KR · Master's
Seoul National University
MA in Korean Studies
Seoul National University
Deadline detail: Around September for the following March (Spring) intake and around March for the September (Fall) intake — SNU publishes a separate international graduate admission guide each cycle
Course Overview
Korean Studies is one of the degree tracks at Seoul National University's Graduate School of International Studies, alongside International Commerce, International Cooperation, International Development and Area Studies. GSIS teaches entirely in English, which is what makes it accessible to applicants who do not arrive with fluent Korean, and the Korean Studies track is a genuine interdisciplinary area-studies degree: modern Korean history, politics and foreign policy, the political economy of Korea's industrialisation, society and demography, culture and the Korean Wave, inter-Korean relations and security, and Korea's role in East Asian order.
The reason to study Korea at SNU rather than at a Western university with a Korea programme is straightforward. SNU is Korea's flagship national university, the faculty are the people writing the primary scholarship, the archives and the policy community are on your doorstep, and the seminar conversation happens with people who have lived the history. GSIS also has a large, genuinely international cohort — diplomats, development professionals, journalists and early-career researchers from across Asia, Africa and Europe — so the network you leave with is regional rather than local.
For a Sri Lankan applicant this connects to something concrete rather than abstract. Korea is one of Sri Lanka's most important labour-migration destinations through the Employment Permit System, which sends thousands of Sri Lankan workers to Korea each year and has created real demand at home for Korean language teaching and for people who understand Korean institutions. KOICA runs a substantial development programme in Sri Lanka; Korean manufacturers and their distributors have a growing presence; and Korean cultural exports have a large and young Sri Lankan audience. Very few Sri Lankans hold a formal Korean Studies qualification from a Korean university, which makes this a scarce credential in a market where the demand is measurable. The financial position is unusually good too: SNU's fees are modest, and the Global Korea Scholarship, the Korea Foundation and SNU's own fellowships all fund exactly this kind of student.
Entry Requirements
Academic
- check_circle A completed Bachelor's degree in any discipline — history, political science, international relations, sociology, economics, languages and development studies are the most common backgrounds, but GSIS admits broadly.
- check_circle Sri Lankan applicants from Peradeniya, Colombo, Kelaniya, Jaffna or Sri Jayewardenepura in the humanities and social sciences are the standard profile; graduates of Kelaniya's modern languages programmes with prior Korean study are especially well positioned.
- check_circle A strong academic record; a Second Upper or First Class degree is the realistic competitive standard.
- check_circle A statement of purpose explaining what about Korea you want to study and why — the most successful Sri Lankan applications tie the research interest to a real question about Sri Lanka's relationship with Korea rather than to a general enthusiasm for Korean culture.
- check_circle Two academic or professional recommendation letters, a CV, and transcripts with degree certificates.
- check_circle Professional experience matters here: work at the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, KOICA's Colombo programme, a Korean company, or in Korean-language teaching strengthens a file considerably.
- check_circle A D-2 student visa is required, applied for at the Korean Embassy in Colombo with SNU's certificate of admission; allow six to eight weeks.
- check_circle Documents from Sri Lankan institutions may need apostille or consular authentication — check SNU's current document rules early, since this is a common cause of missed deadlines.
English Proficiency
- check_circle TOEFL iBT: 88-100 Overall is the usual competitive range for SNU GSIS admission.
- check_circle IELTS Academic: 6.5-7.0 Overall.
- check_circle The programme is taught and assessed entirely in English, so the English requirement is the real one — this is not a Korean-language degree.
- check_circle Applicants whose entire prior degree was taught and examined in English can normally submit a Medium of Instruction letter in place of a test score; confirm this with GSIS admissions in writing, as area-studies programmes sometimes apply the rule more strictly.
- check_circle Korean language is not required for admission. However, a Korean Studies degree without Korean-language capability limits what you can do with it — SNU's Korean Language Education Centre is one of the best in the country and taking it seriously alongside the degree is the single highest-return decision you can make during the two years.
- check_circle The Global Korea Scholarship route includes a full year of funded Korean language training before the degree begins, which solves this problem entirely for successful applicants.
Estimated Cost of Study
| Expense Category | Amount (KRW) | Approx. LKR |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition Fee (per year, indicative) | KRW 11,000,000 | Rs. 2,530,000 |
| Living Expenses in Seoul (per year) | KRW 14,400,000 | Rs. 3,312,000 |
| Dormitory or Shared Housing (per year) | KRW 5,400,000 | Rs. 1,242,000 |
| Health Insurance, D-2 Visa & Alien Registration | KRW 1,200,000 | Rs. 276,000 |
| Airfare, Books & Settling In | KRW 1,800,000 | Rs. 414,000 |
| Total Year 1 Investment | KRW 33,800,000 | Rs. 7,774,000 |
*LKR conversion based on current bank rates. Subject to change.
Career Outcomes & PR
Korean master's graduates can apply for the D-10 job-seeking visa to look for work after graduation, converting to a work visa on a qualifying offer; Korea has been progressively widening its skilled-graduate residence routes, so verify the current rules in your graduating year. GSIS Korean Studies graduates go into diplomatic and foreign-ministry work, international organisations and development agencies including KOICA and the UN system, Korean and multinational corporate strategy and public affairs roles, journalism and think-tank research on East Asia, cultural institutions and the Korean Cultural Centres, and doctoral study in Korean studies, history or political science. For a Sri Lankan returnee the pathways are unusually concrete: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Sri Lankan mission in Seoul, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment and the Employment Permit System programme, KOICA's Colombo office and the Korean Embassy, Korean corporate operations and their local partners, Korean-language teaching and training institutes serving EPS candidates, and university teaching in modern languages and area studies at Kelaniya and Colombo. It is worth saying plainly that this is a public-sector, academic and cultural-sector credential, not a high-salary corporate one.
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