시민행정신문 Kayla Lee | The aerospace industry is projected to reach a trillion-dollar market by around 2040, making it one of the foremost high-value-added sectors in the global economy. Underpinning this growth is the development of networks built on international cooperation. From aircraft manufacturing and operation to airport management, every segment of the industry functions within an internationally interconnected framework. As aviation policies, regulations, and safety standards become increasingly standardized through international bodies, the role of specialists who can understand the systems and environments of various countries — and apply that knowledge in practice — has never been more critical.
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Internationalization has also become a central challenge in aviation education. As the trend toward mastering international standards and accumulating collaborative experience from the university level continues to grow, Korea Aerospace University (KAU) — the nation's only comprehensive aerospace university — is advancing its internationalization strategy on the strength of the educational expertise and research capabilities it has built as a specialized aviation institution. The university is steadily expanding the internationalization of aerospace education by operating international aviation policy education programs, broadening its global network, and promoting exchanges with overseas universities, with a focus on cultivating globally competent aviation professionals.
Advancing Internationalization through the ACE Strategy
KAU continues to expand its internationalization strategy, drawing on the educational and research capabilities it has accumulated through its specialized aerospace curriculum. In line with its university development plan, "KAU NALDA 2025+," the university is systematically building its internationalization foundation by pursuing a global aerospace talent development strategy centered on attracting international students. The strategy is titled ACE for Abroad (providing systematic management and support for those students), Care (creating a global educational environment), Environment. (creating a productive space).
In particular, the university has focused on realigning its curriculum and support systems with international standards in response to a changing global aviation industry landscape, while simultaneously strengthening its international student recruitment and management frameworks. Rather than simply increasing the number of international students, KAU has established an integrated support system that organically links academic instruction, Korean language education, life adjustment support, and career counseling — thereby enhancing academic continuity and student satisfaction.
As part of this strategy, the university has expanded its student exchange programs to include partners in the United Kingdom, Poland, Portugal, and Thailand, while also actively recruiting international students. As a result, the number of enrolled international students — at both the undergraduate and graduate levels — increased by approximately 180% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Alongside this growth in international enrollment, the support framework covering academics, daily life, and career development has been further refined.
These efforts have also yielded results in the International Education Quality Certification (IES) evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation of Korea. KAU was selected as an "Excellence Certified University" — the highest designation in the evaluation — with key contributing factors, including rigorous management at the admissions stage, systematic support throughout students' academic, personal, and career journeys following enrollment, and a consistently low illegal overstay rate. This recognition demonstrates that the university has secured not only quantitative growth but also the capacity for qualitative management.
International Studies Division and Expanded Dual-Degree Programs Strengthen Educational Foundation
This internationalization strategy is also reflected in curriculum operations. In 2023, the International Studies Division was established specifically for international students, offering a range of majors spanning the full breadth of the aviation industry: Service Management, Aviation Management, Air Transportation and Logistics, and Flight Operations.
The International Studies Division operates a specialized curriculum designed specifically for international students, with the goal of developing globally competent aviation industry professionals. Education is centered on participatory learning incorporating the latest case studies and simulation programs, as well as practical training using actual aircraft on campus and field training at aviation industry sites. Through a wide variety of courses and programs, the division also provides a foundation for cross-cultural exchange within a multicultural environment. Through these experiences, students are broadening their international perspectives and developing their global competencies.
Upon graduation, students go on to careers at airlines, airports, ground handling companies, government agencies, public institutions, and research organizations in their respective countries, or continue their studies in graduate programs such as the Department of Service Management, the Department of Global Service Management, and the Department of Aviation Management.
Dual-degree programs are also expanding year by year. In 2024, KAU signed a 2+2 dual-degree agreement with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia. Under this arrangement, students who complete two years of study in KAU's Aviation Management major and then two additional years at UNSW's School of Aviation earn bachelor's degrees in aviation management from both institutions.
At KAU, students gain theoretical knowledge and practical skills spanning the full aviation industry, while at UNSW they gain hands-on, industry-co-developed training and internship experience within the Australian aviation sector. Graduates who obtain dual degrees from both universities go on to careers in diverse fields including domestic and international airlines, airports, government agencies, public institutions, and international organizations.
UNSW ranked 20th overall in the 2026 QS World University Rankings and is a member of the Group of Eight (Go8), Australia's coalition of leading research-intensive universities. The institution is also highly regarded for its education and research in aviation management.
Additionally, beginning in the second semester of the 2025 academic year, KAU has been running a 1+2+1 dual-degree pilot training program in partnership with Tashkent State Technical University (TSTU) in Uzbekistan. The two universities forged their partnership following a visit by Uzbekistan's Presidential Aviation Cooperation Delegation in March 2023, and have continued to develop their relationship through academic exchanges and overseas volunteer activities.
As Uzbekistan's aviation industry grows rapidly, demand for specialized personnel — not only pilots but also professionals in airport operations and other areas — is on the rise, making educational cooperation in this field increasingly significant.
Creating Aviation Professionals for Developing Countries by Exporting K-Aviation Education
In parallel, Korea Aerospace University is continuously expanding its educational programs aimed at developing aviation talent in developing countries — going beyond mere internationalized education. Drawing on more than 70 years of accumulated aviation education expertise as a comprehensive aerospace university, KAU has been pursuing educational cooperation with countries where aviation and transportation infrastructure remains insufficiently developed. In recent years, a growing number of nations have looked to Korea and KAU as a model for cultivating aviation professionals and for strengthening their own aviation education capabilities.
As part of this developing-country support initiative, the university launched the "ICAO Global Aviation Policy Fellowship" program within its Graduate School in 2024. This master's degree program in aviation policy targets officials working in public-sector aviation organizations in developing-country member states of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and is operated with support from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. To date, 50 students from 35 nationalities have participated in the program.
The program focuses on equipping participants with the analytical tools to assess the aviation industries of developing countries — where aviation transport infrastructure and aviation safety competitiveness remain limited — and to develop aviation policies and design master plans suited to each country's specific circumstances. To this end, the curriculum encompasses the full scope of the aviation industry, including aviation safety, airport operations, and air traffic management, while integrating policy and practical instruction.
The program also incorporates ICAO-certified joint educational programs and is taught by faculty members with extensive knowledge of and hands-on experience in the airline and airport sectors. Through industry-academia cooperation with the Korea Airports Corporation, participants are provided with on-site airport training and internship opportunities each semester, enabling them to develop practical skills they can apply immediately upon returning to their home countries.
Participation in international conferences and Korean cultural experience programs are also integral components. The campus, located in Goyang City, offers excellent access to both Gimpo Airport and Incheon Airport and is conveniently close to Seoul — factors that contribute to strong satisfaction ratings among international students in terms of daily life.
The aviation professionals from developing countries cultivated through these programs contribute to aviation policy and industry development in their home nations, while simultaneously serving as ambassadors for the competitiveness of Korea's aviation education sector.
KAU has also collaborated with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) on the Paraguay Aviation Professional Capacity Building Project. This initiative trained flight instructors both in Paraguay and in Korea and transferred know-how in operating training institutions, supporting the strengthening of Paraguay's aviation industry — a country with limited transportation and logistics infrastructure.
Cooperation with the African region is also ongoing. In the wake of the 2024 Korea–Africa Summit, KAU has
been deepening its partnership with the Tanzanian government and continues to explore avenues for developing aviation professionals in Tanzania.
Tanzania currently trains aviation personnel primarily through its Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority College (TCAC), but the supply of trained personnel has not kept pace with the country's rapidly growing aviation market. In response, the Tanzanian government is pursuing an expansion of aviation education infrastructure, including the establishment of a national aviation university. KAU plans to build a foundation for cooperation by providing consulting on the local education and training framework. This collaboration is significant both as a means of extending ties with the African aviation education market and as a vehicle for disseminating Korea's aviation education capabilities overseas.
Building an International Aviation Education Cooperation Network and Operating Joint Curricula
In January 2023, Korea Aerospace University became the first Korean university to join ALICANTO, an international aerospace education institution cooperative established under the leadership of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Through this membership, KAU is building a collaborative foundation with leading aerospace universities from around the world.
Founded in 2018, ALICANTO counts among its members some of the most distinguished universities in the aerospace field, including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (USA), McGill University (Canada), Cranfield University and Coventry University (UK), and Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation (Russia). In addition to inter-member cooperation, ALICANTO maintains active partnerships with major international aviation bodies including ICAO, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and Airports Council International (ACI).
In 2023, KAU also co-launched the Global Aviation Professional Programme (GAPP) in partnership with ICAO, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), and Incheon International Airport Corporation. Designed for aviation managers and civil aviation regulatory officials worldwide, GAPP is the first industry-academia joint educational program established under ICAO's auspices.
The program is structured to help aviation industry practitioners solve real-world challenges they encounter on the job by drawing on international standards and a wide range of case studies. KAU, ICAO, ERAU, and Incheon International Airport Corporation jointly designed the curriculum, each contributing their respective areas of expertise. KAU had previously entered into an agreement with ICAO in 2019, becoming the first Korean university to introduce a joint educational program for its enrolled students.
KAU's internationalization strategy is being advanced in a direction that organically connects education, policy, and the industrial sector. As a diverse array of educational programs and cooperative achievements continue to accumulate, they are taking shape as a coherent educational framework — a testament to how Korean aviation education is expanding through deeper engagement with the international environment.
