Korean Job Discussion Forums

pabo · Joined: 05 Dec 2004

i'm trying to find out ways to get an M.A. in TESOL or applied linguistics, while working in korea, without resorting to distance education.

for example in japan: temple university and columbia university both offer M.A.'s in related fields, on-campus in japan. for a tuituion price up to 28,000usd. that's why i'm checking korea. and because i live here and like it here.

are there any american universities like these who have branch campuses in korea offering M.A.'s in tesol-related fields? or korean universities either accredited in the states, or with very good international reputations?

i might have to do the distance-education M.A., but i've heard such mixed reviews about them on these forums. any other input about distance education degrees. i'm considering USQ or UNE in australia.

cheers,
pabo.

Cedar · Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2004 3:10 pm Post subject:

A co-worker got a TESOL MA from Woosung U in Daejeon.

turtlepi1 · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Hehe...that's funny...you would question an online degree from a reputable Western school but you would consider doing a Masters at Konglish U.

An online degree from a reputable school is better than a degree from a questionable school. Especially if the online degree is from a reputable school in your home country.

Having said that I can think of other reasons one might want to get a degree in person rather than online.

Online degrees take a higher level of self discipline, require becoming accustom to the technology and some people learn better in a classroom environment. I'm not criticizing you for your choice of learning styles, just the questioning the reasoning you presented.

The only one I have heard of so far is the one Cedar had mentioned, but there have to be a few more...(they are obsessed with English here...which is good for us I guess)

I am also looking for university courses taught in English at Korean universities. (thouh maybe not English couses) I am working on a Masters in Educational Technology and I can take 2 courses at another university and have them count. Since my interest lies in globalized education I think it would be unfortunate to pass up this opportunity to learn in a Koean classroom, but I am having the same difficulties...finding courses...in my case.. near Anyang...so if anyone has any leads...

rok_the-boat · Joined: 24 Jan 2004

I think Sookmyung Univ. in Seul have such a program. Personally, I wouldn't do it though. Many Korean degrees are not recognised overseas.

turtlepi1 · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Before deciding to not taking one locally you sort of need to have some idea what you want to do with it...Taking one in Korea MIGHT be the right choice for you...and then it might not be...

(sure none of us are that good at knowing what the future holds but it makes it easier if you have at least a potential plan)

Staying in Korea for a few years, a local Masters might be fine for university gigs...(if that is the road you are interested in...) and it might provide a lot of good information.

China and a couple of other places don't accept online degrees (though I doubt they are questioning the validity of online degrees in general more the amount of fraud. degrees) (but it would be wise to check if they would accept a Korean degree...if that is your plan.(maybe / maybe not)

Are you going to be an ESL teacher as a "career"?
Do you want to teach in North America?
Why do you want to take a degree right now?

etc, etc...these are questions you need to (and probably already are) ask yourself.

Nowhere Man · Joined: 08 Feb 2004

Sook-dae (Sookmyung Women's University)

Not sure, but pretty sure.

They run a reputable Certificate Course.

Chillin' Villain · Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Location: Goo Row

Here's the website from the Sookmyung program. It's in collaboration with the University of Maryland; I don't know if that lends it any more credibility, but I guess it would. Probably one of the better bets if you want to do it in Korea.

BUT!

It's just a five-monther... Certificate, not an MA.

http://tesol.sookmyung.ac.kr/

chiaa · Joined: 23 Aug 2003

If you go with an online degree with a real school (say a state school in the US), unless they look at your transcripts (and perhaps not even then) they will have no idea you got it online (becareful with your resume too as one might be able to figure it out if you were working in a foreign country while you were suppose to be in school).

There are also a lot of programs with state schools in the US where you can start out in the crappy certificate program, but transfer the certificate credits to their actual MA program before you complete the certificate. Thus, only spending a semester or two in classrooms. I was doing this option before I opened up the bookstore (for technical writing). Their certificate program mirrored their MA program almost exactly but it was about half the credits. I was taking all the MA classes skipping the other classes that were tailored for their certificate. This is also a really good option if you were just an average student as an undergrad (I was). It gives you a chance to "prove" yourself to the department at which you would be applying to.

I was doing this at www.ucf.edu . It is an average state school with a student body of about 25.000. They really had their act together regarding the online programs. DO NOT BE FOOLED. It is A LOT of work. I spent 15-20 hours a week on one class alone.

Nowhere Man · Joined: 08 Feb 2004

Speaking of the University of Maryland, you can always try the programs on base. Not sure what you have to do to qualify, and I'm not sure they offer MATESOL, but I know they offer M. Ed. and you could do a TESOL specialization.

And I just checked the Sookmyung, and they doi have an MATESOL:
http://tesol.sookmyung.ac.kr/03_certificate/certificate_smu01_2.html

Scroll down through the whole page to get to the MA info.