Graduate Requirements for Undergraduate Students

Students must complete a minimum of 130 credits including 36 credits or more from general education courses, 39 credits or more in their major, and also satisfy all specific requirements of their department/college. Students with a double major, minor or a combined major course must obtain an additional 22 credits from pertinent courses.

Premed students must complete a minimum of 74 credits that including general education courses and major courses.

Foreign language classes requirements

Stipulations vary between colleges

Graduation Requirements for Graduate Students

Master’s Program

Number of semesters: 4 - 8

Required Credits

*   Master’s Program for Graduate School of Public Health: 24 credits

** EMBA program: 45 credits

Grades: Overall GPA of 3.0 and above

Students must also pass major courses and foreign language tests to be able to submit their thesis.

Thesis evaluation: Students must have their thesis evaluated and approved by department professors.

Doctoral Program

Number of Semesters: 4 - 12

Required Credits

Grades: Overall GPA of 3.0 and above

Students must also pass major courses and foreign language tests to be able to submit their thesis.

Thesis evaluation: Students must have their thesis evaluated and approved by department professors.

Combined Master’s and Doctoral Program

Number of Semesters: 4 - 12

Number of Semesters: 6 - 16

Number of Credits: More than 60

Grades: Overall GPA of 3.0 and above

Students must also pass major courses and foreign language tests to be able to submit their thesis.

Thesis evaluation: Students must have their thesis evaluated and approved by department professors.

Completion of Undergraduate Course

To qualify for a bachelor’s degree, B.A or B.S, students must successfully complete specified courses and required credits, and pass the graduation thesis deliberation and general examinations, and/or any other merit tests.

Graduation Standards

Students must have registered at least 8 semesters, have continued their studies in their graduating semester without any changes in registrar, and have submitted the graduation application within the first quarter of the semester after which they desire to graduate.

Students must earn a minimum total of 130 credits including 36 credits or more of courses in general education, 39 credits or more from major courses, and satisfy all the specific requirements of their department/college.

Students must score at least 2.0 in their overall GPA and individual GPAs for their major, multiple major, minor major, or combined major course.

Students must have their graduation thesis (including the general examinations or practical presentation, and lab report) approved.

Procedure

Selection of candidates → Establishment of graduation proceedings → Evaluation by faculty committee → Finalization of graduation proceedings → Finalization of graduates → Submission of diploma → Graduation

※ Every year there are a few unfortunate students who miss the mark by only a few courses. We highly recommend that students double check the classes they are required to take, and whether they have successfully completed them.

Completion of Graduate Program (Master’s, Doctoral, Combined Master’s and Doctoral)

Tuition Term

Students must have completed at least two years of classes for Master’s or Doctoral program, and at least four years for a Combined Master’s and Doctoral program.

Enrollment Term

Students may be enrolled up to four years for a master’s program, six years for a doctoral program, and eight years for a combined master’s and doctoral program. No enrollment after those periods will be allowed.

Required Credits

Students must earn 24 credits or more for a Master’s program, 36 credits or more for a Doctoral program, and 60 credits or more for a Combined Master’s & Doctoral program (including credits earned during the Master’s program). Students must also have an overall GPA of 3.0 or above.

Thesis Submission Qualification Exam

Students must pass the major courses and foreign language tests to attain the qualification to submit their thesis.

※ Subject to change

Completion of Premed Program

Graduation Standards

Students must have registered between 4 and 8 semesters, have continued their studies in their graduating semester without any changes in registrar, and have submitted the graduation application within the first quarter of the semester after which they desire to graduate.

Students must have acquired over 68 credits, including those stipulated by the department.

Students must score at least 2.0 in their overall GPA and individual GPAs.

Procedure

Selection of candidates → Establishment of graduation proceedings → Evaluation by faculty committee → Finalization of proceedings → Finalization of graduates → Graduation

Graduate School Thesis Evaluation

Eligibility for thesis submission

Grounds for Implementation

As according to Article 9 of the university’s constitution

Eligibility

Master’s Program

Students enrolled in a Master’s program who have completed 2 semesters and have obtained 18 credits.

19 credits may be required in some cases.

Students who have failed a course will be required to retake the course.

Doctoral Program

Students enrolled in a Doctoral/PhD program who have completed 2 semesters and have obtained 18 credits.

Students enrolled in combined Master’s and Doctoral program must have completed 2 semesters and have obtained 42 credits.

Students who have failed a course will be required to retake the course.

Examinations·Scoring and Criteria

Examinations: Foreign language and comprehensive examination

Foreign language examination: Students must have taken either TEPS or TOEFL.

Comprehensive examination: A test related to one’s major, implemented by the department

※ For more detailed information, contact the administration office of one’s respective department.

Scoring and Criteria

Scoring: 100 points for foreign language aptitude test, 100 points for comprehensive examination

Acceptance Criteria: Master’s students must score above 60 points for each test, while Doctoral students must score above 70 for each test (criteria for TEPS scores varies with each department).

Acceptance Criteria for Foreign Language Aptitude Tests

Students are considered to have passed their foreign language aptitude tests if they have received a satisfactory score during their admission to graduate school.

Students are also considered to have passed their foreign language aptitude tests if they have completed a foreign language class during the summer or winter semester and have received a grade higher than C-.

Examination Period

March and September (2 times a year)

Thesis Evaluation

Master’s Program Thesis Evaluation

Thesis submission eligibility: Students who have completed the following and have received recommendation from their advisors.

Completion of thesis submission qualification exam

Students who have completed all courses stipulated by the department

Students who have not exceeded their thesis submission deadlines

Students who have written their thesis in compliance with article 9, clause 4 of the university’s constitution

Students who have satisfied any additional requirements stipulated by the department

Thesis Submission Period

Within 4 years of completing the program (Excluding time spent in military leave)

Thesis evaluation procedure

Thesis evaluation notice: To be put up by each college (department)

Registration

Dissertation examination: Varies per department

Thesis evaluation: Varies per department

Thesis Review Payment: Varies per department

Copies of thesis required for review: 3

Thesis review payment : KRW 100,000 (subject to change)

Eligibility for review committee

SNU Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors and Lecturers

Doctors outside of the university who are experts in their respective fields

It is crucial that the committee is formed in such a way that that there is no bias for or against the student.

Presentation of thesis summary: Held under the responsibility of department deans

Dissertation and oral examination

Dissertation: 2/3 of committee members must pass the candidate (giving the thesis a grade of at least a B)

The student must obtain a score of at least 60 points in the oral examination.

The chair of the thesis committee must submit a review of the evaluation which must be submitted to department heads.

Submission of thesis hardcopy: 4 copies of 4x6 silver hardcovers to the SNU Library

Submission of thesis softcopy: Upload a PDF of one’s thesis to the SNU Library

SNU Library Website

Doctoral Program Thesis Evaluation

Thesis submission eligibility: Students who have completed the following and have received recommendation from their advisors

Completion of thesis submission qualification exam

Students who have acquired over 60 credits and have satisfied all stipulations of their department

Students who have not exceeded their thesis submission deadlines

Students who have written their thesis in compliance with article 9, clause 4 of the university’s constitution

Students who have satisfied any additional requirements stipulated by the department

Thesis Submission Period

Within 6 years of completing the program (Excluding time spent on military leave)

Thesis Evaluation Procedure

Thesis evaluation notice: To be posted by each college (department)

Format: Varies by department

Registration and Payment of Thesis Evaluation Fee

Registration venue: Administration office of respective departments

Necessary documents: Thesis evaluation request (prescribed format), Advisor’s letter of recommendation (prescribed format), resume (prescribed format), etc.

Thesis for evaluation purposes: To be submitted to the administration office

While it is only necessary to submit one paper, when deemed necessary, one may have to submit reference papers, manuscripts, translations, models, samples and other materials.

Thesis submission guidelines: Submissions must be done in Korean. Abstracts must be written in both Korean and a foreign language, and below the abstract there must be a few keywords related to the topic of the student’s thesis.
In cases in which submissions are done in a foreign language, a Korean abstract must be included.

Copies of thesis for purpose of review: 5 copies (including Korean abstract)

Recommendation and selection of thesis review committee: Department deans will recommend 5 professors to constitute the committee for each student. The student’s advisor is not eligible to be part of the committee.

Eligibility for review committee

SNU Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors and lecturers

At least one member of the committee must be a doctor from an external institution, a professor from other universities or a researcher with at least 2 years of professional experience.

The committee must consist of one chair, one vice-chair and three members, excluding the student’s advisor.

Presentation of thesis summary: Held once under the responsibility of department deans

Dissertation and oral examination: Held thrice under the supervision of preliminary evaluation committee and the final evaluation

Preliminary evaluation report: To fill out the prescribed form and submitted to respective administration offices.

Dissertation and oral examination

Venue: To be decided by college (department)

Acceptance Criteria: 4/5 committee members must agree to pass the candidate

The student must be given a score of over 70 for the oral examination by at least 4 of the 5 committee members.

Extension of thesis review period: In certain cases, the period of review can be extended by one semester if approved by the faculty committee.

Submission of thesis hardcopy: 4 copies of 4x6 gold hardcovers to the SNU Library

Submission of thesis softcopy: Upload a PDF of one’s thesis to the SNU Library

SNU Library Website

Notice

Students must make their paper public within 1 year of receiving their doctorate. This does not apply if the paper is already public, or if the university president deems it unnecessary.

Student Researcher Registration

Purpose

To foster a future generation of outstanding researchers by giving financial support to Master’s and Doctoral students currently receiving a small stipend.

Year of Implementation

Since 1996

Amount

Humanities, Arts, Sports: KRW 150,000 per semester (subject to change)

STEM: KRW 120,000 per semester (subject to change)

Registration

Registration Period: Start of every semester

Starting from 1998, all students submitting their theses are registered as researchers

Support

Facilities: Libraries, archives, laboratories, research labs, etc.

Others: Issuance of access cards, ID cards, etc.