Hello,
I am an American student thinking about enrolling in a graduate program in history focused on another country besides the United States. My particular focus is on contemporary South Korea (1950s-present). As I understand it, one must be comfortable in (at least reading and writing) the language of the country they want to study, so that they can do original research and understand primary/secondary sources in that language. In other words, I need to be at least at the intermediate level in Korean in order to be accepted into the top programs in the states.
I was thinking about doing my master's degree in Korea (at Seoul National University, or a similar college) in order to master the language while getting the degree done. These programs are generally free (or very cheap) for foreigners, so it doesn't seem like a bad deal. My only concern is, if I come back to the United States and apply for a PhD program here, will admissions officers see me as a bad candidate since I did my master's abroad? Am I putting myself at a disadvantage by doing my master's abroad instead of at one of the more well-known big name American universities?
Thanks in advance for your replies.
My only concern is, if I come back to the United States and apply for a PhD program here, will admissions officers see me as a bad candidate since I did my master's abroad? Am I putting myself at a disadvantage by doing my master's abroad instead of at one of the more well-known big name American universities?
Absolutely not. This is exactly the path I am taking and I've talked over my plans with my professors/mentors, graduate students, and friends. All of them agree that a Masters at a prestigious, brand-name foreign university will increase your chances of getting into a top PhD program in the States, especially if you don't have a chance of getting into a PhD straight from undergrad. For anyone studying East Asia, language is important, so doing a year in your target country to learn the language is better than going to a PhD with barely any language training.
If you have similar concerns, I suggest you talk it over with your professors.
Not a problem at all. One key step will be identifying where you want to do a PhD and with whom. You will want to be in contact with them either before or at some point during your masters-- both to find out what you might need to do for the PhD program and so that this person can be on the look out for your application and maybe even write a not so any selection committee will know they have already agreed to take you on as a PhD advisor.
Most universities (in my experience of course) will easily accept you into their 'graduate school,' and then as long as there were no obvious red flags or anything, pass you along to the appropriate department who then makes the real decision as to whether or not you are accepted. I have definitely seen people accepted to a university but not a program-- those who had the money could spend a year making contacts in the department and applying again-- those who didn't, had to go elsewhere.
I have also known a number of international students who had no prior US degree and seemed to have no problem having their credentials accepted; so I doubt you would have any issues there.
Just a note on Korean schools. SKY ,(Seoul National, Korea, Yonsei) might be "the best," but that only applies to undergrad. They are the best for networking, for future business relations. For graduate programs, do your homeworkand do t be dazzled by rankings - they don't necessarily have the same meaning here.
Also, if you want to learn Korean, get started asap. It will be your biggest challenge IF you plan on getting to intermediate proficiency. I've lived in Korea for 8 years, have my MA in Applied Linguistics, and my Korean is still only "upper beginner." With concentrated study, you can get there, but it will be one of the toughest things you've ever done.
I wish you all the best; Korean history is DEFINITELY interesting!