GIST Selected as Official Semiconductor Design Partner of 'Arm'... Launches Full-Scale Education Program

Korea’s First Officially Certified Program
Seven Tracks, Thirty Participants Each

GIST (Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology) has been selected as an official global education program partner of Arm, a world-renowned semiconductor design asset company. As a result, GIST will launch a full-scale, entirely free "Semiconductor Design Education Program," which includes the nation's first officially certified curriculum.

Minjae Lee, Dean of GIST Graduate School of Semiconductor Technology.

On June 19, GIST announced that it has been chosen as an official partner of the global education program "Arm School Program" and will fully operate the "GIST-Arm School Semiconductor Design Education Program."

This program is a follow-up project to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between GIST and Arm in February. Its purpose is to train practical, industry-ready professionals in semiconductor design by utilizing Arm's official educational content and design assets.

The program is open to senior undergraduate students (fourth year and above), graduates (including those expected to graduate), and current professionals who wish to pursue a career in the semiconductor industry. Thirty participants are selected for each track. Currently, applications are open for students in two out of the seven total tracks: "Introduction to Arm-Based Computer Architecture (Track 1)" and "Arm-Based Embedded Systems (Track 2)." Registration for Track 1 is open until June 22. The deadline for each track is one week before the start of the respective course, with each closing sequentially.

This year, the curriculum is organized into a total of seven tracks. Among them, Tracks 1 through 4 are offered as "Arm Approved Training" courses, based on Arm’s official educational content.

These four tracks are the first Arm official certified training courses to be offered in Korea, and participants who complete them will receive a "Certificate of Completion (Arm Approved Training)."

The seven tracks are as follows: ▲Introduction to Arm-Based Computer Architecture (Track 1) ▲Arm-Based Embedded Systems (Track 2) ▲VLSI Fundamentals (Track 3) ▲SoC Design with Arm Cortex-M (Track 4) ▲RTL Design and SoC Term Project (Track 5) ▲Physical Design Front-End (Track 6) ▲Physical Design Back-End (Track 7).

The Semiconductor Design Academy, which is responsible for running the program, is an academic organization under the GIST Semiconductor Convergence Technology Institute and is dedicated to training specialized semiconductor design talent based on industry demand.

The GIST Semiconductor Convergence Technology Institute has established a system for nurturing semiconductor professionals through its "Semiconductor Specialized Graduate School," which trains master's and doctoral-level talent, and through the "Semiconductor Design Academy," which provides practical, industry-focused training.

This educational program is a practical talent development initiative supported by the Korea Semiconductor Academy and the industry. All tuition is completely free, and the program will be conducted as an intensive in-person course on the GIST campus.

The curriculum is structured to allow participants to learn the entire process of system semiconductor development step by step, focusing on hands-on training that uses the professional design tools and development environments employed in the industry.

This program is expected to provide the region with access to world-class semiconductor design educational content and practical training, thereby helping to alleviate the limitations of educational infrastructure that is concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area. It is also anticipated to strengthen the competitiveness of the local semiconductor industry ecosystem and expand the base of design professionals required by Korea’s semiconductor industry.

Minjae Lee, Dean of the Semiconductor Specialized Graduate School at GIST, said, "It is significant that GIST is now able to offer Korea's first certified education program based on Arm's official educational content. I hope this program will provide global-level educational opportunities to students and professionals aspiring to enter the semiconductor design field and serve as a catalyst to further strengthen the competitiveness of Korea's semiconductor industry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.