Korean Language Program

Korean is spoken not only by citizens of the Korean peninsula and members of the Korean diaspora, but recently also by a growing number of non-Koreans for various purposes. Korea is a relatively small country, only slightly larger than Kansas, but its population, South and North combined, is twenty-times that of Kansas. Korean is the eleventh most popular language on the globe. Spoken Korean has served the native population for all colloquial purposes for several thousand years. Although the Korean vernacular script known as han’gŭl (great writing) was invented in 1446, it has enjoyed wide-spread popularity for only about a century. Han’gŭl is easy to master, which contributes to the nearly 100% literacy among Korean citizens. While more than half of the Korean vocabulary came originally from Chinese, the structure and grammar of the language are similar to Japanese. 

KU is the only institution in Kansas offering elementary to advanced Korean language courses. The Korean language program at KU emphasizes almost equally speaking, listening, reading, and writing at each level. The first and second year Korean language courses consist of lectures (Tue and Thu) and drill sections (Mon, Wed, and Fri); third year Korean of three class meetings (Mon, Wed, and Fri) integrating lecture and drill. Many major universities in Seoul and other cities in South Korea are centers of learning for Korean language and culture. 

Korean Placement Exam 

Placement exams help to determine the course in which you should enroll if you are continuing your study of a language with which you have had previous experience.  These exams focus on your abilities and knowledge of the language rather than the amount of prior coursework that you have had.  

Proficiency exams allow undergraduate students to gain exemption from the Non-English Language Proficiency requirement in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences by establishing that their ability in a second language is equivalent to that of someone who has studied that language for four semesters at the college level.

If you are enrolling at KU for the first time, have learned some Korean before, and want to continue studying Korean, you should take an on-line placement exam, ideally prior to your arrival on campus. Upon completion of the exam, you will be given a preliminary placement, which you should use to register for a specific Korean course. During the first week of classes, you should meet with your instructor to confirm the accuracy of the placement. If it is determined that another course would be more appropriate, you will be allowed to transfer to that course. 

For more information on placement and proficiency exams, please visit the OLRC page

Proficiency Goals for KU Korean Language Courses (PDF). 

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