Samsung or SK hynix? Knowing the difference in contract department names can make or break your application

As the AI industry expands and major chipmakers post strong results, more university applicants are setting their sights on semiconductor programs. But experts warn that similar department names across universities can cause students to confuse contract departments — which guarantee employment at a partner company — with regular ones. Names like "Semiconductor Systems Engineering" and "System Semiconductor Engineering" differ only in word order, and even identically named departments may be tied to different companies, making careful verification essential.

According to the Etoos Education Assessment Research Institute, 19 contract departments at 14 universities nationwide offer employment-linked programs with major conglomerates for the 2027 academic year. Semiconductor-related contract departments account for by far the largest share. Samsung Electronics has agreements with Sungkyunkwan University, Yonsei University, KAIST, Postech, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), while SK hynix has agreements with Korea University, Sogang University and Hanyang University.

Employment-linked contract departments are programs established outside a university's standard enrollment quota through agreements between the university and a company or institution. Students who meet certain conditions are guaranteed a job at the partner company upon graduation. Tuition and scholarships are provided during enrollment, along with opportunities such as internships. In return, graduates must fulfill a mandatory service period after joining the company, and those who leave early must repay the financial support they received.

The difficulty lies in distinguishing contract departments from regular ones by name alone, as the two often sound nearly identical. Sungkyunkwan University's Department of Semiconductor Systems Engineering is an employment-linked contract department established in 2006 through an agreement with Samsung Electronics. By contrast, the university's Department of Semiconductor Convergence Engineering, newly created for the 2024 academic year, is a regular department in an advanced field approved by the Ministry of Education, with no guaranteed hiring at any specific company.

Yonsei University also runs both a Samsung Electronics contract department — the Department of System Semiconductor Engineering — and a regular department, the Intelligent Semiconductor major. The Department of System Semiconductor Engineering belongs to the College of Engineering and holds classes in Seoul, while the Intelligent Semiconductor major is part of the School of Advanced Convergence Engineering within the College of AI Convergence and is based at the university's international campus in Songdo, Incheon. Students who apply based solely on the label "Yonsei University semiconductor department" may find that not only the hiring terms but also the commute and learning environment differ from what they expected.

Word order matters too. "Semiconductor Systems Engineering" is offered at Sungkyunkwan University and KAIST, both under agreements with Samsung Electronics. "System Semiconductor Engineering," on the other hand, is offered at Yonsei University under a Samsung Electronics agreement and at Sogang University under an SK hynix agreement. All four are contract departments, but because the universities and partner companies differ, confusing the names can lead to misreading admissions results or application details.

Even departments with identical names can be tied to different companies. Yonsei University's Department of System Semiconductor Engineering is a Samsung Electronics contract department, while Sogang University's department of the same name is an SK hynix contract department. "Semiconductor Engineering" departments at Korea University and Hanyang University are SK hynix contract departments, while those at Postech, GIST, DGIST and UNIST are Samsung Electronics contract departments. Semiconductor engineering departments at Sogang University, Suwon University and Inje University, meanwhile, are regular departments with no ties to a specific company.

The Etoos Education Assessment Research Institute said applicants should check the official admissions guidelines directly for the labels "contract department" and "outside enrollment quota" before applying. Even departments with the same name can differ in work location, job function and mandatory service terms depending on the partner company, so confirming the company name is also essential.

Applicants should also distinguish between employment-linked contract departments and retraining-type contract departments designed for current company employees, as the latter generally do not recruit high school graduates. Scholarship repayment conditions, mandatory service periods and policies on graduate school enrollment also vary by university and company, making it important to verify these details before admission.

"Students should not choose a contract department based solely on its name or how popular it was at the time of admission," said Kim Byung-jin, director of the Etoos Education Assessment Research Institute. "The decision should take into account not only the partner company and curriculum, but also the mandatory service period after graduation."