Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bobbybigfoot]

There's an order of ranking to all this:

(1) Top tier uni, on campus MA, Thesis
(2) Top tier, on campus MA, no thesis
(3) on campus MA, Thesis
(4) on campus MA, no thesis
(5) online MA, thesis
(6) online MA, no thesis

Any MA is better than no MA, but not all MAs are equal.

[Poker]

[bobbybigfoot]

[Poker]

[bobbybigfoot]

[naturegirl321]

[offtheoche]

[Poker]

[offtheoche]

[Carbon]

[zappadelta]

While getting an MA from a big name school or doing it on site certainly might open some doors, in my experience here in Korea it doesn't matter where the MA is from or if it was done online. It matters what you do with it (making connections in the field), and what you do after you get it (research and presenting).
Most of the people that I know who have top positions in this field (myself included) have a distance MA and didn't necessarily get it from a big name school. In fact, some of them have MAs from a university that is in my own state that I never even heard of before coming to Korea. But, they worked their butts off while getting the degree and after getting it, made the right connections because of this, and have top positions teaching content classes in departments with full vacation, good pay, and respect.

[livinginkorea]

I think if you are planning to stay in Korea for a while then doing a MA here is fine. I know plenty who have done it and most of them went into university teaching after they graduated.

Also, taking a class is a great way to network to hear about job openings. The last two jobs I got weren't advertised.

[bobbybigfoot]

Op, if you have a high enough grade point average and getting accepted into most/all MA courses is not an issue, then, yes, stick with a bonafide university back in your own country.

If money is not an issue/fees are not outrageous, then do an on campus MA with a thesis. An online degree cannot match the value/experience you will get out of a traditional degree.

Please bare in mind that Korea is a strange animal. Just because Korea excepts anyone and everyone with any degree doesn't mean these degrees hold value back home.

If your purpose is to work exclusively in Korea, then go the online route and get the cheapest one you can. If you actually want the option of having a career back home, get a respectable on-campus MA from a solid university that doesn't sell off its degrees to the masses.

A proper MA with thesis is an exhausting process. They are hard to get accepted into, your thesis has to be approved, and you are required to rise to the occasion.

Alot of schools are now watering down their MAs and pushing them out like candy to make a fast buck. And it isn't only Australia doing this.

[calicoe]

Very good points Bobbybigfoot. However, if the OP doesn't mind, I'd like to pose my own question:

What if I already have a very good master's degree with thesis, from a top university in another field, but want a second master's degree for an ESL qualification? It is already obvious form my prior degrees that I am educated, but I want that specific credential to teach ESL.

If it is an add-on, is online (with a thesis) more acceptable?

[olsanairbase]