숙명여자대학교 로고숙명여자대학교 특수대학원특수대학원

Flexible and Accessible Format:

Evening, afternoon, Saturday, and online classes allow students to balance work or regional residence with study, ensuring broad access and personalized learning. 

Student-Centered Curriculum: 

Designed for diverse professionals, emphasizing choice and flexibility to meet individual goals.

Technology-Integrated Learning: 

Includes AI and digital tools to prepare students for modern, tech-enhanced language education. 

English-Medium Instruction: 

All courses are taught in English, creating an immersive academic environment. 

Professional Theory & Practical Experience: 

Combines strong theoretical foundations with hands-on teaching practice to develop real-world expertise.

Global and Local Impact:

Graduates are equipped to contribute meaningfully to English education both in Korea and internationally.

The Sookmyung TESOL MA Program was established in 1999 as the first of its kind in Korea. We have designed the program around the goal of offering a student-centered, flexible and internationally aligned graduate-level program in English language teaching. The program is designed to meet the needs of professionals from diverse backgrounds and regions. Sookmyung Ma was reconceived as Sookmyung TESOLFlex MA offering a dedicated on-line component, offering students yet more choices and better serving student needs.

A key strength of the program is its variety of course formats, including evening, afternoon, and Saturday classes as well as a diverse curriculum focused on offering choices. This structure allows students to pursue graduate studies while managing work or living outside the Seoul area, thereby ensuring broad accessibility, and enables students to pursue their own goals and personalize the learning experience .

The curriculum integrates AI and digital technologies, enabling students to experience technology-enhanced teaching methods and develop the skills necessary for modern language education. This hands-on engagement prepares future educators to apply digital innovations in real-world contexts.

All courses are delivered in English, offering students an immersive academic environment that balances theoretical knowledge with practical application preparing them for the world. Graduates leave the program equipped with the expertise and confidence to contribute meaningfully to English education both in Korea and abroad.

학과 인재상 및 교육목표(Educational Objectives and Ideal Candidate Profile)

TESOL is a very broad field. In the MA program, we are proud of the diversity our students represent. This includes a variety in their origins, experiences, and future aspirations. Reflecting this inclusive student-centered philosophy, the Sookmyung TESOLFlex MA program welcomes applications from individuals with different academic and professional backgrounds, provided they hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited university. We are also looking for students who have a genuine interest in learning about particular aspects of TESOL. This is most typically an interest which has arisen out of classroom experience as a student and/or teacher, but it does not need to be so. It is also important to note that not all our students are current classroom practitioners. Within TESOL there are other areas that fit, such as people who work in the publishing industry as materials designers, and researchers, to name a few. We are happy to accept and nurture people of diverse backgrounds and aspirations and the flexible design of the program is geared towards that.

The primary benefit of the program varies depending on individual goals and aspirations. For some, the program's foremost advantage lies in its international dimension. Our faculty, student body, and pedagogical approach are all globally oriented, reflecting international standards in language education. Our objective is to cultivate graduates who are equipped to compete effectively on the global stage, a goal that our alumni have consistently achieved. For others the main merit is the fact that the program is conducted entirely in English, which means the students really get to develop their skills in unparalleled ways. Another distinguishing feature of the program is its incorporation of an international perspective within the Korean context. This approach does not diminish the value of the local environment nor impose predetermined solutions; rather, it encourages an interaction between students, faculty experience, and the unique complexities of the local setting. We believe that the breadth and diversity of our course offerings truly set us apart from nearly all comparable programs worldwide. The primary aim of this diversity is to create a student-centered program that empowers learners to tailor their educational experience to their individual needs and goals. In this program, students take ownership of their educational journey by selecting from a broad array of options available to them. They have the autonomy to choose their courses as well as the types of projects they wish to undertake within those courses. Additionally, students determine how they will ultimately culminate their experience in the program. This level of choice ensures a highly individualized curriculum that is tailored to meet the unique needs and aspirations of each student.

입학 전 준비(Preparing for Admission: Who Should Apply)

The TESOLFlex MA program has created a highly effective mix of many different aspects with an overall emphasis on the integration of practice and theory in an immersion-like setting. Since our students have a wide variety of backgrounds and interests, our TESOL program provides a carefully constructed list of electives from which students can create a highly personalized experience. Students are encouraged to develop a specialty in any one of our major field areas.

재학 중 전공 교육과정(Program Structure and Curriculum)

Basic Program Overview

The Sookmyung TESOLFlex MA Program is primarily designed to accommodate working professionals through evening classes. To ensure accessibility for a diverse range of students, additional classes are also offered during weekday afternoons and on Saturdays. Evening classes are held from 6:20 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., weekday afternoon sessions from 2:20 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday classes from 10:30 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. As class schedules may vary each semester based on student need, please contact the department for detailed information.

We accept new students for both the fall and spring semesters. Our semesters are 16 weeks long and follow the regular Korean university schedule. Classes for the spring semester begin on March 1 and in the fall semester on September 1. Application periods fall four months before the semester begins (end of October for the spring semester and end of April for fall semester). Those interested in applying need to be sure they contact us early.

The program takes five semesters to complete. Students need to take a total of 30 credits. Twenty-four of these are in elective courses and a further six in a final semester thesis or practicum. This basically means that MA students take two courses per semester.

The Sookmyung TESOLFlex MA distinguishes itself through its student-centered approach. Students are responsible for choosing what they will do in the program. In the MA elective period, students choose two courses among a wide set of offerings per semester. This variety of choice enables MA students to take the courses that they feel benefit them the most.

In the Sookmyung TESOLFlex MA there are no prerequisites among elective courses. Students are free to take any elective course on offer. Students take courses together regardless of experience in the MA or what other courses they may have taken. We believe that this kind of setting provides many opportunities for students of diverse backgrounds, interests, and degrees of experience in the MA to learn from each other through collaboration both in and out of the class. Students are also often able to choose the types of projects they will pursue and write up in the elective courses they take. This enables students to develop either a more theoretically-based project or one which is centered on more practical applications of concepts.

As a content-based program with a dual focus on the development of content knowledge as well as academic skills, TESOLFlex MA students are expected to develop and further enhance academic skills and particularly in English. We provide students with opportunities to use English in new ways that challenge them and result in improvement. Students definitely leave the program different from when they entered.

졸업 후 진로분야(Career Paths After Graduation)

The kinds of jobs one can get after graduation depend on their credentials and experience of the individual in addition to the current social situation. Certainly, non-Korean nationals have somewhat different prospects within Korea than those with Korean nationality. The MA serves to increase one's credentials and renders one eligible for jobs at a new level. There is also the eligibility to study further, which also comes with successfully completing the MA. In the end, one's future is really up to the individual, but as a widely recognized program of excellence, the Sookmyung TESOLFlex MA can play an important role in helping one achieve their goals, both personal and professional.

진로 설계 로드맵(Career Development Roadmap)

취업성공사례(Employment Success Stories)

Hyun-Jeong, Nam

1.Please briefly introduce yourself (Name, Year of graduation, Job position (specifically), etc.)
My name is Hyun-Jeong Nam. I joined the TESOL program in 2000 and earned my M.A. degree in2003. Then I was awarded my Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics at the Trinity College, University of Dublin in 2009. Since 2000, I have been teaching university students English at several major universities in South Korea. The practicum course for Sookmyung MA TESOL students, in particular, gave me opportunities to individually interact with pre- and in-service English teachers. Currently I am working as an assistant professor at Dept. of English language and English literature at Dong-A university. My research has focused on the lexicon in second language acquisition as well as second language pedagogy.

2. Which course in Sookmyung TESOL was the most useful for you?
Although all of the courses were interesting and useful, I found the class “Developing Bilingualism”most inspiring. It gave me opportunities to study my own learning process as a bilingual and to find the better way to teach my students English language.

3. How did you get over a difficulty while you were a MA student?
Since I was teaching at several universities, it was difficult for me to focus on my own study. Time management was the most challenging. I always rushed to Sookmyung university right after finishing my own classes. I remember I stayed up all night preparing for my own class and TESOL courses I w as taking. However, it provided good opportunities for me as a teacher to self-reflect on my own teaching and to apply the notion of how language works to my own teaching. I would like to tell any of you who might struggle to juggle teaching and learning at the same time that not only your theoretical background in TESOL but also your hands-on approach derived from a wealth of firsthand teaching experience will benefit your future.

4. Could you tell me the pros and cons of your job?
I believe that teaching is also learning. I love interactions with my students and I learn a lot from the interactions to be a better teacher. However, being a professor at a university is harder than you might think it is. Every year it feels like more responsibilities fall on my shoulders. More seriously, it is getting difficult for universities to survive in Korea, and fewer job opportunities are available for tenure-track positions.

5. Do you have anything else to share with students?
I hope you enjoy the time with your classmates and professors. Sometimes the discussions with them became very heated but I still miss all the discussions. I had with my friends and professors about the theories. I am sure you will miss it soon after you leave the course.

전공특별활동(Major-Specific Activities)

In the Sookmyung TESOLFlex MA we provide many different opportunities for self-development and professional development. Such development occurs within the classroom, and the different things students will be expected to do as MA students at an acceptable level. Within the program we offer many other opportunities for professional development that are either part of the coursework, special events, or voluntary projects.

Student Symposium
We culminate every semester with a student symposium. Essentially, this is a poster presentation festival in which each student presents the work she or he has done from one class. It provides an excellent opportunity for students to get a feel for the collective work of the TESOLFlex MA community. Students also have a chance to present their research in a simple, creative way and an informal setting. Although this may seem like a simple thing, it is an important step in helping MA students develop as professionals in their field. During the symposium the students get to show others what they have done and that should be a very empowering experience.

Student Union
In the MA, an important organization is the Student Union. The Student Union is comprised of a president and vice-president, both of whom are current MA students. It plans, organizes, and helps run all official departmental events. The two positions in the Student Union are both voluntary but come with certain benefits, chief among them is the opportunity to see the working of the program from the inside.

Assistanceships
The program offers several assistantship opportunities, including positions as a Teaching Assistant (TA) and a Research Assistant (RA). A TA is primarily responsible for administrative tasks related to course management, while an RA supports a specific professor with research activities. These roles allow students to gain valuable experience and grow in both expected and unexpected ways. In addition, assistantship positions come with scholarships that help current TESOLFlex MA students cover their tuition and registration fees. Each role differs in its focus, compensation, and specific responsibilities, but all contribute meaningfully to students’ professional and academic development. Serving as a TA or RA also provides students with valuable opportunities to engage closely with professors through class-related responsibilities and department-level administrative tasks.

The Final Thesis/Practicum Semester
The final semester is where the students in the program truly get to develop skills that they have been improving over the previous three or four semesters. It is the culmination of the program and pushes students to their limits, but each in their own way. The Sookmyung TESOLFlex MA offers students the rare opportunity to decide between two equally engaging options. While there is some overlap on the skills learned through the process of doing the practicum or the thesis, there are also some major differences. Students need to consider carefully what it is they want to learn from the graduation track and how they will move forward in their career path.