Educational Curriculum

The educational curriculum at PNU gets fully revised every four years. An overview of the latest curriculum, effective as of the 2013 academic year, is as follows:

Committees

The committees established for the deliberation of major issues related to the operation of the University are as follows:

Board of Trustees

• Deliberates on a range of issues including budgeting and settlement, the establishment or discontinuance of majors for undergraduate and graduate schools as well as other PNU organizations, and the long-term development plans of the university
• Consists of members of the Faculty Committee, members of both the government workers union and the PNU labor union, external members, and student representatives
• Organization in Charge: Board of Trustees

Committee for Academic Affairs

• Deliberates on the important matters related to the operation of the University in accordance with Article 11 of the Administrative Guide of Pusan National University
• Is chaired by the President and consists of the Vice President, directors of graduate schools, deans, directors of special graduate schools, directors of bureaus, the head of the office of admissions, the head of the office of international affairs, the head of the institute of research and industry cooperation, and the director of the center of basic education
• Organization in Charge: Division of Academic Affairs

Committee for Educational Curriculum

• Deliberates the issues related to the establishment, revision, and improvement of the educational curriculum of PNU in accordance with Article 28 of the Administrative Guide of Pusan National University.
• Is chaired by the Director of the Office of Academic Affairs, and consists of the Director of the Bureau of Academic Affairs (Vice Chairman), the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the Center for Basic Education (Vice Chairman), and 12 professors appointed by the President, including the vice deans of each college
• Organization in Charge: Division of Academic Affairs

Committee for Human Resources Management of Educational Officers

• Deliberates the major issues related to the HR management of educational officers, including the appointment of instructors and the establishment or revision of HR management policies
• Is chaired by the Director of the Office of Academic Affairs, and consists of the Director of Graduate Schools, the Director of the Office of Student Affairs, the Director of the Office of Planning, deans, the Director of the Office of International Affairs, and up to eight members appointed by the President
• Organization in Charge: Division of Academic Affairs

Committee of Planning

• Deliberates the mid- to long-term development plans of the University, the comprehensive plan for the management of academic affairs and evaluation affairs, and the establishment of new organizations
• Is chaired by the Director of the Office of Planning and Finance, and consists of up to 25 members, including the Vice Director of the Office of Planning and Finance (Vice Chairman), the directors of major offices, and 16 members appointed by the President
• Organization in Charge: Division of Planning and Evaluation

Committee for Global Exchanges

• Deliberates plans for the globalization of the University, concludes agreements for international exchanges, and consists of up to 20 members, including directors and general managers
• Organization in Charge: Office of International Affairs

Committee for IT Introduction

• Deliberates the basic plans for IT introduction, the mid- to long-term IT introduction plans by organization, affairs related to IT introduction and academic information management, and issues requiring the planning and coordination of the Committee for IT Introduction
• Is chaired by the Director of the Office of Planning and Finance, and consists of up to 18 members, including the Director of the Information Technology Center (Vice Chairman), the directors of major offices, and seven members appointed by the President
• Organization in Charge: Division of Planning and Evaluation

Committee for Fair Management of Entrance Examinations

• Deliberates and establishes policies to prevent cheating in entrance examinations, conducts internal audits of the entrance examinations, and manages the staff in charge of the entrance examinations
• Consists of up to 10 full-time instructors or higher officers, including the Chairman and Vice Chairman
• Organization in Charge: Office of Admission

Appointment of Faculty

Pusan National University faculty are hired as contract employees of the University in accordance with Article 11 of the Law for Educational Officers. The contract term, salary, employment conditions, performance and achievements, and conditions and procedures for contract renewals are agreed upon based on the contract.

Term of Appointment

• Full-Time Instructors: 2 years
• Assistant Professors: 4 years
• Associate Professors: 6 years
• Professors: Serve until the age limit or for the contracted term

  If the term expires during the semester, the contract term is deemed to have been extended until the end of the semester.

Promotion

• Effective date: Promoted faculty members are considered to have renewed their contracts. The effective date is March 1st or September 1st of each year. Contract faculty members employed before December 31, 2001 are promoted on April 1st or October 1st of each year
• Required period for promotion
  • Full-Time Instructor → Assistant Professor: 2 years
  • Assistant Professor → Associate Professor: 4 years
  • Associate Professor → Professor: 5 years

Contract Renewals and Tenure

• Effective date: March 1st and September 1st of each year (twice a year)
• Eligibility
  • Contract renewals: Associate professors or faculty members with a lower post whose contract terms are set to expire
  • Tenure: Newly hired professors and faculty members who are promoted to full professor

    If a faculty member fails to meet the conditions for contract renewal, such as publication requirements, that faculty member will not be allowed to renew his or her contract after the current contract term expires.

Rights and Obligations

Pusan National University faculty are public officers of Korea and have certain rights and obligations under the Law of Public Officers and the Law of Educational Officers.

Obligations and Prohibitions of Public Officers (Articles 56 to 66, the Law of Public Officers)

• The obligation of sincerity, obedience, goodwill and fairness, managing confidentiality, integrity and maintaining dignity
• The prohibition of separation from offices, for-profit businesses, pluralism, and group actions

Authority of Teachers and Guarantee of Educational Officers’ Status (Article 43, the Law of Educational Officers)

• The authority of educational officers is fully respected, and educational officers are free from unfair intervention affecting their professional status; they are not advised to resign
• Except in the event of sentencing, disciplinary punishment, and other cases designated by the law, educational officers will not be forced to take leaves of absence, accept demotions, or retire against their will

Educational Officers’ Privilege of Exemption from Apprehension (Article 48, the Law of Educational Officers)

• Except for cases in which educational officers are apprehended while in the process of committing a crime, they shall not be apprehended in the University without the consent of the President

Leave (Articles 14 to 20, the Rules of Service for Public Officers)

• Annual leave: Based on the rules for the number of days according to the term of service (from a minimum of 3 days to a maximum of 21 days)
• Sick leave: When an employee cannot perform duties due to illness (maximum 60 days per year)
• Official leave: Statutory mobilization, training, voting, etc under the law
• Special leave: Special occasions such as an employee’s own wedding

Dismissal, Release of Duties, and Disciplinary Punishment (Articles 69 to 80, the Law of Public Officers)

• Retirement by disqualification: Cases designated by the Law of Public Officers
• Dismissal of title: When the employee has not returned after the period of temporary retirement expires
• Release from duties: When an employee is under indictment for a criminal case or disciplinary punishment is required
• Disciplinary punishment: When an employee violates his or her obligations or fails to maintain dignity (dismissal, retirement, suspension, salary reduction, and official reprimand)

For-Profit Business Prohibition and Acceptance of Pluralism (Article 19, the Law of Educational Officers)

• Prohibition of for-profit businesses: Management of for-profit businesses by an educational officer, including commercial activities and service as an executive, is forbidden
• Exceptions to the prohibition of for-profit businesses and pluralism: An educational officer may serve as an external director of a for-profit private enterprise upon the approval of the President, and only when the rendering of such service does not disturb the educational officer’s educational, teaching, and research activities
• Acceptance of pluralism: An educational officer may serve at other non-profit offices upon prior approval from the directors of the registered organizations

Overseas Trips

When faculty members of PNU make overseas trips on official or nonofficial business, they shall follow the prescribed procedures.

Official Business Trips Overseas

• Qualifications: Official business trips overseas (including overseas dispatches) refer to trips made by educational officers of PNU under the sponsorship of the state or local governments, domestic or overseas academic institutions, or other inviting organizations, for one of the following purposes:
• To perform official or work-related duties
• To participate in international conferences, presentations, and discussions
• To promote academic research and exchanges as well as the development of domestic academia
• Duration: A total of 10 days during the semester (including public holidays)
• Application procedures: Applicants shall seek the confirmation of the deans or directors of their departments, report to the deans or directors of their colleges, and seek approval from the President 14 days prior to their departure.
• Approval of trips: The following cases shall require the deliberation of the Review Committee for Overseas Trips by Public Officers:
• When travel expenses are financed, in whole or in part, by other organizations
• When the duration of the trip exceeds 10 days during a semester
• Report of return: Employees shall report their return to the PIP Program and submit a copy of their passports within 30 days of their return.
• Overseas dispatch: Educational officers appointed by PNU who have served for three years or more (two years or more for clinical professors of the College of Medicine and College of Dentistry) with excellent performance are qualified for overseas dispatch, subject to the recommendation of the deans of registered colleges or directors of registered organizations. Overseas dispatch is allowed only when it is deemed necessary for official purposes or the development of PNU, and the period of the dispatch is limited to one year.

Nonofficial Trips Overseas

• Purpose of trips: Visits to relatives, treatment of illness, tourism, etc
• Application procedure: Employees who wish to make nonofficial trips overseas shall submit the required documents to the director of their division and seek approval 1 week before their date of departure

Research and Sabbatical Year System

PNU operates the research year and sabbatical year system for improvement of the research and teaching capabilities of faculty members, and the details and the application procedures are as follow:

• The Division of Academic Affairs selects successful candidates, following the recommendation of colleges.
• Suspension of lecturing for 6 or more months due to domestic and overseas dispatch, services as an exchange professor, and business trips is deemed a research year.