KOREA UNIVERSITY Graduate School
Source: https://graduate2.korea.ac.kr/academic/info03.html Parent: https://graduate2.korea.ac.kr/about/greeting.html
Academics
Academic Affairs
Eligibility Exams for Dissertation
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)
General rules
| 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
Examination subjects
| Nationality | Program | Foreign Language Exam | Secondary Foreign Language Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Students | Master’s Degree | Choose 1 of followings: Korean or English or German or French or Chinese or Russian or Japanese or Spanish or Classical Chinese | None |
| Doctor’s Degree & Integrated Master - Doctoral Degree | Korean or English | Choose 1 of followings: Korean or English or German or French or Chinese or Russian or Japanese or Spanish or Classical Chinese (only for 16 departments) | |
| Korean Students | Master’s Degree | Choose 1 of followings: English or German or French or Chinese or Russian or Japanese or Spanish or Classical Chinese | None |
| Doctor’s Degree & Integrated Master - Doctoral Degree | English | Choose 1 of followings: German or French or Chinese or Russian or Japanese or Spanish or Classical Chinese (only for 16 departments) |
* International Students can not choose their own language as a first or secondary language exam. Please check the internal regulations of each department.
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, Historical Studies, Sociology, Linguistics, Philosophy, Visual Culture (interdisciplinary), Comparative Literature & Comparative Culture(interdisciplinary), Cultural Heritage Studies (Interdisciplinary), Department of Archaeology and Art History
- Foreigners in the following department must take the Korean language test.
Classics Translation, Cultural Heritage Studies (Interdisciplinary), Korean Language and Literature, Historical Studies, Program in Public Health, Department of Media and Communication(To be applied starting with new students in Fall 2025)
- ※ 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
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
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 | |
| English-speaking countries | ※ The countries listed below are those where English is the native language. Students from these countries are not permitted to choose English as their first or second foreign language. Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada, Commonwealth of Dominica, Fiji, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
7. Authorized transcript standards for foreign language examination waiver (by course)
Authorized transcript standards for foreign language examination waiver (by course)
| Language | Program | Exams | Authority | Standards for waiver | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Master’s/Doctor’s Degree & Integrated Master - Doctoral Degree | TOEFL,TEPS, IELTS, TOEIC | ETS et al. | TOEFL PBT 550, TOEFL IBT 80, TEPS 660(New TEPS 361), IELTS level 6, or TOEIC 800 | |
| German | Master’s | TestDaf Goethe-Zertifikat | Germany governmen | TestDaF TDN 3 and higher Goethe-Zertifikat B2 or higher | ZMP (applies to new students before 2018) |
| Doctoral | TestDaf Goethe-Zertifikat | Germany governmen | TestDaF TDN 4 or higher Goethe-Zertifikat C1 or higher | ZMP, TestDaf TDN3 (applies to new students before 2018) | |
| French | Master’s | DELF/DALF | French government | DELF B2 or higher | DELF A1, A2 DELF B1, B2 (applies to new students before 2015) |
| Doctoral | DELF/DALF | French government | DELF B2 or higher | DALF C1, C2 (applies to new students before 2015) | |
| Chinese | Master’s/Doctor’s Degree & Integrated Master - Doctoral Degree | HSK | Chinese government | New HSK level 5 (180) or higher | Decided by the Taiwanese government’s Chinese Language and Literature Professors’ Council |
| Spanish | Master’s/Doctor’s Degree & Integrated Master - Doctoral Degree | DELE | Spanish government | C1 or higher | |
| Russian | Master’s/Doctor’s Degree & Integrated Master - Doctoral Degree | Russian government | Authorized level 3 or 4 (within the past three years) on the TORFL examination | ||
| Japanese | Master’s/Doctor’s Degree & Integrated Master - Doctoral Degree | JLPT/JPT | YBM | LPT N1 or higher, JPT 715 or higher | Variable |
| Korean | Master’s/Doctor’s Degree & Integrated Master - Doctoral Degree | TOPIK | NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION | Level 4 or higher on the TOPIK | For international students beyond the quota |
8. Korean Language Examination
- In case of Korean Language Exam, you can pass the exam in the following three ways.
-
* For Inquiries in Graduate School : email "graduate2@korea.ac.kr"
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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 during the spring/fall semester with a grade of “B” or higher
-
- Those who have earned a grade of A or higher in Level 3 in the short-term intensive course (including completion of Level 4 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. Earning a grade of A or higher in Level 3 in the short-term intensive course (including completion of Level 4 or higher)
- ③ Option 3. Receive Level 4 or higher for TOPIK