In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, various technologies such as hyper-connected 5G and 6G communications, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) are developing at a rapid pace, affecting all areas of our society and economy. Traditional education methods cannot sufficiently nurture the talent that will lead this era of transformation.

Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung-ryul) is a leading higher education institution preparing for the changes of the future society, focusing on cultivating problem-solving skills and creativity for students beyond the simple transfer of knowledge.

The 'Next Generation Communication' technology is an area in which Kookmin University has excellent competitiveness. Kookmin University, which was selected as the host university of the Next Generation Communication Consortium in the government-led University of Innovation and Convergence in Advanced Fields, has received a budget of 40.8 billion won over four years and is leading higher education in all areas, from education to research and industry-academia cooperation, through collaboration with other universities, and is at the forefront of domestic universities.

The most important thing in the field of education is convergence. Next-generation communication technology is a field that requires insight into the interaction between the economy and society based on a high level of expertise. Kookmin University developed the 'Quantum Security Next-Generation Communication Convergence Major' based on this social demand. It has strengthened education in advanced technology by combining quantum security communication technology with electronics, which develops core components of semiconductors and communication equipment. The Quantum Security Next Generation Communication major, which combines the Department of Electronics Engineering, the Department of Information Security and Cryptography, and the Department of Nanoelectronics and Physics, is very popular among students. In fact, an outstanding student team that participated in the class exhibited their work at CES 2025, the world's largest IT exhibition held in Las Vegas, USA, and received good reviews.

By taking advantage of its competitive edge in the arts and sports, Kookmin University is creating differentiated results through convergence education in a direction that other universities do not attempt, such as combining science and engineering with the arts and sports. To achieve this, we have established a new, practice-oriented Micro-Degree curriculum with industry experts. A Micro-Degree is a small-unit major consisting of 9 to 12 credits. The XR Sports major, which combines electronic engineering and physical education, is one of the most specialized convergence majors in Korea.

The convergence of sports and next-generation communication is one of the major trends of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and it is evolving from IoT, AI, and VR to a direction of watching or participating in sports through XR (extended reality). Kookmin University is continuously building high-quality infrastructure, such as starting the development of an AI-based physical activity measurement tool using multi-sensors to promote participation in the XR Sports major. The XR Sports major has the competitive edge of providing a wide range of career paths after graduation, as students can become sports industry talents with a combination of science and engineering knowledge, including sports industry content development, sports data analysis, and sports game planning.

In the field of 'research', the university is focusing on new achievements that combine basic research and practical research. Kookmin University is working to implement new algorithms and protocols based on the theoretical foundation for developing next-generation communication technologies such as 5G and 6G. To this end, the university has collaborated with universities participating in the Next Generation Communication Consortium to design online and offline courses on 5G and 6G technologies, and has also established a shared platform that allows researchers from other universities to use the advanced equipment and testbeds it has. This year, the university plans to actively expand its research system that breaks down the boundaries between universities by expanding the scope of use of 5G-based specialized networks and improving shared infrastructure to jointly use the XR and metaverse education environment system built.

'Industry-academic cooperation' is another axis that will lead the future industry, including education and research. Kookmin University is strengthening its practice-oriented education by providing students with field experience through close cooperation with industry. The purpose is to help students receive education that reflects the latest industry trends and technological advancements and become the kind of talent that is in demand in the field immediately after graduation. This is done by collaborating with companies to conduct joint research projects or by providing students with experience in solving problems in a real corporate environment through internship programs. Reflecting this purpose, the Kookmin University Next Generation Telecommunications Business Division has established the SmartThings Microdegree curriculum. This curriculum, created in collaboration with Samsung Electronics, is characterized by its emphasis on practical training. The biggest advantage is that students can work on various project topics presented in practical classes such as “Multidisciplinary Capstone Design (Next Generation Communication)” in collaboration with Samsung Electronics PMs and their professors and receive real-time mentoring.

“Under the vision of presenting a new standard for the education system in the next-generation communication field, we have established a virtuous cycle system that is competitive in education, research, and industry-academia cooperation through △development and operation of convergence curriculum, △operation of timely and comparative courses focused on industrial sites, △establishment of corporate collaboration and infrastructure, and △flexibility of the academic and faculty systems,” said President Jeong Seung-ryul. “We will continue to pursue a differentiation strategy that focuses on fostering and developing globally competitive specialization areas based on basic academic disciplines.”