Ajou University

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Ajou University


Established:	1973
Faculty:	750
Undergraduates:	8,560
Postgraduates:	2,394
Location:	Suwon, South Korea
Website:	http://www.ajou.ac.kr/

Ajou University

Hangul	아주대학교
Hanja	亞洲大學校
Revised Romanization	Aju Daehakgyo
McCune-Reischauer	Aju Taehakkyo

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

1 Founding
2 Growth
3 Campus
4 Notable Academic Programs
5 Reputation and Rankings
6 Sports
7 Undergraduate programs
8 Graduate programs
9 Symbol
10 Four Seasons at Ajou
11 See also
12 External links

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

Ajou University, its student-centered campus.

[edit] Campus

Ajou University, with main buildings on campus.

[edit] 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.

Digital Library at Ajou University

Ajou Med School

Ajou Electronics Lab

[edit] 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 14th and 16th in 2006 and 2007, respectively, among approximately 400 universities in South Korea.

[edit] 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)