sciences is on par with the world's greatest universities and 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

  The College of Life Science and Bioengineering is composed of the Department of Biological Sciences, Department of Bio & Brain Engineering, 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.

  The Department of Biological Sciences fosters scientists and engineers of life science and biotechnology equipped with creative research skills to lead in the development of science and technology in the area of biological sciences and excellent scientists equipped with future oriented thinking and a holistic personality.

  The multidisciplinary Department of Bio & Brain Engineering fosters a creative workforce that is capable of creating new knowledge and techniques in the fusion areas of electronics, computers, and nanotechnology based on biomedical science.

  The Graduate School of Medical Science & Engineering is catered to doctors (specialists), graduates from medical schools, dental schools, and schools of oriental medicine for the development of new medicine and medical devices. The Graduate School of Medical Science & Engineering was established with the purpose of developing life sciences and medical technology and fostering a high-quality workforce equipped with a multidisciplinary knowledge in basic medicine, life science, and biomedical engineering, as well as research experience.

• College of Engineering

  he 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).

  The College of Engineering strives to foster talented students with both academic excellence and creativity, capable of producing research results that lead scientific and technological innovation. The college is a leader in each engineering field and cultivates ideas, theories, and paradigms with state of the art techniques. The college strives to concentrate on solving problems that human society is encountered with such as EEWS (Energy, Environment, Water, Sustainability) through the fusion of academics and research. Through these efforts the college puts into practice the KAIST mission “Knowledge Creation for Humanity.”

  The College of Engineering stands in comparison with the rankings of the world’s leading universities and was recently ranked 26th(engineering division), 52nd(overall) in the 2014-2015 THE World University Rankings and 17th(engineering division), 51st(overall) in the 2014 QS World University Rankings (16th for Material Engineering, 21st for Mechanical Engineering, 24th for Electrical Engineering, 32nd for Civil&Environmental Engineering, 36th for Computer Science). The College of Engineering has graduated approximately 9,700 undergraduates, 15,600 master’s students, and 7,000 Ph.D. students – the graduates are active in various fields as global leaders.

• College of Liberal Arts and Convergence Science

  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

  The College of Business combines management and technology. The College of Business fosters high quality researchers in management through graduate programs in management engineering. World-class business leaders and experts in on-site management focus on each industrial sector through MBA degrees and operate short-term education courses catered to executive members and key mid-managers.

  Reflecting the natural science and engineering academic traditions of KAIST, the College of Business focuses on management education and technology. The program combines Korean business characteristics and an international business sense thus presenting “Korean Management” as a means of satisfying both personal happiness and effectiveness – this factor is the competitive differentiation of KAIST College of Business.

  The College of Business continues to achieve international results, beginning with the AACSB Business and Accounting Accreditation in 2003, 2008 and 2014, the EQUIS International Accreditation in 2010, the FT Global Top 100 MBA Programs in 2011, and the top university in Asia in the FT Executive Education Rankings in 2014. The ultimate goal of the College of Business is to surpass the Korean domestic market and become Asia’s best and internationally respected College of Business. To achieve this goal, the College of Business strives to attain balance between teaching & learning, research, and outreach & contributions to society.

The institute was founded in 1971 as the Korea Advanced Institute of Science (KAIS) and supported by PresidentPark Chung-Hee. The institute's academic scheme was mainly designed by Frederick E. Terman, vice president ofStanford University, and Chung Geum-mo, a professor at the Polytechnic Institution of Brooklyn. 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. 

Institutional Accreditation or Recognition: Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Korea

Other Specialized or Programmatic Accreditations: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)

QS World University Rankings: 2016 - #53

Asia University Rankings: 2016 - #8

• KAIST operates 22 dormitories for students who wish to live in the facilities during school semesters.
• There are 15 male dormitories and 7 female dormitories located at the edge of KAIST’s west campus. There are 2 apartment complexes for married students located at the outskirts of the campus.
• KAIST continually strives to maintain optimum facilities and create stable conditions for students to carry out their studies.

Improvement of research environment

• Annual survey of research environment

  In order to figure out actual research condition, we conduct research-environment survey targeting all graduate students every year.

• Reformation of scholarship policy

  We are trying to fix drawbacks of current scholarship system and improve the system to be fairly applied to all graduate students

• Safety campaign

  We are annually campaigning for laboratory safety in order to promote students to be aware of safety issues.

• Financial support to department event

  In order to promote symposium or rally on the department level, GSA financially supports these events.

• Research Idea Sharing Festival

  KAIST graduate students with various major have a chance to cooperate or converge their research with each other through research idea sharing event.

KAIST Graduate Student Human Rights Center(affiliated organization of GSA)

• Human Rights Center(HRC) is always open for all graduate students who experienced violation of human rights in their research environment. This center helps to take action against violation for victims. Lectures about human rights are also provided to KAIST members for free. Contact to hrc@gsa.kaist.ac.kr.

Welfare and Cultural services

• Renovation of dormitories for married couples.

  Dormitories for married couples are under renovation at the moment. Also, we are trying to raise dormitory quota for the married couples.

• Bus to military training center

  We provide students a round trip bus for the military training monthly. Registration form in on GSA homepage.

• Cultural experience bus

  We offer a round-trip tour bus for the graduate students once or twice in a month on weekends. Destination of each trip is chosen based on the seasonal festivals held in Korea.

• Hanhwa Baseball day

  Once a year, we donate a thousand baseball-game tickets of Daejeon Hanwha Eagles. By cheering together with your friends, laboratory members, and family, you can make another precious memory in KAIST.

Life Style Laboratory(affiliated organization of GSA)

• Life Style Laboratory(LSL) researches about the life style of graduate students in KAIST and organizes activities for high-quality life of graduate students.

• In recognition of the nations need for elite human resources in science and technology, KAIST was developed to support industrialization as part of the economic development plan.
• To satisfy the need of producing talents, a systematic graduate school of science and engineering was needed, to prevent international leakage of intellectual talent.
• Launched as the nation’s first science and technology graduate school focused on research.
• Educate and foster elite scientists for the future, equipped with basic theories and capability for practical applications.
• Carry out both long and short term basic and applied research that enables the nation’s strategic technological advancements.
• Provide research collaborations with a diverse pool of research institutions and industries.

• KAIST International Undergraduate Student Scholarship