Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Hugo85]

[Thiuda]

Doing a PhD at a Korean uni is not going to be easier than doing it at a western university. While it may be that some programs are less rigorous than at highly ranked western universities, the cultural and linguistic differences create a whole different set of challenges. I've witnessed several foreign grad students at SKY unis drop out because they were frustrated with the cultural differences and because they were unable to keep up with the workload, which includes coursework, research, conf presentations and publishing.

Based on my experiences, I'd say that those that are successful share a common set of traits: they're very autonomous and don't require a lot of supervision, they're typically competetive, yet cooperate well with one another and other students, usually they've lived in Korea for several years, have an established network of friends and colleagues, quite a bit of in-country work experience, know a bit of the language and don't get their knickers in a bunch because things aren't the way they want them to be. Does that sound like you?

[takwndogirl]

I am wondering about masters degrees in the sciences: chemistry, biochem, ect. Specifically, are the programs at Yonsei and SNU offered in English/ able to be completed with minimal Korean language skills?

[Garciua]

[coralreefer_1]

I sent info to Kimchipizza in PM because this thread is about PhD programs, but KP's question was regarding MA programs, so I did not want to fill the thread with info that was not related to the pursuing a PhD.

I will forward you the message.

[coralreefer_1]

1. Like you might expect and alluded to, Korean Language was my biggest hurdle. In my case, I had already been in Korea for 2 years doing an associates in Taekwondo and Physical Education, and while I had not studied Korean during that time and my level was probably about the same as your average E2 teacher, I had been in the country long enough to get a good feel for how the language flowed. Upon graduating from that program and having made the decision to stay here longer and just do another BA, I went to study in a full time Korean language program at a university for a full year.

Even though I passed the Korean language test the university gives the students before they can enter regular departments, it was still VERY difficult. The grammar was not much of an issue, but it was just the immense amount of vocabulary words associated with that field of study that was the largest issue for me. That first semester I was literally translating 80% of words in a sentence from my textbooks or handouts~~

However as others mentioned previously, the undergrad level here is pretty lax at most universities, so at least my course studies were not all that strenuous while I was struggling with the language/vocabulary. After the first semester though, and throughout the rest of the following semesters, it was pretty much the same vocabulary and understanding became much easier as time went on and I continued to see the same words over and over.

IN my case, my BA and MA from the US were in economics, so most of the concepts I was studying with a Trade major were not new to me. Other than one course concerning marine insurance, and a few others concerning trade contracts/electronic trade...the rest were made ALOT easier by already having some level of understanding of the theories and general knowledge of the subject.


I am fairly pleased with the program I am in, but I say that because I had already been in Korean universities studying for years beforehand, so I already had a good idea of what to expect in regards to level of education, pushing to do research or projects..etc. I was fortunate to select an adviser who assigns quite a bit of extra work that I feel in many ways is a supplement to what I may not be getting our of regular course lectures/courses. Some universities are obviously better than others, and aside from universities different departments are better than others at any given university, so I think alot of what determines whether or not you may or may not be satisfied depends on what you expect, what you hope to get out of it, and the university and/or department you choose.

[UknowsI]

[coralreefer_1]

[Garciua]

[coralreefer_1]

[HapKi]

To All,
I am doing a PhD at a SKY school (English Education).
PM me if you would like some real/personal/relevant info- Best..

[aspiringesl]

[pum1127]

Does anyone know any part time masters or part time phd programs that are conducted 100% in English?

[PRagic]

Molly, are you currently writing your MA thesis? If you plan on continuing for your Ph.D., the most expedient way to get access to funding would be to extend into the doctoral program where you are registered for your MA studies.

If you are going to do your terminal degree in Lit, I would not recommend taking your doctorate in Korea. First and foremost, your career options both here and elsewhere will be limited from the get-go. Short term? You might have a tough time finding classes offered in English to satisfy your requirements.

Still, to answer some questions:

Like in N. American, Ph.D. students here are required to serve a residency requirement, usually one full-time academic year. Both MA and Ph.D. students then have a time frame within which they must graduate. I think it is 8-10 years here depending on the university. It was 8 years for Ph.D. students when I did mine back in the U.S.

Much like in N. America, the most difficult part of the doctoral program is making that all important 'original contribution' in the form of a dissertation. This is where most who will not complete their Ph.D. throw in the towel. Courses and seminars can be passed, but no prof I know will sign off on a Ph.D. dissertation 'just like that'. Most of the work I see is quantitative, though, so it might be tough to draw comparisons with Lit.

I have MA and Ph.D. students and have served on several committees for both Korean and non-Korean students. The last doctoral committee I was on had the student on edge. Said student had to extend for almost an entire academic year to wrap up her work to a satisfactory degree, mainly because of statistical related problems.

For the most part, I only recommend taking a Ph.D. in Korea for those interested in Korean Studies and who can take advantage of the program's full potential by having requisite fluency in Korean. For those wishing to pursue other degrees, N. America or Europe are the places to shop.

My hope is that this will eventually change; I'd love to see more Koreans taking Ph.D.s here and I'd gladly welcome the chance to engage with more non-Korean MA and Ph.D. students.

[Garciua]