Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)
Motto A Proud Creator of Future Science and Technology
Type National
Established 1993
President Kichul Lim (임기철)
Students 2,122 (as of January 2018)
Undergraduates 868 (as of January 2018)
Postgraduates 1,254 (as of January 2018)
Address
123 Cheomdan-gwagiro (Oryong-dong), Buk-gu
,
Gwangju
,
South Korea

35.2265°N 126.8400°E / 35.2265; 126.8400
Website gist.ac.kr
Korean name
Hangul
광주과학기술원
Hanja
光州科學技術院
Revised Romanization Gwangju Gwahank Gisulwon
McCune–Reischauer Kwangju Kwahank Kisulwŏn

The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) is a research-oriented university focused on science and technology that is located in Gwangju, South Korea. GIST is a member of the research-oriented universities group consisting of GIST-KAIST-UNIST-UST-POSTECH-DGIST.

History

The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) was established by the South Korean government in 1993 as a research-oriented graduate school to train highly skilled scientists and researchers, to create a strong research base for further development of advanced science and technology, and to promote collaborative foreign and domestic research programs within industry and academia. According to a 2012 news article in the Korea JoongAng Daily, "All classes are taught in English, and master’s and doctoral thesis are all written in English. Doctoral students only receive their degrees if they have published more than one work as the first author in scientific journals, encouraging them to be research leaders. And in 2001, GIST became the first Korean university to introduce a thesis quality certification [program], gaining attention from the science field and the media."

Then in 2010, GIST College was established at GIST to offer Korea's first liberal arts oriented science curriculum for undergraduate students. According to GIST College Professor Kyung-Deok Roh, "GIST College is the only university that pursues and practices the philosophy of liberal arts education in Korea. ... However, GIST College has unique traits that separate it from conventional liberal arts colleges. It is because GIST first started out as a research-oriented graduate school, and as such its undergraduate education can utilize and benefit from the knowledge, infrastructure, and expertise that the research institution already possesses. In other words, GIST College, while upholding liberal arts as the core of its undergraduate education, can also work closely with the graduate school for deeper-level education and research. This is a feature that makes GIST College all the more special."

Rankings

In the 2016/2017 QS World University Rankings® Result tables, GIST was ranked number 2 in the world in the category of citations per faculty. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2014–2015, GIST was ranked 96th in the world in the category of Engineering & Technology.

University rankings
QS National General 288
USNWR National General 17
QS Asia
(Asian Ranking version) 		General 271-280
THE Asia General 46
USNWR Asia General 144
THE World General 401-500
QS World General 322
USNWR World General 708
ARWU World Research 801-900
THE World (Young) General/Young 46
QS World (50 Under 50) General/Young 32

Special Rankings

QS World Universities Ranking #3 in the World number per citations per faculty
Times Higher Education World University Technology Rankings #4 in South Korea
Patent application/registration number Ranking (HanKuk economy paper) #2 in South Korea
Technology transfer income Ranking (HanKuk economy paper) #1 in South Korea
Research fund per faculty Ranking (Korea Research Foundation) #2 in South Korea
Thomson Reuters #8 in South Korea

Timeline

August 5, 1993 Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology Act promulgated
October 11, 1993 Dr. Doo-Bong Ha inaugurated as first president
February 27, 1997 First master's degrees conferred
Jan 22, 1998 Dr. Hyo-Gun Kim was appointed as the 2nd president
February 20, 2000 First doctorate degrees conferred
Feb. 16, 2002 Dr. Jung-Woong Ra, was appointed as the 3rd president
March 26, 2004 English acronym changed from KJIST to GIST, following Romanization change of the city name from Kwangju to Gwangju
Feb. 16, 2006 Dr. Sung-Gwan Huh was appointed as the 4th president
Jun. 04, 2008 Dr. Jung-Ho Sonu was appointed as the 5th president
Jun. 04, 2012 Dr. Young-Joon Kim was appointed as the 6th president
February 25, 2014 First bachelor's degrees conferred
March 11, 2015 Dr. Seung Hyeon Moon inaugurated as 7th president
March 6, 2019 Dr. Kiseon Kim inaugurated as 8th president
Oct. 11, 2019 Artificial Intelligence Graduate School is established
July 7, 2023 Dr. Kichul Lim inaugurated as 9th president

Departments

GIST College (bachelor's programs)

  • Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences (freshmen)
  • Majors (sophomores, juniors and seniors)
    • Physics Concentration
    • Chemistry Concentration
    • Life Science Concentration
    • Engineering and Applied Science Concentrations
      • Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Concentration
      • Mechanical Engineering Concentration
      • Materials Science and Engineering Concentration
      • Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering Concentration

Graduate Schools (master's and doctoral programs)

See also