Admission Guide for International Students, The Graduate School of Korean Studies (GSKS)
1. About the Graduate School of Korean Studies
The Graduate School of Korean Studies (GSKS) is dedicated to research related to humanities and social sciences in the field of Korean Studies. The Graduate School’s mission is to explore the essence of Korean culture and its impact on the future of Korea by nurturing excellent scholars who will contribute to the development and globalization of Korean Studies.
Since its establishment in March, 1980, GSKS has provided research-oriented education via mentoring system. As a result, graduates of GSKS are recognized for their academic excellence, playing pivotal roles among educational and research institutions of Korean Studies around the world today. Currently, approximately 260 students, including about 120 students from 32 foreign countries, study at GSKS.
As the world’s leading graduate school of Korean Studies, the Graduate School of Korean Studies h! as raised the global profile and reputation of Korean Studies by leading the way in the promotion of Korean Studies both nationally and internationally.
2. Key Attributes
▣ The only research-oriented graduate school specializing in Korean Studies in the world
▣ Selective student body with a 4:1 student-faculty ratio
▣ Collaborative lectures to promote interdisciplinary research
▣ One-to-one, learning between students and professors
▣ Publishing an article in an accredited academic journal or participation in research projects may count as credits for their course works.
▣ Fieldwork courses: Great opportunity for understanding Korean society
▣ The Program of International Korean Studies offers lectures in English.
▣ Intensive Korean language courses are available for international students
▣ Student exchange programs with overseas universities
▣ Affordable tuition and various financial aids ▣ On-campus housing for every international student
3. Program Overview
The Graduate School of Korean Studies offers 15 majors for M.A. and 14 majors for Ph.D. programs.
▣ Number of years required to complete coursework
(1) M.A. Program: 2 years
(2) Ph.D. Program: 3 years
▣ Each year consists of two semesters.
(1) First (Spring) semester: March 1 to August 31
(2) Second (Fall) semester: September 1 to the last day of February of the following year.
▣ Each semester is 15 weeks long.
▣ Most lectures are conducted in Korean, but several lectures a semester are offered in English.
▣ M.A. thesis or Ph.D. dissertation must be written in Korean. In special cases, the Graduate School Committee may allow writing them in English.
▣ In order to improve their reserch skills in Korean Studies, international students are expected to imporve their Korean language prof! iciency. All newly admitted foreign students must take the Korean langu! age test on the scheduled date, and according to its results, they may have to take different numbers of Korean language classes offered by GSKS, in order to complete their coursework.
4. Financial Aid
▣ Full Tuition Waiver: All international students are provided with a full tuition waiver. However, violation of the university code will cause withdrawal of this tuition waiver.
▣ Government Grant: The Government Grant provides selected students with a monthly stipend of KRW 750,000 and Settlement Fund(amount of round air-fare).
※ After enrollment the grant recipient must maintain average grade point of 3.7/4.3. (For the first two semesters, the recipient must maintain GPA of 3.3/4.3 instead of 3.7/4.3.) Failure in doing so will result in the withdrawal of the grant.
5. Faculties and Departments
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* Planning to establish a doctorate program in Cultural Informatics(applying after consultation is recommended.)
6. Number of Students Admitted
▣ Number of international students to be admitted each semester is not fixed.
7. Eligibility
▣ All applicants must meet one of the two conditions below.
1. Neither the applicant nor his or her parents possess Korean nationality.
2. The applicant has completed more than 16 years of education outside of Korea that is compatible with Korea’s elementary, middle, high school and college education.
▣ Master’s Program
Applicants for the Master’s program must have a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) or be expected to receive a Bachelor’s degree before enrolling at GSKS.
※ An applicant’s undergraduate major does not necessarily have to be related to the major that he or she is applying for at GSKS.
▣ Do! ctoral Program
Applicants for the Doctoral program must have an M.A. degree (or equivalent) or to be expected to receive an M.A. degree before enrolling at GSKS.
※ An applicant’s major in M.A. degree must be the same or closely related to the major that he or she is applying for at GSKS.
※ The applicant cannot apply for the doctoral program in a similar field if the applicant already holds a doctoral degree.
8. Selection Process
▣ Applicants who have submitted all required documents could have a phone interview if necessary(but not everyone), and the phone interview result will be considered at the application documents review.
▣ At the application documents review, the Graduate Admission Committee will evaluate the application form, statement of purpose, personal statement, recommendation letters, language proficiency, previous academic achievements, future academic plan and so on.
9.! Admission and Orientation
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10. Required Documents
Application form, personal statement, and study plan may be submitted by online applications at GKS application website(http://www.aks.ac.kr/admission).
※ off-line applications are available as well.
▣ Application Form (Download)
▣ Personal Statement (Over A4 or Letter 3 pages, explain in detail)
▣ Study Plan (Over A4 or Letter 3 pages, explain in detail)
▣ Two copies of original Degree Certificate & Graduation Certificate of Bachelor’s and/or M.A. Degree
※ Applicants for the doctoral program must submit certificates of both M.A. and B.A. degree.
※ Applicants who have graduated from universities in the People’s Republic of China must also submit an English academic degree certificate accreditation from the China Academic Degree & Graduate Education Development ! Center (http://www.cdgdc.edu.cn/).
▣ Two copies of original official Transcripts of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies
※ Applicants for Doctoral program must attach the abstract of their M.A. thesis.
▣ Two Letters of Recommendations (Download)
※ One of the letters should be written by an academic adviser or the dean of the department in the applicant’s undergraduate/graduate school.
※ Recommendation letters must be sent directly by the person recommending the applicant.
▣ Certificate of Korean Language Proficiency (Download)
※ Applicants for the International Korean Studies are exempt.
▣ Korean (S-TOPIK) and English (TOEFL, IELTS or TEPS) language proficiency test transcript, if available
※ Applicants for the International Korean Studies whose first language is not English are required