SeoulTech Implements the ST Semester and EPiC Graduation Requirements System
Expanding the summer break to 3 months due to 15 week courses starting from the 2021 academic year

SeoulTech will begin implementing the ST Semester System which includes changes to semester lengths, EPiC Graduation Requirements system and the Discovery Semester program starting from the first semester of the 2021 academic year.

SeoulTech, which celebrates its 111th anniversary this year, is strengthening and diversifying the graduation requirements needed to cultivate talent that is competitive and desired by corporations. The EPiC Graduation Requirements require all graduates beginning from the 2021 incoming students to attain a minimum score through fieldwork, double majors/minors, certification, and non-academic activities in addition to course credits. This is to promote the diverse and educational experiences of students and help them build on the school’s foundational philosophy of the three talents (ethical, pragmatic and creative talent) and the six key capabilities (humanities, communication, global, creativity and convergence).

As such, incoming students in 2021 will not only have to satisfy graduation credits and the graduation major exam but also the EPiC Graduation Requirements. The EPiC Graduation Requirements include core requirements selected by SeoulTech and non-academic requirements designed to increase graduates’ educational quality and competitiveness. All graduates must satisfy a minimum score of 700 in each of the specific items of each requirement.

The specific requirements are as follows. △SeoulTech Designated Requirements include key items such as fulfilling one or more of the following activities: foreign exchange, foreign language, entrepreneurial activities, fieldwork, additional majors or being published in an academic journal. Additional items include registering a patent, academic presentations, certifications, competitions, etc. △Non-Curricular Requirements are divided into career exploration and planning, enhancing tailored career capabilities, charitable activities track and the major affiliation track and additional points can be received by participating in various non-curricular programs.

Moreover, changes to the semester length resulted in increasing the summer break in order to provide students with opportunities to participate in various on-campus and off-campus experiential activities. SeoulTech will also increase its affiliation with corporations by increasing opportunities for fieldwork and internships while △operating various non-curricular programs, △increasing exchanges with foreign universities and exchange programs, △ creating core curricular programs (concentrated courses), etc. in order to provide a more flexible undergraduate program overall. All academic years will start in February instead of March and increase the summer break period from two months to three months. As a result, the first and second semester lengths will each be approximately 15 weeks.

The Discovery Semester initiative was implemented to allow students to catch up on any academic activities that they were unable to participate in and further dive into areas of interest during the summer. Students can participate in various academic fields during this semester. SeoulTech hopes that this initiative will provide educational opportunities that corporations and society requires by allowing students to fully experience the breadth of knowledge and apply it in their employment, entrepreneurship or academic research.

President Lee Dong Hoon said,”SeoulTech has implemented the EPiC Graduation Requirements in order to cultivate competitive talent that has the capabilities that industries and society requires as we go through major changes and we believe that this is befitting of our institution’s philosophy in creating a global university that contributes to the future of our nation and humanity. The EPiC Graduation Requirements will allow students to take a more systematic approach in planning their careers and we hope to support them in increasing and balancing their capabilities to better match what society and corporations demand.”