Hankuk University of Foreign Studies


Hankuk University of Foreign Studies is a private research university based in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The university was founded in 1954 to promote foreign language education in post-war Korea. The university is located in Seoul and Yongin. The university has 60 departments and offers 53 different language courses. The name of the university is derived from the romanization of the Korean word Hankuk which means Korea. The university is considered one of the best private higher education institutions in South Korea, especially on foreign language and social science. Most recently, HUFS won 3rd place in 2020 QS World University Rankings on the subject of Linguistics, 4th on English Language and Literature, 4th on Modern languages and 6th on Arts and Humanities in Korea. It has a graduate school of interpretation and translation.
In 2008, JoongAng Ilbo ranked HUFS second in Korea for its research, faculty, reputation, and alumni representation among schools without a medical school. In 2010, the university was ranked as the best Korean university on the subject of globalization in the QS World University Rankings. In 2007, HUFS won third place of Korean universities on the National Customer Satisfaction Index, and was placed second in terms of internationalization two years in a row in the university rankings of JoongAng Ilbo. In 2012, HUFS was ranked 1st among the large universities without medical school in Korea. In 2019 QS World University Rankings, the university ranked as the 13th best university in Korea and the 84th best university in Asia.

History

In April 1954, HUFS was founded as a college for studying foreign languages in by Kim Heung-bae with its first students studying English, French, Chinese, German and Russian. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the college expanded its programmes and became a university in 1980.
Bronisław Komorowski giving a lecture at Hankuk University, October 2013.
In 1981, it opened its second campus in Yongin, a satellite city of Seoul.
In 2012, U.S President Barack Obama, during his visit to Korea, spoke at Hankuk University in Seoul about global progress toward nuclear non-proliferation.

Education

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies has over 50 departments covering Social Sciences, Eastern European Studies, Humanities, Asia-African Studies, and Natural Sciences. The university contributes to regional studies, with graduate courses in international and regional studies.
Since 2004 the closely associated Cyber Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, based at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, has been offering online courses in English, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, as well as Business Administration and Journalism and Mass Communication.
HUFS runs a foreign language examination system. The FLEX Center is developing examinations for 19 languages in addition to the seven languages currently administered. It plans for 26 languages more.
As of October 2014, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies has academic exchange program agreements with 431 universities and 139 institutions throughout 88 nations.

International exchange

Under the foreign language certification system, students who have double majors are required to achieve certain scores on the FLEX test for graduation, apart from graduation certification. In principle, students need to receive certification on their proficiency in foreign language.
There are many kinds of languages in FLEX: English, Chinese, Japanese, German, French, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Indian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Polish, Italian, Dutch and so on.

Campus

The university is composed of two campuses, the Seoul Campus located in the eastern region of Seoul, and its suburban campus in Yongin which is the Global Campus.
Global campus teaches additional languages not provided in Seoul, namely Polish, Romanian, Czech, Slovakian, Hungarian, Serbian, Croatian, Ukrainian, Greek, Bulgarian, Central Asian Languages and African Languages etc.

Colleges

Seoul Campus

Minerva College is not an official college nor a division but offers a variety of lectures. Based on which, HUFS undergraduates choose to take a course to fill out the credits. HUFS undergraduates are supposed to take "Minerva Liberal Arts Lecture, Minerva Liberal Arts Lecture", which are mandatory courses for graduation as well as "Freshmen Seminar" in each department. The Minerva Liberal Arts Lectures feature overall understanding of History, Linguistics, Communications, Philosophy, Politics, Discussion and Debates, Report and Essay, all of which are based on Humanity Studies.

Graduate School

Graduate School

GSIAS currently runs nine region- and nation- based departments, which include Departments of North American Studies, European Union Studies, Latin American Studies, Korean Studies, Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies, Russian and CIS Studies, Indian and ASEAN Studies, and Middle East and African Studies.
A dual-degree program in United Nations Peace Studies was introduced in 2007, and another new master's program in international development was created in 2010. Under the auspices of the Korea International Cooperation Agency, annual 20 distinguished mid-career governmental officials and experts from 20 promising countries from all around the world have experienced KOICA-sponsored international development program during 2010-2017. In 2018, international studies has been opened newly.
In the field of research, GSIAS has concluded numerous MOUs and cooperative relationships with many prestigious institutions within and outside Korea, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, the National Research Fund, the Seoul Development Institute, etc., to carry out various research projects. It also created in early 2010 a GSIAS-affiliated think-tank, named the Center for International Cooperation and Strategy, aimed at facilitating policy-relevant research activities and outreach programs. The Center hosted a major international conference in June 2010 under the title “Towards an East Asian Community: Why and How?" In December 2010, CICS organized a high-level Korea-Middle East Forum in Cairo jointly with the Al-Ahram Institute for Strategic Studies and MOFAT.
In the areas of exchange, GSIAS has embarked on many ambitious overseas exchange and internship programs with such prestigious institutions as MOFAT, Korea Trade Agency, and a number of domestic and international organizations. In the second half of 2010, the European Union and MEST jointly selected GSIAS as the lead Korean institute for the Education Cooperation Program between the EU and Korea for the following three years. GSIAS has also succeeded, in collaboration with the Institute for EU Studies, in hosting the EU Centre in Korea Project within the University from the European Commission in the same year. A “Global e-School Program in Korean Studies” was introduced within GSIAS in 2011, with the financial support from the Korea Foundation.
The Graduate School of International and Area Studies has 11 departments covering every area of the world. Students major in one of the three social fields of politics, economics, or society and culture.

Since its establishment in 1996 with the goal of systematizing and globalizing Korean Studies, the Korean Studies Department at GSIAS has produced many competent graduates through an active support system that boasts a comprehensive scholarship program for international students. Graduate students are able to nurture their intellectual interests by selecting courses from a broad curriculum covering Korea's politics, international relations, economy, society, and culture and history in conjunction with courses in the Korean language that help students develop fluency. Graduates are now working in their home countries as specialists in various Korea-related fields. The department also admits Korean students with the aim of training them to teach the language and about the country in all aspects.
HUFS has the longest history of teaching and research about China of any university in Korea. More than 100 alumni work as full-time professors of Chinese Studies in both domestic and overseas universities, and many graduates work as China specialists in private companies as well as for the government. The graduate school's Chinese Studies Department offers the most diverse curriculum in Korea and provides learning and research opportunities through classes taught by full-time Chinese-speaking professors. The department's top-level scholarship system for new and continuing students achieves a synergistic effect through building cooperative relationships with the university's Foreign Studies Research Center and the prestigious Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation.

The educational goal of Japanese Studies at GSIAS contrasts with that of traditionally organized Japanese departments in Korea that focus on linguistic and literary studies. The program at the GSIAS aims to offer a comprehensive and systematic understanding of Japanese politics, economy, society, history, and culture in order to produce Japanese specialists who will play a constructive role in the domain of knowledge-informatization in 21st-century Korean society and also contribute to the expansion of Korea-Japan relations in all fields. In order to achieve this educational goal, the department operates student exchanges with the University of Tsukuba and Yamaguchi University. With a deep understanding about Japan, graduates of the Japanese Studies Department show a high annual employment rate; many of them enter international companies, the national government, Japanese companies in Korea, or work in the media. Also, as Japanese pop culture is opening up more and the Korean wave is having an influence in Japan, it is expected that graduates of the Japanese Studies Department will contribute to the serious academic understanding of this contemporary phenomenon of cross-cultural impact.
Department of Southeast Asia and India covers eleven countries. Mainland Southeast Asia includes Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Islands in Southeast Asia include Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, and East Timor. South Asia includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. The department offers interdisciplinary Master's and Ph.D. degrees in this macro-region. As with the other GSIAS departments, students choose a concentration in politics, economy, or society and culture, and one of the languages of South Asia or Southeast Asia. The department curriculum is designed for individuals who want to enrich their knowledge of the South or Southeast Asia region, taking into account regionalization organizations like ASEAN and SAARC. Students entering the program are usually interested in careers in the foreign service, government, international assistance/development enterprises, or teaching. The GSIAS program has special strengths in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and India.

Middle East and African Studies
European Union Studies at GSIAS develops European region specialists at a time when relations between Korea and the EU are anticipated to grow substantially. Especially after the signing of the free trade agreement between Korea and the EU, we anticipate growing need for experts to actively deepen exchange between the world's largest economic area and Korea. To this end, the department provides a comprehensive multidisciplinary program focused on the EU's politics, security, economy, society, and culture and those of its 27 member states. Students in the EU Studies Department at GSIAS cultivate the basis for becoming EU specialists through systematic and rigorous study of the dynamic changes in the EU's politics and international relations, economy, and society and culture, with the overall focus on the process of European integration. During the course of their study, students are required to improve their linguistic competence in one or more of the languages of the EU member states. Language command is tested upon graduation. Most graduates work in businesses, research institutes, international organizations and trade promotion institutions. In addition, some graduates have expanded their career aspirations in the direction of government-affiliated institutions, diplomacy and higher education.
U.S. and Canadian Studies Department aims at producing area specialists able to compete on the global stage as competent professionals with regional knowledge in the fields of politics, economy and society, and culture. To this end the department offers a comprehensive multidisciplinary education through graduate seminars and special lectures. The detailed curriculum is divided into three fields: politics and diplomacy, economy and management, and society and culture. The politics and diplomacy track consists of courses both on domestic political progress and structure and on diplomacy and national security. The economy/management track studies North American finance and international management policies in the changing global business environment. The society/culture track provides a systematic understanding of the culture of the North American region from its history and popular culture to social structure and changes in family and race. All course work is done in English. Students are expected to raise their English skills to a high level and conduct their own research based on their understanding of and interest in their field of specialization.

Department of Latin American Studies aims at cultivating area specialists with knowledge of the Latin American and Caribbean region in the fields of politics, economy, business, and society, and culture. To this end the department offers a comprehensive multidisciplinary program through graduate seminars and special lectures. The sub-major field of politics consists of courses focusing on understanding the macro-region's political development and democracy, political economy, and international relations. The economy/business track is composed of courses on Latin America's macro-economy, the region's interaction with the world economy, and regional economic integration. The society/culture concentration consists of courses providing a broad understanding of Latin American and Caribbean society covering history, culture, social structure, and changes in race and religion. Thanks to a grant from the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, the Latin American Studies Department offers a course each semester alternating between a Latin America Policy Seminar and a Latin American Business Seminar. High-ranking officials from Korean and foreign governments, domestic and international organizations and firms, as well as scholars and experts are invited to present lectures in these courses. The professional development activities of students receive support from abroad-based institutional linkages with the region's universities and selected organizations,as well as with Korean institutions that facilitate direct contacts and enhance exchanges/study abroad programs and internship opportunities.
The Department of International Development Studies was established in 2010 with a goal of fostering students with interests in contributing to the world development to acquire an understanding of interdisciplinary and multidimensional aspects of development and underdevelopment in the world. Students have opportunities to learn wide and deep from i) a broad range of available courses not only from the department but also from ten other departments at the GSIAS mostly specializing in respective area studies of many developing regions of the world; ii) discussions with fellow students from more than 20 different developing countries each year; and iii) one semester abroad under exchange ties with over 200 partner institutions in the world. Career chances for graduates are widely ranged from public, private, domestic to international.
The GSIAS established the Department of International Studies during the first semester of 2017 and recruited the first students for its master's degree program during the second semester of 2017. The Department aims to admit students who are interested in enhancing their knowledge and cultivating their analytical skills in the area of international affairs. The Department faculty has recognized strengths in teaching and researching in the fields of International Security, Cultural Heritage, International Organizations and International Trade.
HUFS-UPEACE dual degree program is the first established in Asia in 2007. Students study one year each in Korea and Costa Rica. Upon program completion students earn a dual master's degree from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and the United Nations Mandated University for Peace. Students will earn a dual master's degree from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and the University for Peace upon completion of the programme.

Law School

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies has a school of law, making it one of the 25 universities in Korea which have a law school.

Graduate School of Education

Graduate School of Politics, Government and Communication

Graduate School of Business

Graduate School of TESOL

HUFS Graduate School of TESOL is one of the top specialized graduate schools that provide a master's course in TESOL in Korea along with Sookmyung Woman's University and Hanyang University.
Furthermore, HUFS Graduate School of TESOL is divided into two concentrations: the Department of English Language Teaching and the Department of ELT Contents Development.
The program offers late afternoon and evening courses for the working students who are unable to attend classes during the day.

Auxiliary educational organizations

2009 Distinguished Alumni Award