Chosen Christian College [延禧專門學校], established in 1914 by protestant missionaries and approved in 1917 by the Government-General of Chosun, had plans for setting up a science department[數學及物理科] with the objectives of teaching pure science. However, the plans for science education underwent several alterations following the founding of the school. The relationship between the Government-General of Chosun, the American protestant missionary and the Korean students had a critical effect on process of change.
Focusing on these three actors, therefore, this paper examines the curriculum for science education in the science department through three phases. During the first phase (1912-1917), education in the science department was heavily influenced by the educational visions of the American missionary, rather than the educational policy of the Government-General of Chosun. During the second phase, when the school was stagnant (1918-1926), due to activist movements of Korean students demanding normalization of education, the Government-General of Chosun took action by altering the educational policy. During the last phase(1927-1928), the science department of Chosen Christian College took charge of cultivating Korea’s elites during the colonial period.