Higher education

18 Nov 2010

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Short description of the higher education system

Higher education is provided primarily by universities and colleges, as well as by various other institutions. A distinction is made between national institutions (funded and managed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology), public institutions (funded and managed by local management boards) and private institutions (funded and managed by individuals or organizations).

The three best known universities are Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University.

The number of higher education institutions in South Korea has increased considerably in recent decades. In 2007 there were over 400 higher education institutions in the country, but currently the number is dropping again due to institutions closing following financial difficulties or institutional mergers.
 

Types of degrees

Colleges offer two-year programmes and award associate degrees. Bachelor’s programmes have a customary nominal duration of four years (140 credits), with the exception of programmes in medicine and dentistry, which normally take six years.

Students who have completed a bachelor’s programme with a GPA of at least 3.0 or an average of at least a B and have passed an entrance examination can continue on to a master’s programme. Master's degrees are awarded following completion of an examination and approval of the thesis. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes have a minimum duration of three years.

To earn the degree, students must complete 36 credits, pass an oral examination, be fluent in two foreign languages and write and defend a doctoral dissertation worth six credits. A recent development is combined master’s-PhD programmes, which have a nominal duration of four years and have no entrance examination requirement for the PhD component.
 

Quality assurance and accreditation

There is no single, central accreditation body responsible for accreditation of the entire education system in South Korea. Instead, there are a number of accreditation bodies that focus exclusively on their own target group. For example, the Korean Council for University Education is responsible for the evaluation and accreditation of all programmes at four-year colleges and universities.

The Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) is responsible for all non-formal programmes. The Korean Council for College Education (KCCE) focuses on improving the quality of education in junior colleges, on increasing their autonomy and promoting mutual collaboration amongst them.

The Accreditation Board for Engineering Education of Korea, the Korean Accreditation Board of Nursing and the Korea Industrial Technology Foundation (KOTEF) each focus on their own occupational group.
 

Recent reforms

Over the past decade, the South Korean government has developed multiple international projects aimed at improving higher education in the country. The New University for Regional Innovation (NURI) project, launched in 2004, aims to strengthen the capabilities of colleges and universities located outside the Seoul metropolitan area (comprised of Seoul, Incheon and Kyunggi-do).

In 2004, the Study Korea Project was initiated to attract international students by offering a more extensive scheme of scholarships, setting up and developing a number of Korean Education Centers abroad and offering more courses in English and better student housing.

South Korea has also developed initiatives to attract foreign universities. The Songdo Global University Campus was conceived by the city of Incheon in 2006 to allow prestigious foreign universities to operate branch campuses where students can obtain degrees in the Incheon Free Economic Zone.

Foreign universities have developed plans to open branches on the Songdo Global University Campus and start offering courses in 2011. Due to economic uncertainties however, some foreign universities have now put their plans on hold.

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