Seoul National University of Education

Undergraduate college

Due to the university's specialized purpose, undergraduate college only offers one major, Elementary Education.

But students do have some choices in Specialized Courses, which covers deeper educational techniques in various areas such as English Education, Korean Language Education, Music Education, etc.

Graduate School

The SNUE Graduate School aims to train talented teachers specializing in elementary education. It also contributes to the promotion of various fields and specialties, the provision of continuing education, and the improvement of academic abilities for elementary school teachers. It offers the following majors:

Campus

SNUE is located at Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, in southern part of Seoul. While this part of Seoul was a newly developing area with scarce population and lower land value back in '77 (back when the campus was established), the place is quite the opposite after rapid development of southern-Seoul area in the 70-80s.

Dormitory

The dormitory is for students from provincial areas. It helps its students to experience a successful group life by encouraging autonomy and discipline. It has many convenient facilities such as a lobby, a reading room, bathrooms, cooking facilities, a seminar room, a physical exercise room, a water purifier, some pianos, and more. Freshmen generally are given a priority admission to the dormitory (50% of the total capacity). Dormitory members are arranged according to the year and personal preferences.

Attached Elementary School

This is a front-runner in elementary education as an experimental research school for effective teaching practices and performance policy for the Ministry of Education. It offers compulsory elementary education, substantial studies, and activities that provide guidance for Intern Teachers, analysis and application of experimental textbooks, experimental application and generalization of the curriculum, experimental research of various educational policies, and workshops for teachers to reform the classroom. This school strengthens the special educational support programs, such as the operation of classes for Korean students from other countries, active education of folk art, education for special aptitude with varied learning through hands-on experience and ICT (information, communication & technology) education.

Public transit access

The campus is served by Seoul Nat'l Univ. of Education Station, a transit station between Seoul Subway Line 2 and 3.

Seoul Express Bus Terminal, and Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal is only a station away from the campus, so it can be conveniently accessed from students from outer-Seoul area.

Student life

Student life in SNUE is quite different from that of other universities. Due to the university's specialized purpose. They don't have much freedom in choosing classes. For example, freshmen students only get to choose 3 classes out of 10 classes they attend their first semester.

Students who share the same specialized course form a Class, and the Class remains the same until they graduate. Students in a Class usually attend the same lecture (except few selective ones), participate in other activities together for 4 years.

While this has some disadvantage such as limited opportunity for broader social experiences, students can form a tight friendship within the Class, and the friendship can grow into a formidable relationship as the students usually go for same carrier (elementary school teacher).

Controversies

SNUE President Song Kwang-yong in an interview printed in the October 28, 2009 edition of The Korea Times daily newspaper claimed teachers from Western nations "are not qualified and are often involved in sexual harassment and drugs". He later stated that the quote was fabricated by the journalist, Kang Shin-who, who has been repeatedly criticised for similar behaviour.