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Taking a Masters degree in Korea

 
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itiswhatitis



Joined: 08 Aug 2011

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:36 pm    Post subject: Taking a Masters degree in Korea Reply with quote

I'm seriously considering taking a masters in International relations at either Yonsei or Seoul National.

I have a BA in politics/government but a low GPA.

Not sure if their is any truth to this, but I hear that it is very easy for foreigners to get into masters programs.

My Korean level is intermediate and I plan to have working knowledge of Korean before I start my masters here.

I hear that as a foreigner that if you have a Bachelor's and can speak Korean well that getting into a good masters program (even with a low GPA is very easy).

Advice???

Thanks!!!
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aq8knyus



Joined: 28 Jul 2010
Location: London

PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It is easy to get into Yonsei, SNU or Korea to do a masters, but then again as long as you have the money it isnt that difficult to get into any uni to do a taught masters.

You should also check out the Korean Government Scholarships which you can apply for in time for a September start.

To be honest I wasn't impressed with the SKY scholarships, the best I saw was Korea's 50%. Considering that the tuition fees are really expensive it is an important consideration.

I know scholarships from the non-SKY universities like Sogang etc can offer up to as much as 80% of tuition and even a major discount on their Korean programmes.

Also if you have a TOPIK score of at least 4 you can actually do a masters in Korean (I think).
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young_clinton



Joined: 09 Sep 2009

PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Without knowing anything about the quality of Korean universities, I would just suggest that you look into getting a Master's from a university that is accredited by a Western agency that accredits Western universities. If you don't you may be spending a lot of money on something that is not worth it.
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aq8knyus



Joined: 28 Jul 2010
Location: London

PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 8:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the SKY universities can be relied upon to provide a quality package, at the MA level at least.

I have used NARIC in a professional capacity and I know for a fact that the UK would accept a 2 year MA from a Korean university as being equal to a masters from the UK.

That being said there are some issues with a Korean PhD as some only run for two years. Last time I checked that was true for the Yonsei GSIS PhD.

A degree in International Relations in East Asia if combined with some serious language study isn't a bad idea. Espeacially if you can get a government scholarship and do it essentially for free.
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chungbukdo



Joined: 22 Aug 2010

PostPosted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 3:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don't do it at the GSIS (graduate school of international studies). You'll work on stuff you learned in grade 11 or 12, like the basics of academic writing. Don't forget to include your thesis statement!

It'll be in English though. All the GSIS's in Seoul are instructed in English.
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Wangta01



Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Location: Seoul, S. Korea

PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 2:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OP - what did you decide to do?
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CrikeyKorea



Joined: 01 Jun 2007
Location: Heogi, Seoul

PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 6:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am studying my Masters as Yonsei GSIS. I didn't have a GPA because we don't really use them in oz. the rest of my application was pretty good though.

Yonsei GSIS was the first uni I believe to be accredited internationally.

Perhaps Chungbukdo went to an awesome high school, because I have not really gone over much of anything I didn't know before- aside form some cultural based things in one Korean class. Academic writing is for non native English speakers who fail the English test, it is for them to learn how to write a bit better in English, especially for essays.

The new semester starts tomorrow, so you have plenty of time to organise an application before the next intake. outside of SKY unis the quality is not going to be so good, our current professors include all top US university PhD grads, and most work in other high positions, so they are certainly not idiots.

If you want any more info please feel free to PM me.
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Wangta01



Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Location: Seoul, S. Korea

PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 6:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

CrikeyKorea wrote:
I am studying my Masters as Yonsei GSIS. I didn't have a GPA because we don't really use them in oz. the rest of my application was pretty good though.

Yonsei GSIS was the first uni I believe to be accredited internationally.

Perhaps Chungbukdo went to an awesome high school, because I have not really gone over much of anything I didn't know before- aside form some cultural based things in one Korean class. Academic writing is for non native English speakers who fail the English test, it is for them to learn how to write a bit better in English, especially for essays.

The new semester starts tomorrow, so you have plenty of time to organise an application before the next intake. outside of SKY unis the quality is not going to be so good, our current professors include all top US university PhD grads, and most work in other high positions, so they are certainly not idiots.

If you want any more info please feel free to PM me.


CrikeyKorea - thanks for the info. Wanted to ask you a couple more questions, and thought post would be better than PM as I'm guessing others would be interested to hear your thoughts.

1. What do you and most students plan to do with your MA after graduation? Are you planning to do a PHD or do you plan to work in the corporate world?

2. What kind of background do you and your fellow students have?

3. What is the average age of your classmates?

4. Are classes pretty demanding/tough?
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PRagic



Joined: 24 Feb 2006

PostPosted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 12:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don't know about the other GSIS, but I know for a fact that people are consistently rejected from Yonsei's GSIS now; getting in is NOT a given, especially for the business programs, and especially if you don't have a related undergrad degree.

GSIS degrees and credits from SKY schools are generally accepted at N. American and Euro universities. I did my Ph.D. back in the U.S. in a related major and all of my credits from Yonsei GSIS transfered. In fact, because my Ph.D. is in an internationally oriented field, they were interested in the fact that I did my MBA abroad (on a thesis track - an oddity for most MBA programs in the U.S.). I've met fellow grads from the international relations program there who have also completed their Ph.D.s, in one case from a Brit universitiy, and they've gone on to do some pretty impressive stuff.

To each their own. Like almost any program anywhere, you'll get out of it what you put into it, and biatching or putting the program down won't get you anywhere.
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CrikeyKorea



Joined: 01 Jun 2007
Location: Heogi, Seoul

PostPosted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 3:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
1. What do you and most students plan to do with your MA after graduation? Are you planning to do a PHD or do you plan to work in the corporate world?

2. What kind of background do you and your fellow students have?

3. What is the average age of your classmates?

4. Are classes pretty demanding/tough?


I am planning on working in an Australia-Korea related company most likely here, but possibly in Australia, or enter DFAT (Australian foreign service) I think PhD are less than 10% of students enrolled and even less come direct from Masters at GSIS. Many others are majoring in finance/trade and aim to work for UN, development agencies, and finance companies.

My pre-Korea background has nothing to do with anything, but in Korea i studied Korean for a long time, volunteered, worked in Korean companies, and did lots of other Korea related stuff to get me in.

The average age is a bit lower this semester as is the intake of foreign to Korean students as it is the start of the year. Koreans are the majority of course and are usually around 23-25 the foreign students tend to be around 25-30. Although there are some even younger and much older too.

Classes really depend, I think my classes have a mix of things like 20 page papers, presentations, tests, participation etc. Some intro classes are a piece of piss, some others are super hard, i.e. 200 pages of readings per week. PER WEEK!.

I wish I could tell you about people that were rejected but obviously all my classmates made it haha, the only way I look at it is, there are some really smart people, some average people, and no idiots, maybe some with poor language skills who struggle a lot, and drop out. I'm yet to meet anyone who shouldn't be here.
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