Seoul National University announced Monday, the closing day for applications for late registration at its graduate schools for the year 2002, a shortfall in applicants for the 562 places with just 445 persons applying, a 0.79 : 1 rate. SNU's doctorate courses recorded an application competition rate of 0.9 to 1 in early registrations last year, the first time there has been a shortage in applications.
Analysts note that the situation has arisen from the fact that masters' degree graduates prefer a PhD from a foreign school rather than SNU. According to college, 22 applied for liberal arts, a competition rate of 0.55 to 1; while the rate for social sciences was 0.55:1; law, 0.54: 1; and pharmacology, 0.52:1; as some 10 out of 18 graduate schools were short of applicants.
The Department of Engineering, which received aid from the government through the BK21 fund, recorded a competition rate of 0.77 to 1, while natural sciences recorded 0.6 to 1. Even departments where applicants filled the fixed number had low competition; business (1:1), education (1.13:1), life sciences (1.78:1).
"B," a social science student taking a PhD course said, "Most students who dream of becoming a professor go to study abroad because of Korea's preferences. Even if they achieve a PhD at SNU, they prepare for another post doctorate course at a foreign university.Ħħ On the other hand, masters courses showed an application competition rate of 2.31 to 1 (1,694 persons).
(Han Jae-hyun, rookie@chosun.com)
