KB News Desk
Pusan National University will recruit the first students for its new future industry-related programs in September, including a smart home appliance engineering department linked to employment at LG Electronics.
According to PNU on Tuesday, the recruitment comes as the university expands its programs in future industries, with the launch of the smart home appliance engineering department, X-mobility fusion department and AI college for the 2027 academic year.
The LG Electronics-linked smart home appliance engineering department will recruit its first 30 students.
PNU will cover full tuition for the first two years, or four semesters. Students who pass LG Electronics’ minimum recruitment requirements in their second year will be guaranteed employment at the company, which will then cover their tuition for the remaining two years.
LG Electronics will also provide those students with a special scholarship of 6 million won ($4,300) a year during their third and fourth years, as well as an internship opportunity at the company.
The X-mobility fusion department will serve as an early-stage model for the innovation manufacturing and marine convergence college, which PNU plans to establish in 2028.
The future college will bring together three undergraduate programs — advanced naval architecture and ocean systems, advanced mechanical systems, and aerospace systems — along with nine graduate programs.
The X-mobility fusion department will recruit 96 freshmen for the 2027 academic year. All students will receive full tuition scholarships for four years, or eight semesters, as well as support for living expenses.
Students will take common introductory courses and explore different X-mobility fields during their first year before choosing from majors including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering, semiconductor engineering and aerospace engineering in their second year.
Meanwhile, PNU will also launch an AI college in 2027 to strengthen its education capabilities in artificial intelligence and AI transformation, also known as AX in Korea.
The college will have a total capacity of 424 students across four academic units: AI computer engineering with 214 students, data science and statistics with 114, industrial engineering with 69 and AX fusion with 27.
The university said the college is intended to build an education system connecting AI with industry by bringing together core AI technologies, data, industrial processes and the application of AX across industry and society.
PNU said it also plans to expand project-based education using real-world industrial and public-sector data and provide students with opportunities to participate in international exchange programs and internships at major companies.
