Academic and Research Programs in Exercise Science, South Korea

Abstract

We appreciate the opportunity to review academic curriculum and current research focus of Exercise Science programs in South Korea. The information of this paper was collected by several different methods, including e-mail and phone interviews, and a discussion with Korean professors who attended the 2009 ACSM annual conference. It was agreed that exercise science programming in South Korea has improved over the last 60 years since being implemented. One of distinguishable achievement is that exercise science programs after the 1980’s has been expanded to several different directions. It does not only produce physical education teachers but also attributes more to research, sports medicine, sports, leisure and recreation. Therefore, it has produced various jobs in exercise-related fields. Some of exercise science departments do not require teacher preparation course work in their curriculum which allows students to focus more on their specialty. Secondly, we believe we South Korea has caught up with advanced countries in terms of research quality. Many Korean researchers have recently published and presented their investigations in international journals and conferences. The quality and quantity of these studies introduced to international societies indicate that Exercise Science programs in South Korea is continuing to develop and plays an important part in the world.

INTRODUCTION

The field of Exercise Science has been growing and extending for the last several decades. Exercise Science programs in most countries were started under the department of Physical Education reflecting to socio-economical demand for Physical Education teachers. As the world economy develops, a surplus of expendable income (i.e. product) allows people to have their own time and pay more attention to their health and fitness. Therefore, exercise science programs began to extend its field to satisfy a demand, which induces exercise science such as physiology, psychology, biomechanics, sociology, sports medicine, etc. being deeply associated with human life, especially health and fitness. We celebrate our great achievement. However, exercise science in each country has extended its programming in different directions in response to each nation’s specific demand and now the academic and now research programs among countries show many differences. We believe it is a timely decision by the editorial board of the International Journal of Exercise Science to review exercise programs in other countries. It will be a great opportunity to learn the advantages and disadvantages of exercise programs in various countries and to learn the future direction of exercise science programs in both academics and research.

BACKGROUND OF THE UNIVERSITIES

Dr. Park: The Department of Physical Education at Seoul National University was established in 1946 and was the first institute to offer physical education and exercise science programs after South Korea regained its sovereignty from Japan. It began to offer master and doctoral programs in year 1952 and 1982, respectively. There are approximately 200 undergraduate students and 300 graduate students registered currently. Even though the name of the department is Physical Education, it is one of the leading research institutes in the area of Exercise Science, especially in Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics and Motor Learning. Most Universities in South Korea offer Exercise Science programs at the departmental level. A few universities provide Exercise Science programa at the College level, including: Kyung-Hee University, Yong-In University, Kookmin University, and Korea National Sport University. The Department of Physical Education at Kyung-Hee University was founded in 1949 but, advanced as the College of Physical Education in 1955, which was the first College level Exercise Science program in South Korea. Now there are five departments in this college, which are the Departments of: Physical Education, Sports Medicine, Sports Leadership, Golf, and Taekwando (Martial art).

ACADEMIC CURRICULUM

Dr. Park: The academic curriculum in Exercise Science programs has evolved over time. However, it was established originally to produce Physical Education teachers for primary and secondary education at the beginning, which is still one of the major purposes of Exercise Science programming in South Korea. Even though we offer several different academic curricula in Exercise Science, they are very similar in many points. The reason for this is that important issues in the University system in South Korea are discussed and determined by the Korean Council for University Education. Universities do not have any obligation to comply with Council decisions, but they normally follow the advice and results from the Council. For example, all Exercise Science programs in South Korea require students to obtain 130 credit hours for graduation.

Entrance Requirements into Academic Programs

Dr. Song: Here in Seoul National University, undergraduate students need to go for an admission test according to their selection. For instance, in the Department of Physical Education, applicants need higher scores on the National Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) for college entrance and fitness and sports skill test in the case of domestic students. However, applicants who are from other countries need a study plan, a personal statement, two recommendations from teachers or professors, transcripts, graduation certificates, and degree certificates attained previously as well as a financial certificate prior to entrance. Prospective students are able to confirm details on the website admission.snu.ac.kr. Graduate courses in the Physiological Sciences are composed of two levels, the master course and the doctoral course. For admission to those courses, applicants basically need English proficiency test scores of TOFEL, TEPS, IELTS, TOEIC, etc. Also, documents which are the same as undergraduate students are required as well as an interview and advisor acceptance.

Dr. Park: The entrance requirements into Exercise Science academic programs are very similar in most universities throughout South Korea. However, a few departments started to give admission on the basis of SAT score and interview without the fitness and sports skill test. One of them is the Department of Sports Medicine in the College of Physical Education at Kyung Hee University. This program is quite different as compared to other Exercise Science programs in South Korea. This department does not require students to take Physical Education classes in their academic curriculum but requires students to take several classes from the School of Medicine. I believe this is very good idea since students can learn advanced skills and knowledge in the given academic curriculum and which can ultimately reinforce their career. However, other programs such as sports leadership, leisure and recreation, and exercise science which do not intend to produce Physical Education teachers still require students to take physical education classes, which should be reformed as soon as possible.

A Typical School Year

Dr. Song: A typical program consists of a 4-year course work for undergraduate students in Seoul National University. Students need to take at least 130 credit hours for graduation. The graduate students in Physical Education have to take more than 30 credit hours of major classes for 2 years in the case of full-time students to obtain a master degree including a thesis. The doctoral students are required to take 64 credit hours of classes, to publish at least 2 articles and a dissertation for graduation. It generally takes more than 4 years as a full time student.

Dr. Park: All universities in South Korea offer two semesters with an optional summer session in every academic year. Each academic year begins with Spring semester at the first weekday in March and ends with Fall semester in December. Each semester is 16 weeks long. We do not have spring and October breaks but have two very long breaks in Summer and Winter. Each break is about two and half months long. We celebrate Thanksgiving holiday which is about 3–5day break during Fall semester. Exercise Science programs in all universities after the year 2005 changed their curriculum therefore, the minimum credit requirement for graduation was reduced to 130 credit hours, down from 140 credit hours. All Korean professors attending this discussion received their doctoral degree at different United States colleges such as Purdue University and University of Virginia, Florida, and Illinois. They all mentioned that they could not see any big difference in student life between South Korea and the United States. Korean students study more but this is just due to the narrow job market in South Korea.

Exercise Science Curriculum

Dr. Song: At Seoul National University, undergraduate students first take the basic courses such as: Functional Anatomy, Health Education, Physical Fitness Training, Exercise Physiology, Methods of Training, Exercise Testing and Prescription, Exercise Biochemistry and Nutrition and Physical Education Teaching Techniques.

Dr. Park: As mentioned by Dr. Song, students in Exercise Science programs should take most of classes above to graduate. Like in United States, upper level classes request pre-requisites, therefore, Functional Anatomy and Health Education, and Fitness training should be taken before taking any junior courses. There are also some classes that should be taken when students are in junior and senior standing. They are Exercise Physiology, Test and Measurement (prescription), Sports Nutrition, and Adapted Physical Education because all these classes build on the basis of the previous courses. Exercise Physiology is considered as a core course; therefore, all other junior and senior standing courses should be preceded by Exercise Physiology. In the case of graduate and post-graduate students, they should take specific classes which are Experimental Design in Physical Education, Studies in Sports Medicine, Metabolism in Exercise, Neuromuscular Physiology, Sports Injury and Rehabilitation, Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Cardiovascular Dynamics and Prescriptive Exercise, Topics in Sports Training Methods and Topics in Physiology of Behavior, etc. But there is not any specific order to take classes.

Common Professions upon Graduation

Dr. Song: Our undergraduate and graduate students will be prepared to teach middle school or high school students first, because our department belongs to the College of Education. In addition, they work in hospitals as researchers or trainers, as well as work in gyms as personal trainers. The post-graduate students will be prepared to research and teach at the university level. Many graduated students who studied in the Department of Physical Education teach physical education in the middle or high school and university as a professor who takes charge of physical education and sports. Also, they take an important and a leading role in a variety of sports organizations which are managing elite sports and sports for the general population. In addition, some graduates conduct productive research related to physical education and sports at the Korea Institute of Sports Science as well as research institutes of sports medicine and rehabilitation. Apart from these students, a lot of students take a crucial role in different areas of society in Korea.

Dr. Park: This is pretty much same in all Universities, but most students who graduate from private universities should find jobs other than a school teaching position, because teacher preparation courses are not included in their program. Since the market size and Gross National Product (GNP) are small as compared to the United States, the amount of money Korea can spend on health related issues should be much less. It has been less than two decades for us to barely pay attention to public welfare and sports and fitness. Since the primary purpose of Exercise Science programming at private universities is not to produce school teachers, fewer students are being teachers as compared to Seoul National University. Instead many students obtain the certificate of personal trainer, exercise specialist, and clinical exercise specialist from ACSM or other qualified organizations and work in hospitals and gyms. Some students find a position in the Sports and Leisure Industry. They work as a researcher, leisure instructor or sales personnel in this business. As sports administration and management has been introduced into most universities and is getting bigger, more and more students are being the manager and agent for private health-related companies or amateur and pro sport associations including the Korean National baseball, basketball and soccer associations.

RESEARCH INVESTIGATIONS

Opportunities Available for Students to Participate in the Research Process

Dr. Song: Seoul National University has a Sports Science Institute of Seoul National University for the graduate and postgraduate students. Sports Health Research Center, Sports Culture and Policy, Sports Industry Center and Sports Education Center are also attached to the Sports Science Institute of Seoul National University. Each center researches their own area with professors and they receive internal and external funds from several different organizations and publish results of their studies. Sometimes projects are cross-disciplinary, according to the kind of project. It has an important role to publish their studies.

Student Collaborate with Professor in the Research Process

Dr. Park: Generally, undergraduate students are merely involved in any research in South Korea. Only students who are interested in a certain area and willing to study in graduate and postgraduate courses personally make contact with professors and may be accepted into the laboratory and learn lab techniques and related knowledge. They are not considered as the coworkers on the research and publication.

However, graduate and post-graduate students very closely collaborate with their advisors and participate in many investigations. Therefore, graduate and post-graduate students are asked to be the full-time students and to spend most of their time on research in many universities. In terms of the research process, it is very general that professors apply for internal and external grant and graduate students under his/her supervision perform research for the research topic funded. As the size of the Korean economy increases, the size of research funding has been also increasing after the year 2000. Therefore, more graduate students and professors can carry out their study with research funds these days.

Funding Opportunities Available to Students for Research Interests

Dr. Park: We have two big grant sources in South Korea. They are the Korea Research Foundation and the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation. Each institute chooses approximately 6,000 researches every year and on average supports $50,000 for each research. Among them more than 200 grants were given to the Exercise Science area from the research fund and scholarship annually. There are governmental funds available from several departments such as the department of education, science, and health and welfare. The size of each grant is bigger than from any other institutes but, the size and number of these grants change irregularly depending on budget and necessity. Many other grants are available from other organizations and universities. The funding sources given to Exercise Science programs are not enough to help all investigators in South Korea; however, it keeps increasing and provides more and more funding opportunities to faculty and students every year.

Dr. Song: Seoul National University is one of the National Universities which are supported by the Korean Government. It means that tuition fees are generally lower as compared to private institutes in Korea. Moreover, students of all levels may have more chances to get a scholarship. About 40 % of students at all levels receive partial scholarship and many students receive full scholarship. Graduate and post-graduate students work on proposed projects according to their advisors’ research field and may summit their research proposals to the Korea Research Foundation and other organizations which give funding. The approved proposals will receive funding. A lot of projects are now currently in progress by support of funding organizations.

Opportunities for Students to Present Research Findings

Dr. Park: We have two big national conferences where all divisions of Exercise Science have their presentation session. They are the Korean Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (KAHPERD) and the Korea Exercise Science Academy. In addition, each subdivision of Exercise Science such as the Korean society of exercise nutrition, biomechanics, psychology, sociology and physiology holds their subdivision conference or symposium at least once a year. Many faculty and graduate students participate in these conferences and present the results of their research. More and more Korean students and professors attend and present their investigations at international conferences. For example, several hundred Koreans attend the annual conference of the American College of Sports Medicine, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), and Experimental Biology (EB) every year. Many graduate and postgraduate students submit and publish their research in the international journals with advisors in these days and the number of international publications is growing.

Current Laboratory Research Interests

Dr. Song: Currently, our laboratory is conducting a couple of government funded projects mainly investigating the diagnostic criteria and mechanisms of sarcopenic obesity related to metabolic syndrome in elderly Koreans. Aging is accompanied by changes in body composition characterized by a relative decline of muscle mass and an increase in fat mass. These changes produce a combination of substantial overweight and muscle weakness, a condition termed “sarcopenic obesity” that potentially would lead to metabolic syndrome. Although it has been recently reported that sarcopenic obesity is associated with mortality, there is no epidemiological and mechanistic study on sarcopenic obesity in Korea yet.

Dr. Park: Various studies are going on in South Korea. However, the number of original investigation and animal studies is very few due to socio-environmental difficulties. Generally, most professors who receive governmental funding perform human studies and try to find of benefits of exercise and training on healthy or unhealthy people and more and more funding has been invested in research for special populations these days. The directions of research in South Korea can be categorized as below; 1. Training and performance enhancement 2. Exercise as a rehabilitative intervention 3. General exercise benefits. Dr. Man-gyoon Lee who is working at Kyung-Hee University has investigated five studies with governmental support. He examined the effects of 8–12 weeks of training on physical fitness (muscle activity, cardiopulmonary function) and blood chemicals (blood lipid profiles, insulin sensitivity, growth hormone) in hemiplegic stroke patients, aged farmers, and a healthy population. Dr. Daetak Lee, Kookmin University has been studying the effects of resistance training on the inflammatory response, muscle strength, range of motion after lumbar surgery and effects of aqua-exercise on bone mineral density in elderly individuals with osteoarthritis which are supported by the Korean Research Foundation. I have investigated exercise-induced oxidative stress and immune cell death in the USA and South Korea. Immune cell death increases following exercise which is known to be related to Open Window theory. Recently, I investigated the effects of cigarette smoking on oxidative stress and immune function following moderate intensity exercise. Moderate or low intensity exercise is recommended to enhance immunity as well as to recover from many chronic diseases however, it is not known whether moderate intensity exercise has a preventive effect from certain diseases in chronic cigarette smokers. The goal of this study is to find out smokers immune response to three different aerobic exercise modes and provide an exercise guideline for smokers. Half of this study is performed in USA and the rest is investigated in South Korea collaborating with Dr. Man-Gyoon Lee.

Differences in the Research Program compared to Other Countries

Dr. Park: In terms of the research funding system, I do not see any difference between South Korea and other advanced societies now days. About twenty years ago, most of the studies in Exercise Science were performed at the researcher’s cost except for very few faculty who received governmental support. It was very hard to see any students carry out their studies using funded money at that time. But now, most researchers in this field have a full or at least partial support for their investigations. I believe the size of grant funding in South Korea is getting bigger as the economy grows. Professors in South Korea teach 9–12 credit hours in every semester. Since the research portion is not included in the contract they can not request teaching hour reductions using research fund. I believe it has a negative influence on faculty performing research. However, we also have a very research favorable system, too. Professors can take one year sabbatical every seven years in which they receive full payment for a whole year with which they can focus on their research.