We Earn Credits Outside the Classroom... ‘Doing’ Dongmyeong University Introduces Unique Seasonal Semester System ‘TU Minerva’

No Campus Attendance!, Global Experience Course Credits Recognized

Airfare and Accommodation Benefits, 3 Credits for 45 Hours of Field Experience

Dongmyung University freshmen embarking on the Eurasia Peace Expedition are shouting "Fighting" together with President Jeon Ho-hwan (center).

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] There are no campuses or classrooms. Students earn credits solely through field visits and global experiences. This is because this university offers the Minerva seasonal semester, where students practice and mine the jewel of ‘wisdom’.

Dongmyung University (President Jeon Ho-hwan) has introduced a unique seasonal semester that awards credits for industry-academia-research linked education by experiencing vivid sites such as domestic and international research institutes and companies, beyond physical classroom spaces or textbooks. This is called the ‘TU Minerva’ seasonal semester system.

The new seasonal semester course TU Minerva grants 3 credits as an elective major subject. It is a distinctive system that activates Dongmyung University’s challenge-experience-practice education brand, Do-ing.

It is planned to be implemented across all departments focusing on the field rather than the classroom.

Rather than simple knowledge delivery in classrooms, this curriculum acquires practical knowledge through real-world practice outside the school, including overseas, and builds hands-on experience through discussions and presentations. It is an education that values cultivating wisdom and character based on critical thinking.

Teams of 5 to 10 mainly composed of 3rd and 4th-year students are formed and divided into domestic and overseas teams. For the seasonal semester (twice a year in winter and summer), domestic teams pay 300,000 KRW and overseas teams pay 1,000,000 KRW by themselves, while other expenses such as airfare, accommodation, and meals are fully supported.

Students complete more than 45 hours of industry-academia-research linked education such as capstone design, field training, and entrepreneurship education at pre-arranged overseas or domestic research institutes, companies, universities, or government agencies, earning 3 elective major credits. Of course, the grades are not the usual A~F but P or F, only indicating pass (completion).

Shin Dong-seok, head of Dongmyung University’s 3rd Phase Industry-Academia-Research Cooperation Leading University Development Project Group (LINC3.0), said, “We provide benefits such as airfare and accommodation so that enrolled students can break free from the cramped classroom and have diverse vivid experiences even at overseas sites,” adding, “We will decide the activity teams for this winter by the end of this month after screening the applicants.”

Previously, freshmen Nam Hyo-yeon and Kim Min-sung (Do-ing College) traversed about 40 cities in over 10 countries including Russia, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy for about two months by SUV and camper van as part of the Eurasia Peace Expedition team supporting the 2030 Busan World Expo bid, earning course credits (4 credits for Pioneering Subject, 2 credits for Foreign Exploration).

President Jeon Ho-hwan, who has emphasized ‘Do-ing’ meaning challenge, experience, and practice, said, “In the future, practical Do-ing talents with diverse field experiences will be more recognized than young people who only study at desks,” and added, “We are expanding Do-ing beyond the campus and domestic boundaries to overseas as well.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.