Academics

Graduate Regulations

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Admission Regulations

1. The English Admissions Committee, comprised of three or more faculty members, oversees the admissions process for students applying to the English Department. Students may apply in one of three tracks: (1) Literature & Culture Studies, (2) Linguistics, and (3) Rhetoric & Composition. The director of the graduate program selects the committee members, taking into consideration their fields of study.

2. The document screening evaluates both the applicant’s study plan and undergraduate and graduate transcripts on the scale of 75 points respectively, and English proficiency on the scale 50 points. The oral examination evaluates the applicant’s major-related knowledge on the scale of 50 points, the applicant’s passion and seriousness toward academic work on the scale of 25 points, and aptitude for graduate studies on the scale of 25 points. If the majority of applicants in the international admissions track come from non-English-speaking countries, the Admissions Committee may adjust the scoring by raising the English proficiency component to 75 points and lowering the undergraduate GPA component to 50 points. As a rule, the passing score for the document screening is 80 points or higher, and those scoring above 70 points but below 80 proceed to interview stage; however, the cutoffs may be raised or lowered depending on the overall performance of applicants in a given semester.

3. If submitted, English proficiency scores will be included in the overall evaluation. Foreign applicants may submit either Korean proficiency or English proficiency scores, and score substitutes may also be considered. In the event of a tie among applicants, the scores of English proficiency and transcripts shall be the determining factor.

4. The department tries to offer different scholarships to the incoming students according to its assessment of their overall scholarly aptitudes. From the second semester on, it selects from the applicants based on their previous semester GPAs, TA performance and contributions to the department.

Master's Degree Credit

Hour Requirements

1) All students must complete a minimum of 27 credit hours of graduate course work (applicable to students admitted in 2026 or later; 30 credit hrs for those admitted in 2025 or earlier).

2) All students must enroll in Academic Writing in the Digital Age: Methods and Practices ELL6416 (or its equivalent, i.e., Academic Writing in the Digital Age ELL6110 or Research Paper Writing 6411) and Research Ethics YSG6003, 6004 (or its equivalent ELL8999). These are mandatory courses for all graduate students in the program. The students must take these courses when they are first offered.

-Research Ethics (YSG6003) can be found under the heading of “Graduate School Common Courses”

-Students may be exempted from Academic Writing in the Digital Age if they submit a publishable paper and pass an examination given by the department. They may apply for exemption from the course during the incoming student orientation.

3) Students may take up to 3 graduate courses (9 credit hours) outside the English department or Yonsei University with approval from the Graduate Program Director.

4) If the admissions committee finds it necessary, incoming students may be required to audit undergraduate courses.

Area Distribution Requirements

1) English Literature & Culture Studies Track

(1) All students sitting for the exam must have completed, or be expected to complete, a minimum of 27 credits required by the regulations of the Department of English Language and Literature.

(2) All students must have completed, or be expected to complete, 3 credits in each of the following 4 areas: Poetry, Novel, Drama, and Literary Criticism.

(3) All students must have completed, or be expected to complete, 6 additional credits in the Rhetoric & Composition (RC) track. Academic Writing in the Digital Age counts as an RC course.

(4) Topic-based lecture courses may be recognized under only one of the four genres (poetry, fiction, drama, or criticism).

2) English Linguistics Track

(1) All students sitting for the exam must have completed, or be expected to complete, a minimum of 27 credits as required by the regulations of the Department of English Language and Literature.

(2) All students who entered the program in or after 2021 Fall must have completed, or be expected to complete, 6 credits in Theory/General Linguistics (Phonetics/Phonology/Syntax) and 12 credits in Applied Linguistics (Corpus Linguistics/Conversation Analysis/Sociolinguistics/Discourse Analysis/English Education/Psycholinguistics).

(3) All students who entered the program before 2021 Fall must have completed, or be expected to complete, 3 credits in each of the following 6 areas: Phonetics/Phonology, Syntax/Corpus Linguistics, Pragmatics/Conversation Analysis, Sociolinguistics/Discourse Analysis, English Education, and Psycholinguistics.

(4) All students must have completed, or be expected to complete, 6 credits from the Rhetoric & Composition track. Academic Writing in the Digital Age counts as an RC course.

3) Rhetoric & Composition Track

(1) All students sitting for the exam must have completed, or be expected to complete, 27 credits including 21 credits in Rhetoric & Composition.

(2) All students must have completed, or be expected to complete, a minimum of 6 credits in the English Literature & Culture Studies track and/or the English Linguistics track.

(3) Students may take up to 2 graduate courses (6 credits) in English Corpus.

(4) Academic Writing in the Digital Age counts as an RC course but may not be chosen for the Comprehensive Exam.

(5) All students must take at least 3 credit hours in each of the following three areas: Rhetorical Theory (or History), Composition Studies, and Cultural Studies.

4) Credits transferred from another institution or earned in another department may not be used to fulfill an area distribution requirement. For example, a Romantic Poetry course taken in Yonsei’s German Department or a Renaissance Poetry course taken at another university may not count toward the poetry requirement.

Exception (English Linguistics only): With the approval of the Graduate Committee, courses taken in another department or institution may be counted toward the area distribution requirement and may also be used as a subject in the Comprehensive Examination (applicable to students admitted in the Fall 2021 semester and thereafter).

- For the area/genre of the courses of each track, refer to the column of AREA in the department’s seven-year course listings (Check http://yenglishbk21.yonsei.ac.kr/bbs/board.php?tbl=bbs41&mode=VIEW&num=39&language=english)

GPA and Foreign Language Requirements

1) An MA candidate must maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.00/4.30.

2) Students who receive a grade of C+ or lower on three or more occasions will not be granted eligibility to proceed to the thesis/dissertation stage.

3) Students who did not submit valid, passing TOEFL scores (iBT 100/PBT 600 or higher) or IELTS (Level 7 or higher) at the time of admission must submit a valid score report meeting the above requirements to the head TA before taking the Comprehensive Examination.

4) Holders of a master’s degree from this department and holders of a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a university located in an English-speaking country (the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada) are exempt from the language proficiency test as a thesis/dissertation qualification requirement.

5) No second foreign language examination is administered.

MA Comprehensive Exam Rules

1) All students must have completed, or are expected to complete, 27 credits, including mandatory courses, before taking the Comprehensive Exam (CE). In addition, RC students must have a minimum of 21 credits from the RC Track. In order to take the exam, they must ensure that they have submitted the required English language test scores (TOEFL PBT 600/ iBT 100 or higher or IELTS level 7 or higher). They then must notify the head TA (englishta@yonsei.ac.kr) directly of their intent to take the exam. May 15 is the deadline for the spring semester and November 15 is the deadline for the fall semester.

2) The CE is administered twice a year, once in late June and then in late December.

(1) If a student fails in one area exam, he or she may take the exam again in 10 days. If the student fails the retake, he or she must do the second retake during the following semester.

(2) If the student fails in two or more area exams, the retake must be held in the next semester.

(3) A maximum of two retakes is allowed: if a student fails a second retake in any area exam, his or her studies will be terminated without a degree.

(4) No change in exam areas is permitted in the retake.

3) Passing Criteria: A score above 70 out of 100 in each of the three areas is needed to pass the exam.

4) Passing Criteria for Each Track

(1) English Literature & Culture Studies students are tested in the following four exam areas: Poetry, Novel, Drama, and Literary Criticism. Examination questions are drawn from courses offered within the two years preceding the date of the Comprehensive Examination.

(2) Students who entered the English Linguistics track in or after 2021 Fall are tested on three subjects of their choice from the courses in the English Linguistics Track. The selection must include at least one subject from Theory/General Linguistics (Phonetics/Phonology/Syntax, etc.) and Applied Linguistics (Corpus Linguistics/Conversation Analysis/Sociolinguistics/Discourse Analysis/English Education/Psycholinguistics, etc.).

-Students who entered the English Linguistics track before 2021 Fall are tested on three subjects of their choice from the following six exam areas: Phonetics/Phonology, Syntax/Corpus Linguistics, Pragmatics/Conversation Analysis, Sociolinguistics/Discourse Analysis, English Education, and Psycholinguistics. If an exam area is composed of two subjects, one may choose only one subject from the exam area of one’s choice (i.e., one may not choose both Phonetics and Phonology and count them as two subjects).

• Receiving A⁺s in two or more courses (including at least one advanced course) exempts those students who entered before 2021 Fall from having to take the exam in the corresponding area. A student may be exempted from a maximum of two area exams. (e.g., Phonetics A+ & Phonology A+ →Phonetics/Phonology area test exemption).

(3) Rhetoric & Composition students are tested on the three areas of Rhetorical Theory (History), Composition Studies, and Cultural Studies.

- Receiving an A0 or a higher grade in one or more courses in Composition Studies exempts the student from the exam of the corresponding subject area. (For exam areas, check the column of AREA in the department’s seven-year course listings.)

5) When professors are no longer available to write area examinations due to retirement, students may not choose courses taught by those professors for the Comprehensive Exam areas unless the examinations are administered within two years of the professor’s retirement and the retired professor agrees to serve as an exam writer. However, if other faculty members in the department teach the same area, students may request those faculty members to write the area examinations with the approval of the Graduate Committee.

MA Thesis

1) MA students must select a thesis advisor and obtain approval from the graduate committee prior to the semester in which they sit for thesis defense. After fulfilling all the requirements, including required course credits and GPA, and English proficiency, and passing the Comprehensive Examination, MA students must, in consultation with the thesis advisor, form a thesis advisory committee consisting of the thesis advisor and two additional faculty members. One faculty member may be replaced by an external reader invited from outside the university. The student must submit a thesis proposal (1) (departmental format; 1,500 words in English) to the thesis advisor one semester prior to sitting for thesis defense (February 20 for one who plans to defend his or her thesis in the spring; August 20 for one who plans to defend in the fall). The student must also submit for approval the names of his or her committee members along with the thesis proposal (1) to the Graduate Committee for approval by the same date. Any changes in the membership of the committee or the thesis title must be approved by the Graduate Committee. The student can download the thesis/dissertation proposal (1) form from the department website’s ‘Resources-Download’ tab.

2) An MA candidate must submit a printed copy of the thesis proposal (2) (official graduate school common format), signed by the advisor, to the department office for administrative processing no later than the middle of the first month (March 15 or September 15) of the semester he or she plans to defend the thesis.

3) All MA theses must be written in English, unless approved otherwise by the graduate committee, and presented in public at the end of June or December, depending on the student’s graduation schedule.

4) After passing the preliminary defense, the candidate shall revise the manuscript in accordance with the examiners’ comments and submit the revised manuscript along with a revision report (specifying the comments received and the corresponding revisions made) to the examiners at least two weeks prior to the final defense. The final defense shall then be conducted.

5) If any of an MA candidate’s thesis advisory committee members resides outside Korea, the cost of international postage for sending the committee member the signature pages of the thesis will be covered by the department.

6) In accordance with the University Bioethics Committee’s decision, graduate student research involving human subjects must undergo prior review by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) if it is intended for external academic presentation or publication. -For theses that will NOT be published in the future, the decision to seek IRB review is left to the advisor’s discretion. All other relevant procedures follow university regulations (see https://irb.yonsei.ac.kr).

7) Plagiarism screening for the master’s/doctoral thesis and the submission of its results shall take place twice. For the first screening, the student must upload the plagiarism-check report to the university portal by the day before the thesis defense, and on the day of the defense must submit a printed copy to the thesis committee for verification.

For the second screening, from the day of the defense until the university’s final thesis submission deadline, the student must email the final version of the thesis and the plagiarism-check report to the thesis advisor. After receiving the advisor’s reply, the student must upload the advisor’s response together with the plagiarism-check report to the portal.

Scholarship

1) Recipients of assistantship scholarships must be students enrolled in a regular semester (the first four semesters of both the MA and PhD programs). Scholarship applicants may choose either a teaching assistantship or an administrative assistantship; concurrent receipt of both is not permitted as a general rule. The same principle applies to the International Student Scholarship.

2) As a general rule, concurrent receipt of a university scholarship and an external scholarship is not permitted.

3) All assistantship appointments are based primarily on academic performance in the previous semester and the diligence with which assistantship duties were performed; however, a certain proportion of appointments may be made in consideration of students’ financial circumstances, as indicated by documentation such as income bracket and property tax payment records.

4) Students who consistently maintain academic performance within the top 10% of the department may be awarded an Academic Excellence Scholarship. The specific amount shall be determined in consideration of departmental circumstances for the relevant semester.

5) Teaching assistantship scholarships may vary depending on workload and responsibilities. The specific amount shall be determined in consideration of departmental circumstances for the relevant semester.

6) General administrative assistants shall be paid a scholarship equivalent to Type 2 assistantships, taking workload into consideration. The specific amount shall be determined in consideration of departmental circumstances for the relevant semester.

7) Department administrative assistants shall receive a scholarship equivalent to Type 2 teaching assistantships, taking workload into consideration. The specific amount shall be determined in light of departmental circumstances for the relevant semester.

8) When full-time faculty request assistant support for research projects, or when research assistance is needed at the departmental level, research assistants may be appointed in addition to teaching and administrative assistants. Research assistant scholarships shall be paid at the same rate as the corresponding teaching assistantship type based on workload and intensity, and shall not ordinarily exceed 50% of tuition.

9) Detailed regulations regarding assistantship types and scholarship amounts shall follow the table below.

10)For recommendations for the 12% matching-fund scholarship, in addition to the TA-selection criteria above, the selection process may also consider applicants’ research competence (e.g., quality of publications).

PhD Degree

Credit Hour Requirements

1) All students must complete a minimum of 27 credit hours of graduate course work before taking the CE. (applicable to students admitted in 2026 or later; 30 credit hrs for those admitted in 2025 or earlier).

2) Students who did not take Academic Writing in the Digital Age: Methods and Practices

ELL6416 (or its equivalent, i.e., Academic Writing in the Digital Age ELL6110 or Research Paper Writing 6411) and Research Ethics YSG6003, 6004 (or its equivalent ELL8999) during their MA programs must take these courses when they are first offered after entering the PhD program.

-Research Ethics (YSG6003) can be found under the heading of “Graduate School Common Courses”

-Students may be exempted from Academic Writing in the Digital Age if they submit a paper in a journal submission-ready format and pass an exam administered by the department. They may apply for the course exemption during their incoming student orientation.

3) Students may take a maximum of five graduate courses (15 credit hours) outside our department or Yonsei University with approval from the Graduate Program Director.

-To have credits earned from courses taken outside our department or Yonsei University recognized as major credits, students must submit the “Confirmation Form for Recognition of Major Credits for Courses Taken in Other Departments” (타과 이수과목 전공 인정 확인서) with the signature/seal of the graduate program director. As the graduate program director determines whether the credits will be recognized based on the course content, students are advised to obtain confirmation from the director before enrolling in the course.

4) New students may be required to take or audit certain courses if their coursework in their previous programs is not deemed sufficient to fulfill the MA requirements of the English Graduate Program at Yonsei University.

5) Students may take a maximum of 6 credits of Independent Study. Those interested in carrying out an independent study must contact their respective advisors and request the English department to open the course for their enrollment at the beginning of the preceding semester.

6) Doctoral students may retake the same courses they took while in their MA program at Yonsei. The credits of those retaken courses may count towards their course work only when the syllabi of the two courses are substantially different.

Prerequsities for the Comprehensive Exam(CE) & Dissertation Writing

1) To promote the specialization and diversification of research, the requirement to take mandatory courses tied to a specific genre or instructor is abolished. Exceptions to this are Academic Writing in the Digital Age (or its equivalent) and Research Ethics, which must be successfully completed when first offered. Doctoral students are advised to select their dissertation advisor early and to consult with them regarding coursework and preparation for the CE.

2) PhD candidates must complete 30 credit hours and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.30 scale. Students who receive a third grade of C+ or lower will be disqualified from the program.

3) Foreign Language Requirement

(1) PhD students who did not submit valid, passing TOEFL scores (iBT 100 or PBT 600 or higher) or IELTS (band score 7.0 or higher) at the time of admission must submit a valid score report meeting the above requirements to the head TA before taking the Comprehensive Examination. TOEFL Home Edition scores are not accepted.

(2) Holders of a master’s degree from this department and holders of a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a university located in an English-speaking country (the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada) are exempt from the language proficiency test as a dissertation qualification requirement.

(3) No second foreign language examination is administered.

Comprehensive Exam(CE) Rules

1) Doctoral students must complete all required graduation credits (27 credits for those admitted in 2026 or later; 30 credits for those in 2025 or earlier), including two mandatory courses, maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, and submit valid English proficiency test scores before taking the CE.

2) At least one semester prior to sitting for the exam, students must select their dissertation advisor and obtain approval from the department’s Graduate Committee. In consultation with their dissertation advisor, they must form a three-member CE Committee, in principle from the faculty members, including the advisor. They should then consult with each CE Committee member to prepare a list of “dissertation-related” reading materials for the exam and obtain approval of the complete reading list from their dissertation advisor. Both the CE Committee member list and the reading list, along with a brief dissertation research plan (free format), must then be submitted to the Graduate Committee for final approval (by February 20 for the spring semester and August 20 for the fall semester). Any changes to the committee or the reading list made before the exam require reapproval from the Graduate Committee.

3) The examination areas and passing criteria by specialization are as follows.

(1) English Literature & Culture Studies:

In consultation with their advisor, students shall determine three areas—period, genre, and methodology—related to their dissertation topic, as well as the examiners for each area. For instance, if a student wishes to write their dissertation on Virginia Woolf from a postfeminist perspective, they must choose 20^th Century (culture and literature), Twentieth Century British Novel, Postfeminism as their three test areas. Each examiner will set the exam based on a research/reading list of approximately ten books/articles. Each area is worth 100 points, for a total of 300 points. A score of 70 or higher in each area is required to pass.

(2) English Linguistics:

In consultation with their advisor, students shall determine three areas related to their dissertation topic, as well as the examiners for each area. Each examiner will set the exam based on a research/reading list of approximately ten books/articles. Each area is worth 100 points, for a total of 300 points. A score of 70 or higher in each area is required to pass. (Applicable from the second semester of 2024)

(3) Rhetoric & Composition Studies:

In consultation with their advisor, students shall determine three areas related to their dissertation topic, as well as the examiners for each area. Each examiner will set the exam based on a research/reading list of approximately ten books/articles. Each area is worth 100 points, for a total of 300 points. A score of 70 or higher in each area is required to pass.

4) During their coursework, that is, before applying for the Comprehensive Examination, doctoral students must receive guidance from their advisor regarding course enrollment. Members of the CE Committee may overlap with those of the dissertation committee. The preliminary dissertation defense may not be applied for in the semester immediately following the successful completion of the CE. After passing the CE, the student must enroll in Directed Research (DR) for at least one semester before sitting for the preliminary dissertation defense.

5) In the semester in which they intend to take the CE, students must ensure that they have submitted the required English language test scores and declare their intention to take the exam in an email to the head TA (englishta@yonsei.ac.kr) by November 15 for the fall semester and May 15 for the spring semester.

6) The CE is administered twice a year, around June 10 and December 10. The student must receive a score above 70 out of 100 in each area to pass the exam.

-Retakes will be held on approximately July 10 and January 10 (exact dates will be announced by the department).

- Partial examination, i.e., taking only some exam areas/subjects at the initial sitting, is not permitted, unless it is a retake following failure.

7) Retakes

(1) If a student fails in one area of the exam, he or she may retake it in one month. If the student fails the first retake, the second retake must be held in the following semester or later.

(2) If a student fails in two or more sections of the exam, he or she must retake the exam during the following semester or later.

(3) Only two retakes are allowed: if a student fails a second retake in any area exam, his or her studies in the program will be terminated without a degree.

(4) No change of exam area is permitted in the retakes.

Dissertation

1) Each PhD candidate must organize a dissertation committee consisting of five members, headed by a dissertation advisor. A maximum of two of the four committee members may be replaced by external readers invited outside the university. To invite overseas scholars as dissertation readers is recommended by the department. The PhD candidate must meet with the advisor to discuss their dissertation projects before submitting the dissertation proposal. The PhD candidate must organize a dissertation committee two semesters before the defense, at the latest.

2) Students may submit a dissertation proposal (1) (departmental format; 1500 words in English) to their advisor beginning at the end of the semester when they take the CE (the 20^th of February or August). They must also submit their dissertation committee list and dissertation proposal (I) to the Graduate Committee (via the Graduate Program Director) for approval by the same deadline. Any change in committee membership requires renewed approval from the Graduate Committee. Students can download the thesis/dissertation proposal form (1) from the department website’s ‘Resources-Download’ tab.

3) After passing the CE, the PhD candidate must enroll in Directed Research for at least one full semester before sitting for the dissertation defense. While enrolled in DR, the candidate must submit a printed copy of the dissertation proposal (2) (official graduate school common format) signed by the advisor to the department office for administrative processing. The deadline for submitting the proposal is March 15 or September 15 of the semester before he or she plans to defend his or her dissertation. Please note that submission of the research proposal to the department is not permitted while a student is on a leave of absence.

4) The doctoral dissertation must be written in English and presented in public at the end of the semester in which it has been defended.

5) If any of the candidate’s dissertation advisory committee members resides outside Korea, the cost of international postage for sending the committee member the signature pages of the dissertation will be covered by the department.

7) Plagiarism screening for the master’s/doctoral thesis and the submission of its results shall take place twice.

For the first screening, the student must upload the plagiarism-check report to the university portal by the day before the diss. defense, and on the day of the defense must submit a printed copy to the diss. committee for verification.