On February 15th, the graduation ceremony of the first batch of students to earn a dual degree from Ajou University and the Graduate School of Business and Entrepreneurship (GSBE) in Uzbekistan took place. 

Present at the ceremony were the Uzbek graduates and officials from the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Korea, and members of Ajou University, including President Choi Kee-choo and Dean Chang Byeong-Yun of the Graduate School of International Studies. 

The graduation ceremony opened with an address by President Choi Kee-choo, followed by addresses by Dean Chang Byeong-Yun and Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Korea Fakhriddin Nabiev, and the conferment of degrees and awards, and ended with a presentation by the student president. 

Ajou University entered into a partnership on operation of a dual degree program with the GSBE, an education institution operating under the Uzbek Ministry of Economy and Finance, in 2022. The Uzbek Ministry of Economy and Finance was the catalyst for the partnership when it requested collaboration in developing Uzbek IT business experts. 

Uzbek students who undertake the dual degree program are selected each year by the GSBE, where they complete Semester 1 and 2 of the program, followed by Semester 3 and 4 at the Graduate School of International Studies at Ajou University. The program runs for 18 months, during which the students study at the Graduate School of International Studies at Ajou University for majors in global business and IT business. Graduates of the program are awarded a dual degree from Ajou University and the GSBE. 

The first group of graduates was made up of Uzbek public and private sector employees, in fields such as IT, HR, and marketing. Twenty students completed the inaugural dual degree program. 

President Choi extended congratulations to the graduates, saying “The first graduation from the dual degree program of Ajou University and the GSBE is meaningful.”

He urged the graduates to “trust themselves and dream big.”

Dean Chang Byeong-Yun said, “The Graduate School of International Studies at Ajou University is where change begins,” adding that he hoped “you graduates will take your learning wherever you go to initiate and lead change.” 

Ajou University founded Ajou University in Tashkent (AUT) in Uzbekistan in February 2021, and provides the new school with curricula and expertise. At present, the Ajou University undergraduate programs available at AUT are in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Civil Systems Engineering, and Architecture. Graduates of these programs are awarded a degree from Ajou University. The undergraduate programs offered by AUT itself are in Korean Philology and Management, English Philology and Management, and IT-Business. The first graduates of AUT will be graduating in June this year. 

President Choi conferring a diploma on a graduate of the dual degree program

The student president delivering an address