[KS] Info about courses at Korean universities

[T.N. Park]

On Wednesday, April 27, 2005, at 01:10  a.m, ag gy wrote:

> 여러분안녕하세요.
>
>  
>
> Hi. I’m not sure whether I can ask questions of such nature in this 
> forum but I hope you’ll overlook my ‘rudeness’. I’m an Indian and have 
> majored in Korean and have been awarded the Korean Government 
> Scholarship, 2005 by the National Institute for International 
> Education Development. I’ll be going toKoreato do my Masters after 
> undergoing language training for 6th months. 

In addition to Korean-language master's programs, there are a number of 
English-language master's programs. Most notably at Yonsei, Ewha (men 
can attend there, even though the undergraduate programs are for women 
only), Korea (Koryŏ), Seoul National, and Sogang.

> I have a few doubts as to what exactly I should do over there 
> inKoreaand I was wondering whether of the esteemed members of this 
> forum could help me out. Since you guys are pretty well-versed with 
> the academic situation inKorea, you seem to be the right people to put 
> such questions to.
>
> Does the academic year inKoreastart from March? I mean I know there 
> are two semesters but can students register in the August fall 
> semester (2nd semester?) and then move on to March spring semester 
> (1st sem?)? 

The school year begins at the very beginning of March (with many 
school-related activities occurring in late February). The term runs 
until about mid- or late June.

The "second" semester begins and ends almost exactly six months later, 
running from the very beginning of September and ending shortly before 
Christmas.

Many of the English-language graduate schools will allow you to begin 
your studies in September without any real disadvantage.

> I haven’t really been able to make up my mind as to what I’ll major in 
> over there. But I’m looking at some options and just wanted to know 
> your opinion. 
>
> Now, MBA is one of the options I’m looking at. Will doing an MBA from 
> aKoreanUniversitybe really useful in terms of job prospects here 
> inIndia? Or are there chances of finding a job inKoreaitself? I’ve 
> heard that SNU (http://cba.snu.ac.kr), KAIST 
> (http://www.kaistgsm.ac.kr/) and Chungang (in that order) have the 
> best MBA courses inKorea. Is this true?

Sejong University runs a program with Syracuse (from the USA). George 
Washington University is in the process of setting up its own program 
in the beautiful island province of Cheju (Jeju).

> The second option I’m looking at is the Korean Literature course at 
> SNU (http://plaza.snu.ac.kr/~korean/home/intro.html). Of course I’ll 
> have to major in modern literature… classical literature not being my 
> cup of tea. 
>
> But I’m not really sure whether doing such academically oriented 
> course will actually help me in getting a job. What do you guys think?

If you are interested in getting a job in Korea, some of the more 
established English-language graduate schools will offer you a great 
deal of exposure to important corporations and organizations, which 
could lead to interesting and (with any luck) well-paying work.

> The Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation of Hankuk 
> University of Foreign Studies 
> (http://www.gsit.hufs.ac.kr/english/index.asp) has a MA course in 
> interpretation and translation. Is this University (the school i..e.) 
> good and is the course beneficial in terms of career prospects?

It is a very good program if you wish to be an interpreter or 
translator, which can be very interesting and rewarding work if that is 
your cup of tea. If you are not interested in this area, I advise you 
to pursue something else.

> I’ve been told that I should limit myself to SNU, Yonsei 
> andKoreaUniversitiessince they’re well known and the rest are not that 
> good. What do you think? Is it better to select a reputed university 
> or a useful course even if the university is not that famous?

Korea is still a country where connections are important and one's 
school's name value can open doors. That makes Yonsei, SNU, and Korea 
(Koryŏ) more enticing. But some places have new and innovative programs 
that are worth looking into. If you are planning to go back to India or 
another country, the name value of a "top three" school in Korea may 
not be worth as much as something innovative or cutting-edge somewhere 
else.

> Sorry for troubling you with so many questions but you see I’m really 
> confused and since you’ve had the experience of studying inKoreayou’re 
> the ideal people to clear my doubts. I do hope you’ll find some time 
> to answer my questions.  I’ll appreciate it if you guys could send any 
> info about interesting courses offered by universities inKorea.

If you are going to come and study Korean for six months, I would 
advise you, if at all possible, to come here first and then see which 
school is better for your master's work. Being here and seeing the 
campuses, talking with the professors or the students, etc., will give 
you much more insight.

T'NP
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