Korean Job Discussion Forums

[JZer]

Has anyone done an MA in Korea Studies?

How much did it cost and how did you finance it?

[VanIslander]

Many posters at Dave's already are B.S. in Korean Studies grads, due to transfer credit based on life experience.

[Cheonmunka]

What does the B.S stand for?

Hey, JZer, how about a crash course in English studies, too!

[VanIslander]

[Cheonmunka]

Like, "What is this B.S"?

[VanIslander]

[dmbfan]

[excitinghead]

Jeez, 6 answers and not one of them helpful. Haven't you guys got anything better to do?

I haven't done it, so can't give you practical details sorry, but would advise against it if you plan to continue in Korean or East Asian Studies outside of Korea. Because Korean universities are generally so mediocre, a MA done in almost any subject is not highly regarded in other countries. I think this has been covered in several threads here on davesel. But its true even in Korean studies! I can't find the exact post, but someone was asking the same question on this http://koreaweb.ws/mailman/listinfo/koreanstudies_koreaweb.ws electronic mailing board that I subscribe to, and the overwhelming response of Korean scholars was not to do it in Korea. Pretty telling when you shouldn't do Korean studies...in KOREA!

Having said that, if you plan to use it in Korea, then go for it. I'm doing a MA in East Asian Studies over the internet, just as tough and academically rigorous as a normal MA, but in interviews Korean professors, who couldn't write a decent paper to save their lives, laugh at it when they realise its over the internet, and that's just the English ones. Also, not being able to give seminars but instead writing papers for weeks on end, doing 4-day exams, all at home is very lonely and demanding, and there's usually no-one to talk to about it, let alone have the compensating student lifestyle. It's tough.

If I'd known how long I was going to be in Korea (7 years now), what Korean professors think of my MA, and how lonely and demanding it was, I would have chosen the 1 year one at a Korean university myself, and then gone on to do a Phd here too. MAs should be more than just sitting in front my computer every bloody weekend...sigh...and the networking would be useful too. And the eye-candy at a university would help a lot too...sigh again...

[tzechuk]

Oh dear...

OK, OP. I personally haven't done one but a friend has. He was in Korea for a couple of years and decided to get one back home. He went to Sheffield University in the UK (where he and I are both from). I think it cost him about 4,000 pounds.

[chaz47]

[excitinghead]

Leeds University in England. Here's the website if you're interested:

http://www.smlc.leeds.ac.uk/eas/eas_content/postgraduate/distance-learning_degrees.asp

[chaz47]

[dogshed]

I thought the title was Korean Studies Massachusetts.

My dear friend sent me an email all about how I should plan for
what I'm going to do after teaching English in Korea.
I think she was being condescending. I have been thinking
about that. One of my problems is that I am no longer
a resident of any of the United States which means I will
have to pay out of state tuition if I try to get anything in
the US.

[JZer]

[Homer]