Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) is seeking to enhance its competitiveness by establishing specialized departments and integrating similar departments starting with the 2013 admissions.

JBNU announced that for the 2013 admissions it will establish a 20-student The School of International Studies, delivered in English, within the College of Business and Economics, and a 26-student Division of Convergence Technology Engineering to be located on the Industry–University Convergence Campus at the newly opened Gunsan-Saemangeum Campus.

In addition, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will establish a 30-student Department of Agricultural Industry for employed applicants with more than three years' experience in the agricultural industry (10 places within the quota and 20 places outside the quota).

Accordingly, the newly established The School of International Studies will be admitted through the Early Admission, Second Round, which accepts applications from September 6 to 11, while the Division of Convergence Technology Engineering and the Department of Agricultural Industry will be selected in the regular admissions.

In addition, JBNU abolished the Department of Bio-Food Engineering and increased the intake of the Department of Food Science and Technology from 35 to 50 to improve departmental competitiveness through consolidation of similar departments.

This is expected to expand students' opportunities for diverse and in-depth major education and to have very positive effects in terms of enhancing educational excellence.

Furthermore, with the establishment of The School of International Studies, the Department of International Trade, which previously admitted 110 students, will now admit 100, and the College of Engineering will reduce enrollment by 26 across six divisions and 11 departments, including the Department of Architectural Engineering.

Also, from the 2013 academic year the Autonomous Major Division will be renamed the Divsion of Public Science, and the Department of Environmental Landscape Design will be renamed the Department of Ecology Landscape Architecture-Design.

Jong-min Park, Vice-President of the Office of Admission, said, "There are major and minor changes to admissions, such as establishing The School of International Studies to keep pace with the global era and opening departments at the Gunsan-Saemangeum Campus to cultivate industry–university convergence‑type talent. We expect that establishing specialized departments and consolidating similar departments will enhance the overall competitiveness of the university."