Eligibility Exams for Dissertation
Course Enrollment
Registration
Eligibility Exams for Dissertation
Graduate Dissertation
Comprehensive exam
1. General rules (Article 39 of the Constitution of the Graduate School - Detailed Enforcement Regulations for the Graduate School)
| Program | Eligibility for Exam | Date of Examination |
|---|---|---|
| Master’s | Completed at least 12 credits, GPA 3.0 or higher | Spring exam: late March (application due early-March) Fall exam: late September (application due early-September) |
| Doctoral | Completed at least 21 credits, GPA 3.0 or higher | |
| Integrated (master’s and doctoral) | Completed at least 30 credits, GPA 3.0 or higher |
2. Special rules for each department
- Please check the academic affairs administration and internal relations of each college or department for each department’s examination methods (written, oral), number of exams, and grading.
Foreign language exam
1. Applicability
- Students registered in either the master’s, doctoral, or integrated programs
2. Examination subjects
| Program | Primary foreign language | Secondary foreign language |
|---|---|---|
| Master’s | One from English, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Chinese characters or Korean | None |
| Doctoral | English | One from French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Chinese characters or Korean |
| Integrated master’s and doctoral | English | One from French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Chinese characters or Korean |
| International students | All international students shall take the Korean language exam; doctoral students of the 16 departments listed below shall take the English exam for primary foreign language and the Korean exam as the secondary language | |
- All international students shall take the Korean Language Exam : Doctoral students on the 16 departments listed below shall take the Korean language exam for their primary foreign language and the English exam for their secondary foreign language
- Students are prohibited from taking one of these exams in his/her own first or native language
3. Second foreign language for doctoral degrees
- The 16 departments that require a secondary foreign language exam are
Law, Korean Language and Literature, English Language and Literature, Chinese and Japanese Language and Literature, Russian Language and Literature, French Language and Literature, German Language and Literature, Spanish Language and Literature, History, Sociology, Linguistics, Philosophy, Korean History, Visual Culture (interdisciplinary), Cultural Heritage Studies (interdisciplinary) and Comparative Literature & Comparative Culture(interdisciplinary).
- ※ The above-mentioned departments shall have their students take a corresponding foreign language examination.
- ※ A second foreign language exam for Cultural Heritage Studies (interdisciplinary) shall be required from 2011 Spring Semester onwards.
4. Dates for foreign language exams
| Spring | Fall |
|---|---|
| First Saturday of September (tentative) |
- ※ The actual dates for the English exam can be checked at the Institute of Foreign Language Studies website (http://langtopia.ac.kr).
- ※ Foreign language exams will be conducted only fall semester (September).
* 참고: 외국어시험_시험 유형 및 기출문제 다운로드
5. Exam details
- English : Consult the Institute of Foreign Language Studies’ Foreign Language Center website
- Second foreign language : written short-answer questions, translation and composition
6. Passing the foreign language examination
| Exam | Method | Implementing authority | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Written examination | Institute of Foreign Language Studies | Consult Institute of Foreign Language Studies website |
| Lecture substitution | Institute of Foreign Language Studies | Score "B" and higher | |
| Substitution by authorized transcript | The Graduate School | TOEFL, TEPS, IELTS, TOEIC | |
| Second foreign language | Written examination | The Graduate School | Once a year (September) |
| Lecture substitution | Institute of Foreign Language Studies | German, Japanese, Korean, et al. | |
| Substitution by authorized transcript | The Graduate School | See Exemption Standards |
7. Authorized transcript standards for foreign language examination waiver (by course)
| Language | Program | Exams | Authority | Standards for waiver | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Master’s Doctoral | TOEFL,TEPS, IELTS, TOEIC | ETS et al. | TOEFL CBT 213, TOEFL IBT 80, TEPS 660(New TEPS 361), IELTS level 6, or TOEIC 800 | |
| German | Master’s Doctoral | ZMP | Goethe-Institute | Department of German Language and Literature and other departments’ acceptance | |
| Master’s Doctoral | Testdaf (tdN-3) | Domestic/Germany | Department of German Language and Literature and other departments’ acceptance (level 3 and higher) | ||
| French | Master’s | DELF | French government | DELF B2 and higher | DALF A1, A2 DELF B1, B2 (applies to new students before 2015) |
| Doctoral | DELF | French government | DELF B2 and higher | DALF C1, C2 (applies to new students before 2015) | |
| Chinese | Master’s Doctoral | HSK | Chinese government | New HSK level 5 (180) and higher | Decided by the Taiwanese government’s Chinese Language and Literature Professors’ Council |
| Spanish | Master’s / Doctoral | Spanish government | Diploma and a score higher than 70% on the Nivel Superior (C2) of the DELE examination | ||
| Russian | Master’s / Doctoral | Russian government | Authorized level 3 or 4 (within the past three years) on the TORFL examination | ||
| Japanese | Master’s / Doctoral | Not applicable | |||
| Korean | Master’s / Doctoral | Level 4 or higher on the S-TOPIK | For international students beyond the quota | ||
8. Korean Language Examination
- As you fully know, students must pass the Korean Language Examination in order to obtain a degree. There are three ways to pass the exam.
- * For Inquiries in Graduate School : email "graduate2@korea.ac.kr"
- ① Achieving Level 4 or higher in the Test of Proficiency in Korea (TOPIK): Students should upload their test scores at KUPID within the designated period (Please check the homepage, early March & September)
- ② Completing Korean language course(s) at the Korean Language Center (alternative to the TOPIK exam)
- - Completion of the regular course (level 2 or higher) during the spring/fall semester with a grade of “B” or higher
- - Completion of an 8-week course (level 2 or higher) during the summer/winter semester with a grade of “B” or higher.
- ③ Passing the Korean language exam administered by Korea University (exams are implemented every September)
- - Students can apply through the Portal website one month before the exam starting.
- - The exam is comprised of multiple-choice and short-answer questions.
9. Exemption for Foreign Language Exam
Korean Language Center(http://klc.korea.ac.kr) offers to be exempt from the Korean Language Examination among the below 3 options.
- ① Option 1. Passing the General Course Level 2 or higher
- ② Option 2. Passing the 8-week Course(Summer or Winter period)
- ③ Option 3. Receive Level 4 or higher for TOPIK
