"SMART 2015" is the name of Sangmyung University's development strategy. Its guiding philosophy is one of specialization. As the world outside our walls clamors ever more loudly for experts with specific skills, specialized education becomes a means by which an educational institution can remain competitive.

In keeping with the principle of specialization, "SMART 2015" identified "Information Technology" and "Art and Design" as the focal points of Sangmyung University's development strategy. Within such framework, the following divisions would have priority:

Priority within the field of Art and Design would be given to the following divisions:

Another step Sangmyung took towards specialization was to move the Graduate School of Arts and Design to "University Road," location of the renowned Dongsung-dong Art and Design Center, and a Mecca for the Korean university art crowd. The new building will serve as Sangmyung University's center of gravity for all things related to art and design. It will bring together the College of Arts, the College of Design, and the College of Arts & Physical Education.

Besides changes to our infrastructure, Sangmyung University is also honing its curricula to make courses more relevant and practical so that our graduates can hit the ground running once they enter the job market.

Divisions and Departments (Majors) have been classified into narrower, more specialized fields. Departments that have undergone the most unique restructuring include:

The following paragraphs provide descriptions and some details of the changes in certain departments and divisions within Sangmyung University:

By improving our infrastructure and promoting exchange activities with overseas universities, Sangmyung University hopes to raise its international profile in an education market increasingly defined by globalization. For example, state-of-the-art satellite lecture rooms located at our Seoul and Cheonan campuses now make it possible for our students and faculty to attend lessons or conduct research with educational institutions abroad.

Sangmyung University has also intensified its exchange activities with world renowned universities, such as the University of Alberta in Canada. Credit transfer agreements and mutual exchanges of professors and students are at the core of our globalization efforts.

A number of foreign professors and specialists have been invited to augment our foreign language training programs and expand some of our labs. In future, more lectures in different majors will be conducted in English. Use of the Internet as an educational aid will also feature more prominently in future lectures.

The motivation for many of the changes we have made at Sangmyung University is our goal of educating students to become specialists who are comfortable dealing with different cultures and working in foreign environments.

Some students have difficulty making ends meet. For this reason Sangmyung University established over twenty different scholarships for students with good academic records, including the prestigious Sangmyung Scholarship. Over and above the regular scholarship program, a special scholarship system exists just for freshmen.

In addition to the internal scholarships offered by Sangmyung University, there are over one hundred scholarships available from sources external to the university, with the Gyedang Foundation Scholarship being perhaps the best known.

Students and faculty at Sangmyung University have a number of school facilities at their disposal. A short list includes:

Sangmyung University also owns two off-campus recreation centers: the Cheonma Mountain Living Center, located on the outskirts of Namyangju City in Gyeonggi-do Province, and the Human Center, located on the beautiful island of Jeju.

The Cheonma Mountain Living Center is located in the middle of a forest outside Namyangju City in Gyeonggi-do Province. The center has an auditorium, lodging facilities, dining facilities, a swimming pool, and camping grounds.

Located on the beautiful island of Jeju, Sangmyung University's Human Center can facilitate various academic activities for Sangmyung students including field trips, seminars, and educational training. All students need do is complete a simple online registration.

The center features fully equipped classrooms, a physical activities center, dormitories, a cafeteria, a bowling alley, a pool table, and a health center. Just outside there is a soccer pitch, a tennis court, a basketball court and an inline skating trail. Students may also wish to take advantage of the many scenic trails crisscrossing the island.

Sangmyung University has exchange and cooperation agreements with a number of renowned overseas universities, including the following:

Many departments (majors) and divisions within Sangmyung University have affiliated Specialized Research Institutes that collaborate with the private sector in what are known as Industry-Academic Cooperative Programs. Some of the activities encompassed by these agreements include:

Sangmyung University now has an Industry-Academic Cooperative Program in place with the regional government of Jongro-gu (district) in Seoul. Other recent collaborations include a joint environmental campaign with the Hankook Daily Newspaper and, in coordination with local governments, the offer of free portrait services to seniors by students majoring in photography.