Sungkyunkwan University
is synonymous with both tradition and innovation in education. The
literal meaning of the university's name is 'an institution for building
a harmonious society of perfected human beings.' The founding philosophy
of Old Sungkyunkwan is needed as much as ever today, in an era
of technological advancement that seems devoid of humanity. The University's
faculties of more than 1,000 are committed to quality teaching and research,
offering students a challenging environment for intellectual and personal
growth. Eleven schools and five colleges offer degrees at the bachelor's
level, while eight graduate schools confer various degrees at both
the master's and doctoral levels. We also offer fourteen special graduate
schools at master's level and several unique interdisciplinary programs.
Old Sungkyunkwan was founded over 600 years ago by royal decree
to promote the scholarship in Confucianism. From its inception it had
all the facilities required of a university: administrative headquarters,
lecture halls, a library, dormitories, and a shrine.
Another main function of Old Sungkyunkwan was to conduct memorial
services in honor of Confucius. As the nation's highest educational institute,
Old Sungkyunkwan went through vicissitudes with the country
it served over centuries. It would be misleading, however, to view
the University merely in the context of its pre-modern history. What
the University has achieved in the last fifty years meets and exceeds
that of the five hundred years preceding our current century.
After World War II, with the emergence of the Republic of Korea,
Old Sungkyunkwan underwent a renaissance as a private university. As Korea modernized
and underwent social and economic reforms, the University grew rapidly
to keep up with the diverse demands of the advancing country. In 1946,
the entering class numbered 155; the number of our alumni totals
over 130,000.
While a long history alone cannot guarantee the excellence of an institution,
the rich culture that exudes from a long tradition is surely a unique
and valuable asset of the University. In addition, we take pride in
the University's innovative spirit. As a result of the long efforts
to place the natural sciences on an equal footing with our strong
foundation in the humanities, we now operate two campuses: the Humanities
and Social Sciences Campus and the Natural Sciences Campus.
