Want of Quorum of Doctor’s Course in Seoul National University

The doctor’s course of Seoul National University was short of a registration this year again. It could be because a full quota of students in a graduate school of Seoul National University increases. However, the analysis says that many universities and companies prefer ‘students studying abroad’ to ‘Doctor of Seoul National University’.

According to a state of doctor’s course registration for the first term of 2003 published by Seoul National University on October 21, only 960 students registered out of its full quota of 1124 students and the total competitive rate was 0.85 to 1. Summing up the registration of the first term (0.90 to 1) and second term (0.77 to 1), it recorded 0.89 to 1. The master course recorded the competitive rate of 1.72 to 1.

In terms of the doctor’s course, College of Natural Sciences had 69 applicants for the registration of its full quota of 121 students showing the competitive rate of 0.57 to 1. College of Liberal Arts and Humanities, College of Pharmacy and College of Engineering recorded 0.66:1, 0.45:1 and 0.81:1. Out of the total 18 colleges, the half was short of the number of applicants.

Especially, in College of Liberal Arts and Humanities, 13 departments except the Department of Linguistics and the Department of Religious Studies lacked quorum. The Department of Spanish Language and Literature and one more department didn’t have any applicant. In the College of Natural Sciences, only Department of Physics had larger applicants than the quorum, and other departments recorded the rate of 1:1 or lacked quorum.

It is because universities prefer ‘students studying abroad’ to ‘doctors graduated from Seoul National University’.

As of the end of 2000, out of total 1438 professors of Seoul National University, there are 553 professors who graduated from universities in Korea. Excluding the professors of the college of medicine and college of dentistry, there are only 220 professors.

Mr. Yu (25) who is preparing for studying the master course of the college of natural sciences abroad said, “When I get a doctorate in Seoul National University, I could be the professor of a local university at best. So, I want to study abroad because it is easy to get a scholarship from the college of natural sciences and not hard to study over other colleges.”

Mr. Park (27), a PhD Candidate of college of engineering, Seoul National University said, “I am worried about my future because companies have treated doctors of Seoul National University on the same footing with graduate students of foreign universities.”

The quorum of the graduate school has increased owing to the lack of students. There were 2341 students as the quorum of PhD course of Seoul National University in 1992, but the quorum increased to 2960 students in 2002. Yu Yeong-Jae, the head of administration bureau said, “Increase on the quorum of the graduate school is a major reason of the lack of students because of a goal of a research-focused university supporting.”

buddy@donga.com