Korean Universities Shut Down Unpopular Departments
According to an article in the Korea Times, many South Korean universities are planning to shut down or downsize what they call unpopular departments in a bid to concentrate on sought-after studies and reduce their budget spending. Konkuk University said Monday it might shut down its European Union Studies and Jewish and Middle East Studies departments from the spring semester after taking into account their poor employment rates and lukewarm response from students.The university will also downsize its Physical and Music Education departments as demand on teachers majoring in such subjects has been falling, while it will establish an English Education Department to meet the soaring demand for English-specialized teachers. Seoul National University, the nation’s No. 1 school, is considering unifying its three out-of-favor departments ㅡ the Department of Asian History, Western History.