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Hyeonseon Namgung, Jinpyo Hong   |   2025.02.17   |   No.17
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The School of Liberal Studies: Outlook and Mission
▲Guidebook of the School of Liberal Studies What is the School of Liberal Studies? The School of Liberal Studies is a new concept for SeoulTech in which students enter university without deciding a specific major and then freely explore their career path under the systematic support of the university. Students of the School of Liberal Studies can choose a major that suits their aptitude and capabilities after completing various liberal arts courses and non-curricular programs at SeoulTech. The advantages of the School of Liberal Studies are as follows. First, it provides a major fair where students can indirectly experience various majors. Second, the STella (SeoulTech Exploration Learning Leadership Aspiration) program helps students choose a major that matches their values and goals. Third, the department also provides various non-curricular activities. The School of Liberal Studies is divided into Type 1 and Type 2, and there are different systems for each of them. In the case of Type 1, after completing the first year of the School of Liberal Studies, students will choose from among the departments participating in the School of Liberal Studies in the year of their admission. This year, 203 students has been admitted, and students will be unconditionally assigned to the department of their choice with some exceptions*. Some programs offered by SeoulTech to Type 1 students are as follows. Firstly, assistance is provided by a guidance professor from their chosen major, a life counseling professor, and a student mentor. Secondly, a study space exclusively for Type 1 students will be provided. Lastly, a short-term exchange student program is scheduled for the summer vacation. In the case of Type 2, students will be able to choose majors from the college they enrolled in. After completing the first semester of the School of Liberal Studies in the college, students will choose from among the departments participating in the School of Liberal Studies in the year of their admission. This year, 299 Type 2 students has been admitted, and they will be able to choose their department within the quota, which is based on selection criteria such as application ranking and grade point average.   Expected Problems and Proposed Solutions As a new concept at SeoulTech, the school may face challenges that require proactive identification and preparation. To figure out the problems that may arise, we can look at the issues that similar majors at other universities encounter. One problem that every new major faces is the lack of student representatives. This absence of student representatives may result in fewer student-driven events like orientations and sports competitions. SeoulTech will solve this problem by establishing an organization comprised of student mentors from different majors. This student organization will work with the Student Council to organize the aforementioned campus events. This organization will last one year, and starting from 2026, new student representatives will be elected. One of the biggest problems that other universities face is the unequal distribution of students across majors. This can lead to problems involving course registration, administrative difficulties, and more. Some universities combat this problem by limiting major selection based on grades. SeoulTech's Type 2 also has this limitation which could help with student distribution. While setting enrollment limitations could help with distribution, it does not fit with the goals of the program, which is to let students choose their own path. For most universities, business administration is the most popular among students who took the liberal arts track in high school, and computer science is the most preferred among students on the natural sciences track. Out of 203 Type 1 students, 167 were selected based on a mathematical essay conducted by SeoulTech. Naturally, these students that are proficient in math will feel more inclined to major in computer science than business administration. This could worsen the problem of major imbalance. The SeoulTech, concerned with these problems, asked the office of the School of Liberal Arts about how they are addressing these issues. The office said "To figure out student preferences, five surveys over the course of two semesters will be conducted for Type 1 students, and three surveys during one semester will be conducted for Type 2 students. After identifying the most desired departments through the surveys, additional classes could be added if necessary." They also said that there was no significant concentration of students across majors detected in the survey given to 167 Type 1 students in January. On the matter of some majors being neglected, the office said that to recruit 502 students for the School of Liberal Arts, there were changes in the department quotas. During this process, the departments that were expected to be neglected were given less adjustments. The school is planning to make further changes to the quotas with the cooperation of all departments. Another problem that could occur is the lack of belonging students may face. Regarding this matter, SeoulTech has devised a module system. Freshmen have been placed in modules of eight or nine students. These module groups will take two courses together: STella Major Exploration and Logical Writing. The expectation is that through these courses, the students will be able to become close to one another. In addition, one major guidance professor and one student mentor will be assigned to each module. Students at other universities have faced difficulties after choosing their major in their sophomore year, often struggling or leaving due to a lack of inclusion. To address this, the office of the School of Liberal Studies is collaborating with the president of the Student Council. They are discussing ways the department representatives could prevent students from feeling excluded.   Conclusion Since the School of Liberal Studies of SeoulTech is a newly adopted department, SeoulTech is making various efforts to attract students. For the School of Liberal Studies to become successful, continuous effort is needed to address future challenges. The SeoulTech sincerely congratulates all the new students who entered SeoulTech with hopes and dreams.   * Departments not eligible for the School of Liberal Studies: College of Art and Design, Information Technology Management, Manufacturing Systems and Design Engineering, Department of Sports Sciences, and College of Future Convergence (Department of Information and Communication Engineering)   Reporters, Hyeonseon Namgung namgung0121@seoultech.ac.kr Jinpyo Hong undohere@seoultech.ac.kr  
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