Inha University


Inha University is a private research university located in Incheon, South Korea.
Known traditionally for research and education in the engineering and physical sciences, the University was established by the first president of South Korea, Syngman Rhee. Inha is a Korean-American collaboration school, even in its name: the Morpheme "In" comes from the city of Incheon and "Ha" from Hawaii, USA. Started as a polytechnic university in 1954, named Inha Institute of Technology, the institute has been achieving national recognition and a strong reputation as a technological research university thereafter.
Inha University is the most well-known and #1 university in Incheon area. Inha was ranked top 10 nationwide through decades according to Joongang Ilbo's annual rankings of South Korean universities; ranked 8th in 2017. Also, Inha is a member of GU8.

History

Establishment

In 1952, in the midst of the Korean War, the first President of Korea, Syngman Rhee proposed the foundation of an educational institute that would provide expertise and hope to a lagging industrial sector. The driving force behind the proposal was the will and determination of a group of Koreans who had emigrated to Hawaii 50 years earlier.
The name 'Inha' comes from the name of 'Incheon' and 'Ha' in Hawaii. In March 1954, with the goal of establishing a world-class engineering university like MIT in the US, Dr. Lee Won Chul, an astronomer who obtained his Ph.D. degree, was the inaugural Vice President Lee Ki-bong. On April 24, 1954, he had the entrance ceremony for 179 freshmen. On March 14, 1958, the establishment of a graduate school was approved.
Financial resources for the foundation came from the proceeds of the sale of the Korean Christian Institute, an organization founded and managed by Dr. Rhee for the purpose of educating the children of the original emigrants, donations from Korean emigrants in Hawaii and domestic supporters, and a government subsidy. Along with school site donation from Incheon city, the Ministry of Culture and Education approved the foundation of the Inha Institute in February, 1954.
Institute building construction began in earnest, to finally have the Inha Institute of Technology opened later the same year, in the scheme of the parent 6 Departments of Metallurgical, Mechanical, Mining, Electric, Shipbuilding and Chemical Engineering.

Time of expansion and development

The Inha Institute of Technology, with its unique history and great mission to foster excellent students who would contribute to the development of the nation's scientific and technological industries, was funded to do so by the help of huge government subsidies and foreign aid from UNESCO and the German government.
In a move to improve the management of the Inha Institute, the Board of Trustees was reorganized and Dr. Choong-Hoon Jo and Dr. Jwa-Kyung Seong assumed the positions of Chairman of the Board and the Dean, respectively. That change brought more energy to the management, and resulted in the introduction of state-of-the-art experimental and research equipment, construction of new school buildings, research centers, practice factories, experimental tanks, library, and gymnasium, and secured excellent professors, contributing to the development of the Korean industry.
With the rapid development of the Inha Institute of Technology, its size and facilities surpassed those of other colleges.
It was inevitable for the institute to be elevated to the status of university, thus in December, 1971, the Ministry of Culture and Education approved the elevation and Dr. Jwa-Kyung Seong took office as the first president, solidifying the basis toward one of the prestigious universities in Korea.
Ultimately on Oct. 2, 2014, in collaboration between Inha University and the Government of Uzbekistan, Inha University in Tashkent, the first South Korean university abroad, has been established, with a view to training professional global IT leaders in the country.
The curriculum and academic program of this newly emerging international university comprise the same as those of Inha University in Korea.

Vision

Today, Inha University fosters professionals with academic skills and a character befitting the school motto of Truth. Inha has already produced as many as 120,000 graduates in science, technology and industry. Inha currently educates 20,000 students, while continuing efforts to become one of the top universities in the world. In 2014, Inha University has started to grow at an international level with the opening of the Inha University in Tashkent in the city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In addition, Inha believes in a balanced education that includes the liberal arts. Inha believes that the true purpose of a university, the development of human spirits, lies not in the quantitative and external expansion, but in the realization of human values and the nurturing of creativity.

Academic structure

Inha has 12 colleges in Engineering, Natural Sciences, Economics and Trade, Business Administration, Education, Law, Social Science, Humanities, Human Ecology, and Medicine, and 1 affiliation, 20 departments, 9 major fields of study. Inha University's Graduate school offers 47 fields of study for the Master's program and 41 for the Doctoral program. The Graduate School of Education has 31 majors for its Master's program and research course. The Graduate School of Business Administration offers 1 Master's program and 2 certificate courses and a part-time MBA program. The Graduate School of Engineering offers 14 majors in its Master's program and research courses. The Graduate School of Public Administration has 3 majors in its Master's program and research courses. Founded in 2000, the Graduate School of Information Technology and Telecommunications offers 1 major in its Master's program and the expanded and reorganized Graduate School of International Trade and Logistics now has 2 departments with 5 majors.

Undergraduate colleges

Inha university consists of 11 undergraduate colleges:
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Inha has 9 graduate schools: Graduate School, Graduate School of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Graduate School of Logistics, Law School, School of Medicine, Graduate School of Engineering, Graduate School of Education, Graduate School of Business Administration, Graduate School of Public Administration.

Academic traditions

Inha University had a school tradition of pragmatism and pioneering spirit. Traditionally, technology has been so strong that it launched rockets with its own technology since the 1960s that it has churned out numerous homegrown venture entrepreneurs, starting with BitComputer, the No. 1 Korean venture firm. Bachelor degree is also very flexible overall, so it is a very good environment for students who want to learn various fields through minor or dual major.
It played a major role in the history of rocket development in South Korea, which was led by the government in the early days, but moved on to private research focusing on Inha University after political upheaval such as April Revolution and May 16 coup. Inha University was a leading university in the development of rockets in Korea. It launched its own technology rockets, IITO-1A and IITO-2A in 1960, IITA-7CR in 1964, IITA-X21 in 1968 and IS-001 and IS-002 in 1988. The IITA-7CR, which was launched in 1964 to mark the 10th anniversary of its foundation, is still on display on campus. The Inha Roket Research Institute, a rocket research club currently active, is also Korea's first university student rocket club. These features and capabilities continue to be present and in 2018, the first Asian university to sign a space technology contract with NASA for joint research, joining NASA's deep space exploration project, the Helios Project. NASA's first research institute in Asia is set up in Korea, and Inha University has been selected as a joint research partner, becoming the first Asian university to sign a space technology contract with NASA for joint research. Under the agreement, NASA's Langley Research Center will work together on the Helios project, a project to develop a projectile for deep space exploration under way To that end, an aerospace campus is under construction in Songdo and the Inha IST-NASA Joint Research Center for deep space exploration will be set up, which will involve Inha University and NASA's Langley Research Center.

Facilities

Attached agencies

Inha university has 8 attached agencies which are listed below:
Inha university has about 60 research institutes attached to it. These institutes are listed below.
InstituteYear of EstablishmentInstituteYear of Establishment
Science & Technology Research Institute1967Humanities Research Institute1974
Social Science Research Institute1980Basic Science Research Institute1979
Student Life Research Institute1973Aviation Management Research Institute1976
New Community Movement Research Institute1977Center for International Studies1985
Institute for Business & Economics Research1985Center for Korean Studies1986
Ocean Science & Technology Institute1987Sports Science Research Institute1987
Medical Toxicology Research Center1988Institute of Polymer Science & Engineering1990
Institute of Advanced Materials1990Institute of Computer Science & Applications1990
Management Research Institute1992Environmental Research Institute1992
Institute for Information and Electronics Research1992Institute for Mechanical Engineering1995
Research Institute of Ship and Ocean Engineering1994Educational Research Institute1994
Research Institute of Human Ecology1994Research Institute of Semiconductor Thin Film Technology1995
Research Institute of Chemical Dynamics1996Research Institute for Medical Sciences1996
Research Institute of Water Resources & Systems1996Research Institute of Construction and Environment Systems1996
Geoinformatic Engineering Research Institute1998Yellow Sea Transportation System Research Center1996
Environmental Technology Center of Thermal Plasma2005Institute of Industrial Biotechnology2000
Institute for Legal Studies1999Regional Research Center for Coastal Environments of the Yellow Sea1999
Intelligent GIS Research Center1998UWB-ITRC Center2003
Institute of Industrial Biotechnology2000Institute for Culture Management and Psychology2005
Asia Pacific School of Logistics2004Regional Innovation Center For Light Materials1999
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology2000--

Rankings

In 2017, Times Higher Education ranked the university within the 601-800 band globally.

Notable alumni