Professor NAM Ick-Hyun, Dean of SNU Business School

Seoul National University Business School declared that it would cultivate future business managers who are familiar with the engineering sector. Professor NAM Ick-Hyun, Dean of SNU Business School, explained that the Business School and the College of Engineering are collaboratively seeking methods that will enhance the competitiveness of the undergraduate level of education. The two institutes plan to offer more engineering classes for business students while establishing a joint curriculum, because more liberal arts students are asking for software and computer engineering education. In the midst of severe unemployment problems, engineering is a job skill increasingly preferred by many major businesses in recent years.

"SNU Business School is comprised of the most outstanding students in Korea, but we need to realistically determine if its educational curriculum offers students a sufficient level of academic competitiveness," expressed Professor Nam."I have reached the conclusion that business students should be provided with the opportunity to fully access natural sciences and engineering studies. Quite often, innovation comes from integrating two fields that seem to have no relation with each other."

Professor Nam also pointed out the global trend regarding the rising demand for individuals with a degree in natural sciences or engineering. With the exception of very few students who enter Wall Street after earning an MBA from prestigious American universities, liberal arts students in general find it much more difficult to become employed than engineering students do. While majoring in production management in Silicon Valley during his graduate school years, Professor Nam personally felt regrets about not having taken engineering classes as an undergraduate.

In addition to unemployment issues, the professor mentioned the current trend of many business students pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities. Taking students majoring in Venture Management as an example, he emphasized the need to combine business and engineering education, because business entrepreneurs who work together with engineers feel the need to be well informed in fields such as electrical engineering, computer engineering and mechanical engineering.

"I am well aware of the students' concern that major businesses these days are barely recruiting new employees with a degree from SNU Business School," Professor Nam said."That is why we are actively accepting any students who wish to double major or minor in business." So far, the number of freshmen at SNU Business School has been only about one third of that of business schools in Korea University and Yonsei University.

Besides collaborating with the College of Engineering to open engineering classes for business and other liberal arts students, Professor Nam plans to create new forms of internship programs, in which students can experience actual field work at factory manufacturing sites, or customer service for insurance companies. SNU students are among the most privileged in Korea, but Professor Nam stressed that experience within business sites at the bottom of the social ladder through internship will enable students to become better qualified business managers in the future.

The Business School and the College of Engineering began discussing methods to integrate the two fields in April, when Professor Nam held a meeting with Professor LEE Kunwoo, Dean of the College of Engineering. A task force consisting of professors from both institutions is arranging specific procedures to be implemented soon.

Written by YOON Jiwon, SNU English Editor, jiwonyoon@snu.ac.kr
Reviewed by Eli Park Sorensen, SNU Professor of Liberal Studies, eps7257@snu.ac.kr