Seoul approves LG plan to open first company-run graduate school

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SEOUL - South Korea will see its first-ever corporate-run graduate school this fall, as the Education Ministry announced Sunday that it has approved LG’s application to establish the LG AI Graduate School, set to officially open on Sept 30.

The school will be operated by LG’s Management Development Institute AI Research Center in Magok-dong, western Seoul. It will begin recruiting 30 master’s students in artificial intelligence in August 2025, and start classes in March 2026.

Once enrolled, students will pursue coursework equivalent to that of a traditional graduate programme and will be granted accredited degrees recognised as equal to those from conventional universities.

Prior to the Education Ministry’s approval, companies had only been able to run in-house colleges offering education equivalent to undergraduate-level programs, with degrees validated by the ministry.

But with the enforcement of the Special Act on Innovation of Human Resources in Advanced Industries in January, firms can now operate graduate-level programs in high-tech fields such as semiconductors, AI, biotech and mobility.

The LG AI Graduate School is the first institution to be approved under this revised framework. Its mission is to nurture “top-tier AI talent equipped with both domain knowledge and artificial intelligence capabilities”, combining academic research with industry-specific training, according to LG Group.

The curriculum will emphasise problem-solving skills applicable to its diverse business sectors, including electronics, chemicals, energy and biotechnology.

The company also aims to develop research leaders who can advance next-generation AI technologies such as generative AI, multimodal learning and causal inference, while fostering experts capable of bridging research and commercialisation.

“This system allows companies to cultivate advanced talent directly, using their own resources,” said Ms Choi Eun-hee, director general of human