The Department of English Language and Literature and the Department of History ranked first in liberal arts among the 122 universities throughout the nation, according to this year’s university evaluation results released on Sept. 27 by the JoongAng Ilbo, an authoritative evaluator of universities in Korea. The departments were assessed in areas such as learning environment, university’s research influence (as measured by the number of times its published works were cited by academics), financial support, and educational effect. The Department of English
Language and Literature and the Department of History received particularly high scores in faculty research funds.
“It is a great honor to come in first place among the 67 English Departments surveyed nationwide. We have always tried hard to maintain a rigorous undergraduate academic curriculum while also allowing for intensive English language training, especially in writing,” said Professor Choi Ju-lie (English), Chair of the Department of English Language and Literature.
“The graduate program has become more dynamic in recent years through the government Brain Korea funding, which allows us to support and train our students to an international standard. Scholarships, love of literature and language, and practical training necessarily go together in creating a balanced curriculum. We believe this successful combination that helped us come in at top place.”
Professor Chung Hye-jung, Chair of the History Department, said that since the 50th anniversary of the History Department, which was celebrated in 2005, the History Department has made concerted efforts to improve students’ educational condition and faculty research. Chung mentioned that faculty members have especially worked hard to boost research funds. Chung said Professor Cho Ji-hyung (History) contributed to this area by conducting a research on New World History and Global History under the World Class University project, which led to the launch of the Institute of World and Global History.
“We will continue the great work that has been made by many students and faculty members in order to maintain top place among the History departments not only nationwide but also worldwide,” Chung said.
Among the other departments evaluated, the Department of Physics also ranked the highest among the science and engineering departments in the country. Furthermore, the Department of Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Statistics, Nutritional Science and Food Management, and Environmental Science and Engineering received high scores in the evaluation.
As for the university’s overall ranking evaluated, Ewha ranked 10th, an improvement from last year’s 12th. Ewha was followed by Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology ranking first, Pohang University of Science and Technology ranking second, and Seoul National University ranking third.
This year’s university evaluation was the 17th evaluation done by the JoongAng Ilbo. A total of 93 universities were assessed this year according to their education conditions, degree of globalization, faculty research, and the school’s social reputation.