3-Year Non-Degree Program... Professors and Expert Instructors at Pusan National University Offering Liberal Arts, Cultural Arts, Somatics, and Specialized Education
Busan National University (President Choi Jae-won) Future Citizen Education Center is recruiting new students for the 2025 academic year of ‘PNU Mirinae University,’ a lifelong education program centered on culture and arts for adult slow learners.
This program is a three-year non-degree course operated under the Ministry of Education’s National University Promotion Project, including common liberal arts education, culture and arts education, somatic education, and specialized education. Somatic education is a body (soma)-centered integrative art therapy education.
Busan National University is recruiting new students for the PNU Mirinae College, a customized education program for adult slow learners. Photo by Busan National University
Busan National University Future Citizen Education Center first launched ‘PNU Mirinae University’ for adult slow learners in 2024. Through education, it develops individuals’ potential abilities and provides opportunities for social participation, operating customized educational programs focused on psychological and emotional support to enable independent living and a happy life. The curriculum is taught by Busan National University professors and expert instructors.
Eligibility requirements include high school graduates (or expected graduates) aged 19 to 30 and those with a Korean Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale score of 70 to 85 (with an allowable error margin of ±10). Applications can be submitted in person from the 11th to the 15th. For detailed recruitment guidelines and inquiries, please refer to the announcements on the Busan National University Future Citizen Education Center website or contact the administrative office.
‘Slow learners’ refer to individuals with borderline intelligence quotient scores of approximately 70 to 85 who do not fall under disability diagnosis categories but experience difficulties in learning and social adaptation. They are often isolated in blind spots without understanding and support from schools or society. About 14% of the Korean population, roughly three students per class, fall into this category, but due to lack of awareness, they often do not receive personalized education and may subsequently face emotional difficulties.
In response, starting with the ‘Slow Learners Lifelong Education Support Ordinance’ in Guro-gu, Seoul in 2021, ordinances have been enacted in 12 local governments including Gyeonggi and Busan. Busan National University was the first in the nation to establish a lifelong education non-degree program for slow learners.
Professor Park Eun-hwa (Head of the Department of Integrated Art Therapy), the lead professor of PNU Mirinae University, said, “Mirinae University will be a learning space that helps slow learners discover their potential and demonstrate various talents. Like Mirinae (the Milky Way), where individuals with different lights gather and move forward together, we will actively support students to participate more actively in society and find their own roles.”
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