KIPO Opens Online Enrollment for 'Intellectual Property Credit Bank' Students

The International Intellectual Property Training Institute of the Korean Intellectual Property Office announced on the 15th that it will recruit online students for the "2023 2nd Semester Intellectual Property Studies Credit Bank" from the 16th to the 25th.

Recruitment will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and the second semester classes will be held for 15 weeks from this month’s 30th until December 12.

The offered courses include 11 subjects such as Introduction to Intellectual Property and Intellectual Property Application Practice. Each individual can enroll in up to 7 courses (21 credits).

Provided by the International Intellectual Property Training Institute, Korean Intellectual Property Office

The Intellectual Property Studies Credit Bank is an online bachelor's degree program where students can learn about laws and litigation related to intellectual property, as well as intellectual property creation and management strategies.

This program is free and open to any citizen who has graduated from high school or holds an equivalent or higher academic qualification.

Additionally, those who have completed a certain number of credits?48 credits for four-year university graduates, and 60 credits for high school and junior college graduates?will be awarded a bachelor's degree under the name of the Minister of Education.

Up to 25 credits can be recognized as major credits based on the score grade (levels 1 to 4) obtained in the Intellectual Property Aptitude Test (IPAT), which assesses practical intellectual property skills.

Students holding related certifications such as patent attorneys, lawyers, and industrial security managers can also receive partial credit recognition.

Furthermore, students enrolled in universities that have credit exchange agreements with the Korean Intellectual Property Office can have the credits earned through the Intellectual Property Studies Credit Bank recognized by their respective universities.

As of this semester, the 12 universities that have signed credit exchange agreements with the Korean Intellectual Property Office are Chungnam National University, Dongmyung University, Keimyung University, Jeonbuk National University, Korea Polytechnic University, Kyungil University, Jeju National University, Halla University, Catholic Kwandong University, Konyang University, Chunhae Health University, and Hansei University.

Kim Tae-eung, Director of the International Intellectual Property Training Institute at the Korean Intellectual Property Office, said, “Understanding intellectual property rights will be an important competency in various industrial fields,” adding, “The International Intellectual Property Training Institute will support students to become intellectual property professionals with expertise through high-quality education.”