Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology

GIST is a founding member of STAR-MOOC (Science & Technology Advanced Research Massive Open Online Course), a collaborative online educational platform launched in 2018. The initiative is a joint effort between South Korea's primary science and technology universities, including KAIST, GIST, DGIST, UNIST, POSTECH, and the UST. As a member of this group, GIST is designated under the South Korean Ministry of Justice's (F-2-7S). This program provides a fast-track residency pathway for international students who obtain a master's or doctoral degree at GIST. Eligible graduates may receive a residence visa (F-2) via a recommendation from the university president, bypassing certain general employment requirements, and are eligible to apply for permanent residency (F-5) after three years. == History ==

Establishment and early years (1993–2000) The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) was established by the South Korean government on August 5, 1993, following the enactment of the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology Act. Founded as a research-oriented graduate school, its primary mission was to foster highly skilled scientists and create a strong research and development (R&D) base for advanced technology in Korea. On October 11, 1993, Dr. Doo-Bong Ha was inaugurated as the university's first president. The institute conferred its first master's degrees on February 27, 1997, and its first doctoral degrees on February 20, 2000. Expansion and rebranding (2001–2009) In 2001, GIST became the first university in South Korea to introduce a "thesis quality certification program," which mandated that doctoral candidates publish in high-impact journals before graduation. On March 26, 2004, the university officially changed its English acronym from KJIST (Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology) to GIST, following the revised Romanization of the city's name from Kwangju to Gwangju. In May 2008, an amendment to the GIST Act was passed by the National Assembly, authorizing the establishment of an undergraduate program to create a continuous science education track from bachelor's to doctoral levels. Undergraduate education and global recognition (2010–2018) GIST College, the university's undergraduate school, admitted its first class of 100 students in March 2010. The college implemented a liberal arts-based science curriculum, a first for technical institutes in South Korea. The first bachelor's degrees were conferred on February 25, 2014. During this period, GIST achieved international prominence for research impact. Between 2013 and 2018, the university consistently ranked in the top 10 globally for "Citations per Faculty" in the QS World University Rankings. AI specialization and Vision 2053 (2019–present) In October 2019, GIST established its Artificial Intelligence (AI) Graduate School as part of a national strategy to lead in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In July 2023, Dr. Kichul Lim was inaugurated as the 9th President of GIST. To commemorate its 30th anniversary in November 2023, GIST held a vision declaration ceremony titled "GIST Vision 2053." The initiative set a goal for the institute to become a top 50 global university by 2053 by nurturing 30 world-class scholars and fostering 30 "unicorn-level" tech companies. In January 2024, the university launched GIST Holdings to accelerate the commercialization of campus technologies and support regional economic development. ==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. Special Rankings == Timeline ==

GIST Undergraduate Programs Freshman year: School of Humanities and Social Sciences – “Challenge & Exploration Program” (no major declared, liberal arts and sciences foundation year). Sophomore–senior years: undergraduate departments (majors) • College of Information & Computing • Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science – B.S. in Engineering • Department of AI Convergence – B.S. in Engineering • Department of Semiconductor Engineering – B.S. in Engineering (contract-based; undergraduate admission open to Korean nationals only) • College of Natural Sciences • Department of Physics and Photon Science – B.S. in Science • Department of Chemistry – B.S. in Science • Department of Mathematical Sciences – B.S. in Science • College of Engineering • Department of Materials Science and Engineering – B.S. in Engineering • Department of Mechanical and Robotics Engineering – B.S. in Engineering • Department of Environment and Energy Engineering – B.S. in Engineering • College of Life Sciences & Medical Engineering • Department of Life Sciences – B.S. in Science • Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering – B.S. in Engineering (under preparation; not yet open for major declaration) GIST Graduate Programs (master’s, doctoral, and integrated) • College of Information & Computing – Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Department of AI Convergence; Department of Semiconductor Engineering (each offers M.S., Ph.D., and integrated M.S./Ph.D. in Engineering). • College of Natural Sciences – Department of Physics and Photon Science; Department of Chemistry; Department of Mathematical Sciences (each offers M.S., Ph.D., and integrated M.S./Ph.D. in Science). • College of Engineering – Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Department of Mechanical and Robotics Engineering; Department of Environment and Energy Engineering (each offers M.S., Ph.D., and integrated M.S./Ph.D. in Engineering). • College of Life Sciences & Medical Engineering – Department of Life Sciences; Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering; Department of Integrative Neuroscience & Physiology (each offers M.S., Ph.D., and integrated M.S./Ph.D. in Science and/or Engineering, depending on the program). • Institute of Integrated Technology – Graduate School of Management of Technology (M.S. in Management of Technology only; Ph.D. program under preparation, no integrated M.S./Ph.D. admission). ==See also==