Kyungpook National University Launches Mobile AI Engineering Degree with Samsung Electronics Employment Track
Key Takeaways
- •KNU will introduce a new Mobile AI Engineering program in partnership with Samsung Electronics.
- •The program will combine a four-year bachelor’s degree and a two-year master’s degree, with completion possible in as few as five years.
- •KNU plans to recruit 20 students for the 2027 academic year.
- •Students who meet specified requirements will receive internships at Samsung Electronics and may be offered jobs after graduation.
- •The program includes tuition scholarships, housing and meal support, and funding for conferences, publications, and competitions.
Kyungpook National University (KNU) announced Thursday that it will launch a new employment-linked contract major in partnership with Samsung Electronics, designed to train specialists in mobile engineering and advanced artificial intelligence technologies.
Under the plan, KNU will reorganize its existing undergraduate Mobile Engineering program into an integrated bachelor's-master's track called Mobile AI Engineering. The university expects to begin recruiting students for the 2027 academic year, with the program admitting a total of 20 students.
The new major, housed within KNU's School of Electronics Engineering, will combine a four-year bachelor's program with a two-year master's program. Students will have the option to complete both degrees in as few as five years.
The curriculum will center on mobile AI software and incorporate internships at Samsung Electronics. Students who satisfy designated requirements will be offered employment at the company upon graduation.
Full tuition scholarships will be provided for the first three years of study. Students who pass Samsung Electronics' recruitment process and maintain a grade-point average of at least 3.0 during their fourth and fifth years will qualify for additional Samsung-funded scholarships.
KNU will also grant participants priority access to dormitories and offer support for housing and meal expenses. In addition, students will have opportunities to attend major global technology exhibitions, including CES, Mobile World Congress, and IFA. The university pledged to cover costs associated with presentations at domestic and international academic conferences, journal publications, and competitions.
The initiative reflects a broader pattern in South Korea, where leading universities and major technology companies have expanded contract-degree programs to address persistent talent shortages in advanced fields such as AI, semiconductors, and software engineering. Samsung Electronics, the country's largest company by revenue, has maintained similar partnerships with other universities as it seeks to secure engineers for its mobile, chip, and consumer electronics divisions.
"KNU, as a flagship national university, aims to strengthen its partnership with Samsung Electronics and cultivate core talent in advanced AI technologies in the Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province region," said KNU President Heo Young-woo.
The original article is available at Korea Herald.
