Ajou University Graduate School of Business offers courses that are available via online and in-class lectures, which the school says caters to the needs and convenience of office workers looking to study and is in keeping with the trend of the “fourth industrial revolution.”

Ajou University was the first in the country to introduce the so-called “blended course” on 2000.

As of 2018, 40 offline lectures and 30 online lectures are available each semester, making it possible for students to study anytime they want. This makes it possible for even servicemen or those based outside Korea to take courses.

“Gone are the days when office workers would take MBA courses just for the accreditation. The goal of Ajou University‘s innovation is to ensure that the (courses) will have actual effect on the students,” said Cho Yung-ho, the dean of Ajou University Graduate School of Business.

The programs range from basic leadership courses in the world of business administration to the advanced courses that reflect the needs of the society, officials noted. This includes majors in e-business, hospital management, coaching, negotiation and enterprise resource planning.

In the first semester of this year, the university created a course in business analytics, which educates student on innovating the business models in the new era of big data and financial technology (FinTech).

Among the most popular lectures is “project management,” which is an interactive one based on case studies that can be implemented in the real business world.

“In order to create customers, marketing innovation and resources must be used effectively. Ajou MBA courses offer ’beginning of change’ as solution and strategy for the fourth industrial revolution,” an Ajou official said.

Another of Ajou GSB’s appeal is the alumni association, which forms a network of 7,000 graduates, who are invited to a monthly alumni forum.

Ajou GSB offers a scholarship system for people from various backgrounds, including the conventional academic merit-based, scholarship for those working in small and medium-sized enterprises, civil servants, soldiers and foreigners. Officials said that more than half of the students benefit from at least one scholarship program.

North Korean defectors have access to a program that fully funds their tuition.

For more information on the programs, refer to the homepage (http://mba.ajou.ac.kr) which is available in Korean and English. You can also contact (031) 219-2189 or ajoumba01@ajou.ac.kr.


By Yoon Min-sik
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)