EXAMS

Thesis qualifying exams Procedures and times

Students must pass foreign language exams, qualifying exams, and major-field foreign language exams (Ph.D.) before they can submit a degree thesis.

Foreign language exams and qualifying exams are held each semester. The Dean of the Graduate School announces information on the exams including the schedules by two weeks before the exam.

Foreign language exam takers and qualifying exam takers first get approval by a professor. After that, foreign language exam takers apply to the institute that the graduate school or the Dean of the Graduate School designate, and qualifying exam takers apply to the Department Chair or the Graduate Studies Director of the program.

Pass criteria for thesis qualifying exams

The pass mark of qualifying exams is 80 out of 100 for each subject. The pass marks of the foreign language exams are discussed by the graduate school committee and announced by the Dean of the Graduate School.

Students can re-take qualifying exams for the subjects they have failed.

Foreign language exams

Foreign language exams are held biannually. A student can be exempt from foreign language exams, if the student has studied (including research or language course) at least one year in educational or research institutes of the country where the language of the test is the first language.

Foreign language exams are English tests. Foreign students take Korean language proficiency tests. Unless a foreign student’s mother tongue is English, the student must take English proficiency tests.

Standardized foreign language proficiency tests (such as TOEFL) can substitute for the foreign language exams. Foreign language proficiency test scores (such as TOEFL) are valid for two years. The pass marks for the exemption from the foreign language exams are determined separately by field.

Based on Article 22 clause 2 of detailed rules, the foreign language proficiency tests that can substitute the foreign language exams include the following tests. The pass marks are discussed by the graduate school committee and announced by the Dean of the Graduate School.

• a. TOEFL
• b. TOEIC
• c. TEPS
• d. Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)
• e. Other foreign language proficiency tests that are approved by the committee

Major-field foreign language exams

Major-field foreign language exams are taken by the students who pursue a Ph.D. degree from a Ph.D. degree program or an integrated degrees program, if the Department Chair approves the need for the major-field foreign language exams. The Department Chair administers the exams and reports the results to the Dean of the Graduate School.

The subjects and methods of the major-field foreign language exams are determined by the Department Chair.

Qualifying exams

Students must pass qualifying exams to submit a degree thesis to the graduate school.

Students cannot take qualifying exams until Master’s students complete minimum 18 credits or until Ph.D. students complete minimum 24 credits.

Qualifying exams include written and oral exams, and are held for three subjects or more, which the department decides on.