The Department of Companion Animal Industry at Tongmyong University is shaping a new campus landscape as a "pet-friendly university."
With the rapid growth of the companion animal industry and increasing demand for practical, specialized talent, the Department of Companion Animal Industry at Tongmyong University in Busan, known for its pet-friendly approach, is attracting significant attention from prospective students.
The department is building a differentiated educational model based on the RISE Project, focusing on hands-on training and entrepreneurship-oriented education.
By offering a wide range of practical programs-including pet food, pet bakery, entrepreneurship, and certification training-the department supports students in moving beyond simply "learning a major" to "directly creating and experiencing their major" in a systematic way.
▲ From Planning to Manufacturing... Student-Led "Customized Pet Food Development"
With support from the RISE Project, the Pet Food major within the Department of Companion Animal Industry operated a "Customized Functional Pet Food Development Project" for one month, from November to December.
Students directly handled every stage of pet food development, from analyzing the health characteristics and nutritional needs of companion animals, selecting functional ingredients, designing recipes, manufacturing, to conducting palatability and safety evaluations.
Participants expressed high satisfaction, saying, "I was able to understand what I had only learned in theory by actually making it myself," and "I came to view the pet food industry from a real job perspective." This project has established itself as a program that naturally develops practical skills through an educational structure similar to that of the actual industry.
▲ "Pet Bakery Creation Contest" to Foster Creativity and Competitiveness
The results of hands-on training led to a competition. On December 5, the Department of Companion Animal Industry held the "Pet Food Creation Contest," providing a stage for students to showcase pet snacks they developed themselves.
Participants designed recipes and completed products with consideration for palatability, nutritional balance, hygiene, and safety for companion animals. Through evaluation, the Grand Prize went to student Yoon Nagyeong, the Excellence Award to student Oh Nayoung, and the Merit Award to student Kwon Gayoung.
The judging panel commented, "Despite being student projects, the level of industrial completion was high." Beyond a simple contest, the event was meaningful as it allowed students to realize their ideas as tangible results and receive evaluation from a market perspective.
▲ "Real Pet Industry Startup Experience" Starting from Freshman Year
Another strength of the department is its step-by-step hands-on training that begins right from admission. The "Real Pet Industry Experience Day: Meeting Experts!" program for freshmen is a long-term extracurricular course spanning 10 weeks, designed to let students experience the entire process of starting a pet industry business.
Students participated in processes similar to actual business startups, including market research, item planning, understanding ingredients, prototype production, and product evaluation, thereby deepening their understanding of their major. In a satisfaction survey, over 80% responded that the program helped increase their interest in the major and set career goals, proving the effectiveness of this long-term, systematic hands-on training.
▲ Strengthening Major Competitiveness through Certification and Industry Expert Training
The department also ran a "Pet Bakery Certification Special Lecture" by inviting industry experts. This 10-week program for sophomores covered practical topics such as understanding the pet bakery industry, characteristics of ingredients, hygiene and safety management, and hands-on certification training.
Lectures based on real industry cases increased student engagement and were evaluated as providing substantial help in both major studies and career planning. The department is considering expanding this special lecture as a practical training model that can be linked to both regular and extracurricular courses.
▲ "Hands-On Training Is Competitiveness"... Nurturing Talent Tailored to the Companion Animal Industry
Im Eunseo, Head of the Department of Companion Animal Industry, stated, "Through the RISE Project, we have designed education that allows students to experience training close to real industry settings, beyond the classroom." She explained, "An educational structure that connects functional pet food, pet bakery, entrepreneurship, and certification is key to developing practical talent required by the companion animal industry."
The Department of Companion Animal Industry at Tongmyong University plans to continue expanding hands-on, entrepreneurship, and industry-linked education tailored to market demand, accelerating efforts to nurture professionals who will lead the future of the companion animal industry.
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