Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (abbreviated as HUFS; Korean: 한국외국어대학교) is a privateresearch university based in Seoul, in South Korea. The university currently teaches 45 foreign languages. In addition, it contains studies in humanities, law, political science, social sciences, business, medical science, natural sciences, and engineering.
Main Building of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS)
History
In April 1954, HUFS was founded as a college for studying foreign languages in by Kim Heung-bae with its first students studying English, French, Chinese, German, Spanish and Russian.
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies has over 50 departments covering Social Sciences, Eastern European Studies, Humanities, Asia-African Studies, and Natural Sciences. The university contributes to regional studies, with graduate courses in international and regional studies.
Since 2004 the closely associated Cyber Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, based at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, has been offering online courses in English, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, as well as business administration, journalism, and mass communication.
HUFS runs a foreign language examination system (FLEX). The FLEX Center is developing examinations for 19 languages in addition to the seven languages currently administered (English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese). It plans for 26 languages more.[9]
As of October 2014, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies has academic exchange program agreements with 431 universities and 139 institutions throughout 88 nations.[10]
HUFS regularly ranks among the top universities in South Korea, especially in the fields of humanities and social sciences.[24]
In 2020, eight HUFS students passed the Korean diplomat bar exam, the second most in the country behind only Seoul National University.[25][26] In 2019, the school ranked third in the country with six successful examinees.[27]
Under the foreign language certification system, students who have double majors are required to achieve certain scores on the FLEX (Foreign Language EXamination) test for graduation, apart from graduation certification. In principle, students need to receive certification on their proficiency in foreign language.
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies has a school of law, making it one of the 25 universities in Korea which have a law school.
Graduate School of TESOL
HUFS Graduate School of TESOL is divided into two concentrations: the Department of English Language Teaching and the Department of ELT Contents Development.
[28]
The program offers late afternoon and evening courses for working students who are unable to attend classes during the day.
Other fields
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Politics, Government and Communication
Graduate School of Business
Campus
The university is composed of two campuses, the Seoul Campus located in Imun-dong of Seoul, and the Global Campus in Yongin.[29]
The Seoul Campus is focused on major languages, humanities, and social sciences, while the Global Campus teaches additional languages not provided in Seoul, namely Polish, Romanian, Czech, Slovakian, Hungarian, Serbian, Croatian, Ukrainian, Greek, Bulgarian, Central Asian languages (Kazakh and Uzbek) and African languages (such as Swahili), as well as engineering and natural sciences.
The university is currently planning on building a third campus focused on artificial intelligence and big data in Songdo International Business District, after having secured 300 billion won in investment funding from Korea Investment & Securities, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, and ZINOL D&C.[30]
Department of English Linguistics and Language Technology (ELLT)
Department of English Literature and Culture
Department of English for International Conferences and Communication (EICC)
College of Occidental Languages
Division of French
Applied French Linguistics and Literature
FATI
French and European Studies
Department of German
Department of Russian
Department of Spanish
Department of Italian
Department of Portuguese
Department of Dutch
Department of Scandinavian Languages
College of Asian Languages & Cultures
Department of Malay-Indonesian
Department of Arabic
Department of Thai
Department of Vietnamese
Department of Hindi
Department of Turkish and Azerbaijani
Department of Persian
Department of Mongolian
College of Chinese
Division of Chinese Language, Literature and Culture
Division of Chinese Foreign Affairs and Commerce
College of Japanese
Division of Japanese Language, Literature and Culture
Division of Integrated Japanese Studies
College of Social Sciences
Department of Political Science and Diplomacy
Department of Public Administration
Division of Media & Communication
Journalism & Information
Broadcasting∙Film∙New Media
Advertising∙Public Relations∙Branding
College of Business and Economics
Department of International Economics & Law
Division of Economics
Business School
Business Administration Division
College of Education
Department of English Education
Department of French Education
Department of German Education
Department of Korean Education
Department of Chinese Education
Division of International Studies
Division of International Studies
Division of Language & Diplomacy
Division of Language & Diplomacy
Division of Language & Trade
Division of Language & Trade
Division of Korean as a Foreign Language
Division of Korean as a Foreign Language
Minerva College (Seoul)
Minerva College - Center for Writing & International Ethics (Non-Diploma)
Global Campus
College of Interpretation and Translation
School of English for Interpretation and Translation
English-Korean Interpretation and Translation Studies
Interpretation and Translation for International Trade and Relations in English-Speaking Areas
English Literature and Translation
TESOL & English Linguistics
Department of German Interpretation and Translation
Department of Spanish Interpretation and Translation
Department of Italian Interpretation and Translation
Department of Chinese Interpretation and Translation
Department of Japanese Interpretation and Translation
Department of Thai Interpretation and Translation
Department of Arabic Interpretation and Translation
Department of Malay-Indonesian Interpretation and Translation
College of Central and East European Studies
Department of Polish
Department of Romanian
Department of Czech and Slovak Studies
Department of Hungarian
Department of South Slavic Studies
Department of Ukrainian Studies
College of International and Area Studies
Department of French Studies
Department of Brazilian Studies
Department of Greek Studies and Bulgarian Studies
Department of Indian Studies
Department of Central Asian Studies
Division of African Studies
East African Studies
West African Studies
South African Studies
Department of Russian Studies
Department of Korean Studies
Division of International Sports and Leisure
College of Humanities
Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science
Department of Philosophy
Department of History
Department of Knowledge and Contents
College of Economics and Business
Division of Global Business and Technology
Department of International Finance
Department of Management Information Systems
College of Natural Science
Department of Mathematics
Department of Statistics
Department of Electronic Physics
Department of Environmental Science
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology
Department of Chemistry
College of Engineering
Department of Computer and Electronic Systems Engineering
Department of Information Communications Engineering
Department of Electronic Engineering
Global Division of Information Technology
Department of Industrial and Management Engineering
Minerva College (Global)
Minerva College - Center for Writing & International Ethics (Non-Diploma)- not an official college nor a division but offers a variety of lectures. Based on these, students choose to take a course to fill out the credits. HUFS undergraduates are supposed to take "Minerva Liberal Arts Lecture(1), Minerva Liberal Arts Lecture(2)", which are mandatory courses for graduation as well as "Freshmen Seminar" in each department. They contain information on history, linguistics, communications, philosophy, politics, discussion, debates, and report and essay, all of which are based on Humanity Studies.
TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
Japanese Language and Literature
Chinese Language and Literature
Middle East Languages and Literature (Arabic Linguistics, Arabic Literature)
Central and East European Languages and Literature
Korean Language and Literature
Comparative Literature
Linguistics and Cognitive Science
Philosophy
History
Information and Archival Science
Global Culture & Contents
Turkic·Central
Social Science
International Affairs
Political Science and International Relations
Public Administration
Law
Communication and Information
International Economics and Law
Economics
Management
Management Information Systems
International Business
Natural Science
Mathematics
Physics
Chemistry
Statistics
Environmental Science and Engineering
Bioscience and Biotechnology
Engineering
Information Communications Engineering
Electronics Engineering
Computer and Electronic Systems Engineering
Industrial and Management Engineering
Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation
The Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation (GSIT) is a postgraduate education institution specializing in the education of professional conference interpreters and translators.
Founded in 1979 in response to the growing demand for international language specialists, GSIT currently offers master's degree courses in interpretation/translation in eight different languages: English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic. GSIT created the nation's first doctoral program in interpretation/translation in November 1999, to help stimulate research activities in the discipline, and has awarded 26 Ph.D. degrees as of 2012. It became the first Asian education institution to join CIUTI (Conférence Internationale Permanente d'Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes) in 2004.
GSIT is equipped with an international conference hall which provides for simultaneous interpretation services in eight different languages, lecture halls equipped with simultaneous interpretation booths, multimedia classrooms, group study rooms, a satellite broadcast resources center which provides access to 110 channels in 30 languages, a library, and a computer lab.
Graduate School of International and Area Studies (GSIAS)
European Union Studies: focused on the EU's politics, security, economy, society, and culture and those of its member states.
Latin American Studies :contains graduate seminars and special lectures; consists of courses focusing on understanding the macro-region's political development and democracy, political economy, and international relations. The economy/business track is composed of courses on Latin America's macro-economy, the region's interaction with the world economy, and regional economic integration. The society/culture concentration consists of courses providing a broad understanding of Latin American and Caribbean society covering history, culture, social structure, and changes in race and religion. Thanks to a grant from the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, the Latin American Studies Department offers a course each semester alternating between a Latin America Policy Seminar and a Latin American Business Seminar. High-ranking officials from Korean and foreign governments, domestic and international organizations and firms, as well as scholars and experts are invited to present lectures in these courses.
Korean Studies
Chinese Studies
Japanese Studies
Russian and CIS Studies
Indian and ASEAN Studies
Middle East and African Studies
United Nations Peace Studies (dual degree)
Department of Southeast Asia and India covers eleven countries. Mainland Southeast Asia includes Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Islands in Southeast Asia include Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, and East Timor. South Asia includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. The department offers interdisciplinary Master's and Ph.D. degrees in this macro-region. As with the other GSIAS departments, students choose a concentration in politics, economy, or society and culture, and one of the languages of South Asia or Southeast Asia. The department curriculum is designed for individuals who want to enrich their knowledge of the South or Southeast Asia region, taking into account regional organizations like ASEAN and SAARC. Students entering the program are usually interested in careers in the foreign service, government, international assistance/development enterprises, or teaching. The GSIAS program has special strengths in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and India.
U.S. and Canadian Studies Department: the department's multidisciplinary with graduate seminars and special lectures, divided into three fields: politics and diplomacy, economy and management, and society and culture. The politics and diplomacy track consists of courses both on domestic political progress and structure and on diplomacy and national security. The economy/management track studies North American finance and international management policies in the changing global business environment. The society/culture track provides a systematic understanding of the culture of the North American region from its history and popular culture to social structure and changes in family and race. All course work is done in English. The Department of International Development Studies was established in 2010. The GSIAS established the Department of International Studies during the first semester of 2017 and recruited the first students for its master's degree program during the second semester of 2017. The Department faculty has recognized strengths in teaching and researching in the fields of International Security, Cultural Heritage, International Organizations and International Trade.
The GSIAS has concluded numerous MOUs and cooperative relationships with institutions within and outside Korea, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT), the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST), the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), the National Research Fund (NRF), the Seoul Development Institute (SDI), etc., to carry out various research projects. It also created in early 2010 a GSIAS-affiliated think-tank, named the Center for International Cooperation and Strategy (CICS), aimed at facilitating policy-relevant research activities and outreach programs. The Center hosted a major international conference in June 2010 under the title “Towards an East Asian Community: Why and How?" In December 2010, CICS organized a high-level Korea-Middle East Forum in Cairo jointly with the Al-Ahram Institute for Strategic Studies and MOFAT.
Foreign Language Testing and Training: The foreign language training institute was established in 1974 with support from the government and the Korea International Trade Association to provide language training to public officials and staff of companies who do business abroad.
Center for Interpretation and Translation: The agency specializes in interpretation and translation studies.
Center for Korean Language and Culture: The Center for Korean Language and Culture is an educational institute that provides Korean language education to help people from around the world to achieve a good command of Korean and a correct understanding of Korean culture while also nurturing Korean language teachers.
i-HUFS Enterprise: A school-based business, i-HUFS Enterprise was founded in November 2003 to apply the knowledge and information about languages and culture that HUFS retains for the education of students and for study by professors toward research to develop educational programs that can generate profit.
Global Leadership Academy: The Global Leadership Academy opened in 2001 to produce area experts based on education in 45 major languages used worldwide and the area studies programs available at HUFS.
University Press Center: Established in 1954 together with the university, the University Press Center has published 39 foreign language dictionaries including Korea's first Russian-Korean dictionary in 1963 and a ‘Practical Malay∙Indonesian-Korean dictionary’ in 2008.
FLEX Center: The center was established to manage and operate FLEX (Foreign Language Examination). FLEX was developed by HUFS and is jointly administered with the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Tests are administered in seven languages: English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese.
HUFS TESOL Professional Education Center: In response to the rising demand for English teachers equipped with language and teaching knowledge, the HUFS TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Professional Education Center was established as an independent educational institution. The center offers all instruction required of English education professionals including teaching methods and application of theory to the field, as well as the evaluation, review, and production of learning materials in addition to English language training.
Seoul Institute for Continuing Education: The Seoul Institute for Continuing Education was established in August 2010 to realize the philosophy of continuing education. It serves local communities by granting public access to HUFS teaching faculty and educational infrastructure.
Since its establishment in 1996, the Korean Studies Department has a scholarship program for international students.The HUFS-UPEACE dual degree program is the first established in Asia in 2007. Students study one year each in Korea and Costa Rica. Upon program completion students earn a dual master's degree from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and the United Nations Mandated University for Peace (UPEACE).
GSIAS has conducted overseas exchange and internship programs with such institutions as MOFAT, Korea Trade Agency (KOTRA), and a number of domestic and international organizations. In the second half of 2010, the European Union (EU) and MEST jointly selected GSIAS as the lead Korean institute for the Education Cooperation Program between the EU and Korea for the following three years. GSIAS has also succeeded, in collaboration with the Institute for EU Studies, in hosting the EU Centre in Korea Project within the University from the European Commission in the same year. A “Global e-School Program in Korean Studies” was introduced within GSIAS in 2011, with the financial support from the Korea Foundation.
Ranking
In the QS Ranking 2024, the university was ranked 575th in the world.
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