Korean
Study Korean language and culture to become a global professional.
Why Study Korean?
Over 75 million people speak Korean, making it the 16th most spoken native language in the world, particularly across 6 Asian nations and the United States. The number of people learning Korean has increased recently due to the rising prominence of Korean cultural exports.
Korea has a vision for the future of cities in the world and as such is promoting two futuristic themes: the Korean Wave of Culture (Hallyu) and the Korean Wave of Economy. We can already see these themes among teenagers and young adults in around the world where young adults enjoy K-pop, K-drama and K-video games, and where they have become acutely interested in South Korean fashion and lifestyles, as well as using cutting-edge Korean products.
Being able to speak and understand the Korean language is thus a tool for understanding and using this "soft" power. Finally, as South Korea is an important strategic and economic partner and North Korea remains an important international security concern, studying Korean benefits students in any university major who wish to pursue a career in the private or public sector.
Our Korean Program
The Department of Modern Languages offers four full years of instruction and an undergraduate minor in the Korean language, making it one of a select few universities with such a comprehensive program. Classes in Korean language average 7-12 students and students have the opportunity to study abroad in Korea during the summer or the semester.
The minor in Korean requires the completion of 15 hours of Korean courses at the 200 level or above. A maximum of 9 credits for the minor may be taken through an approved study abroad program.
Korean Tutoring Club
Join our weekly informal conversation group during which the Korean faculty help students of the language develop their language skills.
- Wednesdays 1:00pm-2:00pm at the South Residential College
Beyond the Classroom
Study Abroad
We encourage all students to immerse themselves in the study abroad experience. The Study Abroad Office offers over 20 programs in South Korea where students at all levels of Korean can study a variety of topics.
Korean Alumni
The Korean program drew Faith Deering to UM from New Jersey. She was looking for a college with an international studies major and Korean minor (and a KPOP Dance Club!). Deering spent a year in S. Korea with a national Freeman scholarship.
“As part of my post-departure project for the scholarship and as a Study Abroad Ambassador, I advertised UM’s programs and helped students of color to study in East Asian countries. As a UM Global Ambassador, I helped Korean exchange students immerse themselves into campus life at UM. If they needed a hand, I was there.”
That work earned Deering recognition as a finalist for the inaugural James Meredith Changemaker Award from the College of Liberal Arts.
B.A. in International Studies, minor in Korean ‘23
Global Digital Communications Specialist with ABB, a global technology leader in electrification and automation
Fulbright Scholar in S. Korea
“The Korean minor at UM is a small group that’s fun. I was with the same people in most classes and we were very close. We took difficult high-level courses and got through it together.”
Manuel Campbell
B.A. in Biochemistry, minor in Korea 2023