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    THEME ➁

    Developing convergence talent in the era of the Big Blur,

    Nurtured by “LIONS College”

    Chairman SeungJune Hwang of the committee preparing for the establishment of LIONS College(School of Business Administration)

    ERICA is introducing a school for undeclared majors, which is being called “LIONS College”. In it, students can design their own major by exploring various other fields based on their aptitudes for one year after entering the university without having to choose a specific major first. In this article, we delve into the unique features of ERICA’s school of undeclared majors, LIONS College, which is designed to foster convergence talent, and the changes in university education that the LIONS College is expected to bring.

    • Written by · YeongIm Park
    • Photo by · HongBeom Ahan, External Affairs and Development Team

    “LIONS College”, expected to shift the educational paradigm

    “The Big Blur phenomenon, where boundaries between various industries and technologies are blurred, is emerging as a major social trend today. In particular, the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology is accelerating the convergence of industry and academia. As a result, more so-called convergence talent are needed who can integrate the gained knowledge of various fields to provide new and creative solutions. Accordingly, we need more flexible and diverse university curricula,” according to Chairman Hwang.

    How should higher education change to foster talented workers demanded in the era of Big Blur? After much consideration, the ERICA Campus chose to create the “LIONS College”, which was specifically created for undeclared majors. The purpose of the college is to provide students the flexibility to adjust to the education system by allowing them to more accurately choose their major(s) and design their career paths according to their individual interests and abilities. In addition to providing opportunities for undecided students to explore various majors, the main purpose is to give students opportunities to cultivate their abilities and creativity by being exposed to various academic subjects throughout the year. Chairman SeungJune Hwang of the committee preparing for the establishment of the LIONS College said he hopes to nurture students who seek to gain an understanding of a wide range of academic subjects, rather than just students who have not yet decided on a major.

    “These days, it is difficult to choose a career path by only studying the contents of one major. Students should have the opportunities to build their ability to think in an integrated and comprehensive way. Thus, we are providing a great opportunity to gain skills and knowledge from other majors to apply to their own interests to create something new. We plan to support students in developing integrated thinking in their first year of school and based on that, help them to choose their major.”

    Chairman Hwang emphasized that prestigious universities in the United States have already been introducing education systems without academic boundaries. For example, Brown University offers an open curriculum in which students can attend classes in about 80 majors and then choose their major based on their experiences. Brown also provides various kinds of information such as on their course completion system, subjects, and job information.

    “ERICA has developed into a university that is leading the way in education and industry-academia cooperation. In fact, it has been known for breaking down the boundaries between university, companies, and communities. Based on our successful experiences, ERICA plans to introduce a differentiated type of undeclared-major school to produce talented graduates demanded in this new era.”

    Chairman Hwang emphasized that the ERICA LIONS College will support students when deciding on their academic and career paths, and will provide opportunities to choose their own major(s).

    Professional advisors to provide close support for academia and careers

    A total of 448 students will be admitted to the LIONS College starting from the 2025 academic year, which is about 22% of ERICA’s total number of students, a high percentage even among major universities in the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Unlike what other universities offer, LIONS College will establish three schools: ”LIONS School of Undeclared Majors ― All Departments”, ”LIONS School of Undeclared Major-Science Departments”, and ”LIONS School of Undeclared Major ― Humanities and Social Sciences Departments”, where all students can freely choose their major, except for the College of Pharmacy and College of Sports & Arts. The purpose of this change is to accommodate the needs of various students, such as those who would like to explore majors beyond the boundaries of departments, and those who have decided on a department but are thinking about a more detailed major. Students in the science departments and the Humanities and Social Sciences Departments will take specialized basic education courses for each department in their first year. Meanwhile, students in other departments will receive education centered on common subjects such as career guidance and AI so that they can more effectively consider their possible career paths.

    Many universities have tried to operate a school for undeclared majors but many students tend to drop out midway due to mismanagement. The success of an undeclared-major school requires thorough supplementation and improvement when problems arise during the operation of the program. Chairman Hwang pointed out that the success of an undeclared-major school depends on the effectiveness of the first-year curriculum.

    “We plan to make available, academic advisors who provide student support academically and for their career paths. Also, we will allow students to choose their majors in their second year. ERICA will also offer students chances to experience a variety of introductory courses of majors they chose in advance during semesters and vacations, so that they can begin studying in their majors with basic knowledge that is equal to that of the students who started the major from their first year. There will also be support for self-designed majors, where students can freely design their own majors. They will have the option to change their majors even after they decide on them.”

    We are also considering ways to actively utilize links with various industries, which are ERICA’s greatest strength. We plan to establish a system that supports LIONS College by cooperating with members of the Industry Advisory Board (IAB) that consists of approximately 500 industry experts, led by professors selected as joint appointees from departments or colleges. LIONS College students will be able to receive academic and career counseling under an organized mentoring system, and gain industry experience in advance before selecting a career path that suits their aptitude.

    “We also plan to provide a special scholarship system. We are looking into a scholarship system under which we provide scholarships to students entering LIONS College and the Transdisciplinary College, and additional scholarships to students based on their academic performance and achievements.”

    Cultivating growth-oriented
    convergence talent who can
    maximize their potential through a
    diverse major exploration system
    and a multifaceted consulting
    support system.

    Leading through Autonomy and Cutting-edge Programs

    For some time, ERICA has been preparing educational programs through innovation to break down boundaries between departments. To do so, ERICA has established the Office of Educational Innovation which seeks to expand professional manpower and complete the structuring of subjects into a ”job-linked modularized major curriculum platform” to compliment its existing major curriculum system.

    “The existing major-centered curriculum had limitations in keeping up with social and industry changes. We expect that the job-linked modularized major curriculum platform will enable us to produce more innovative talent to meet the demands of society,” Chairman Hwang said.

    If such educational innovation is successfully implemented, ultimately all students at ERICA will be able to participate in the undeclared major course. This is a bold challenge even for ERICA. Chairman Hwang expressed his confidence in meeting challenges, as he already has experience with participating in many innovative and successful models such as the project for campus specialized in industry-university cooperation; the PRIME project; campus innovation park; field training; and an educational innovation model represented by IC-PBL.

    Chairman Hwang added, “We expect that ERICA’s educational innovation model centering on the LIONS College will not simply end with the establishment of the school of undeclared majors, but will go beyond, making ERICA an excellent university representing industry-university cooperation and a leader in this cutting-edge field.”

    The following is an outline of the curriculum of the ERICA LIONS College.

    ERICA is seeking new educational innovation through the LIONS College based on its experience and capabilities in order to develop into an industry-academia cooperation cluster that continues to build bridges between the university, companies, and the local community.