Q. How difficult is English lecture coursework?
Rest assured, incoming freshmen need not to worry about the difficulty of English in major courses. Keep in mind that while some may be proficient in English, most have acquired their language skills simply from regular high school English curriculum. Those who have consistently scored average or above in English throughout their high school career should not have any major difficulty understanding English lectures.
Professors are well aware that most students have limited English literacy abilities and are considerate enough to lecture in detail to ensure that students comprehend the lecture given. Upon request, professors are willing to repeat any unclear information. Students should take this chance as an opportunity to incorporate English into their everyday lifestyle, thereby significantly improving English speaking, listening,
and writing skills. As a final note, although major courses are not difficult in the perspective of understanding an English lecture, the subjects themselves are demanding conceptually. Time and effort investment is a must to completely understand the material.
Q. What is the difference between dual degree program and student exchange program?
To clearly define dual degree program, it is a program in which students are able to graduate with two Bachelor’s degrees. SKKU GBA dual degree program allows students to obtain a GBA Bachelor’s degree from Sungkyunkwan University and a Bachelor’s degree from either Kelley Business School of Indiana University (http://kelley.iu.edu) or Fisher College of Ohio State University (http://fisher.osu.edu) upon completion of a total of eight semesters. The coursework plan for Indiana University and Ohio State University differs. Kelley Business School of Indiana University dual degree program requires students to complete four semesters at Sungkyunkwan University followed by four semesters in Indiana University.
Fisher College of Ohio State University dual degree program requires students to complete five semesters at Sungkyunkwan University followed by three semesters at Ohio State University. For both programs, students will receive two Bachelor’s degrees upon completion of required courses from both universities. Students pay the required tuition fees to the university that they are attending. When attending Sungkyunkywan University, students will pay the relevant tuition fees required by Sungkyunkwan University; when attending Indiana University, students will pay the relevant tuition fees required by Indiana University; when attending Ohio State University, students will pay the relevant tuition fees required by Ohio State University.
Student exchange program is very similar to dual degree program in that students have the opportunity to study in two distinct universities within their completion of eight semesters of coursework. However, students studying under the student exchange program pay the required tuition fees to their home campus and receive one Bachelor’s degree from their home campus. There are numerous SKKU GBA student exchange program with a list of universities around the world. Each exchange program varies with the coursework plan. Students who study abroad under the exchange program generally stay shorter terms in foreign universities as compared to students under dual degree program. An exchange program is recommended for students who are interested in time and cost efficient study abroad opportunities.
Q. What is the difference between Global Business Administration and Business Administration?
There are two differences between Global Business Administration and Business Administration. The first one is 4-year comprehensively designed curriculum, and another is I-Core Course, which combines four major areas of business administration.
Most freshmen choose their major based on their entrance score or blindly prefer to choose business major without knowing what ‘Business Administration’ really is. Consequently, regardless of aptitude, students take classes which award high grades or classes which their friends take. Students cannot make their own career path, and therefore seek jobs which are not related to their major.
Global Business Administration set an aim of growing all students into ‘All-around players’ in business market. And therefore students follow systemic curriculum of Global Administration to achieve that goal.
Students in Global Business Administration learn liberal arts for the first two years and begin learning business majors when they become juniors. Curriculum of Global Business Administration, which benchmarked a successful case of a leading overseas company, provides a living experience just as applicable in actual business activities.
The second strategy to train GBA students to be the Global Player and increase applicability of Business Administration is the Integrative Core Program. In the site of Business Administration, knowledge that encompasses various fields is certainly needed. If a student majors only on a certain field of Business Administration, he cannot handle unexpected situations. In Global Business Administration, students take a course that integrates the four specialties of Strategy, Finance, Operations, and Marketing. Moreover, they are put into teams of four and perform Integrative Mock Consulting Session in the last two weeks of the semester, based on a case of a real company. Influence of a field on another and a course dealing with a real business case are the factors covered in MBA, however, GBA graduates, who had experienced these in advance, will have a vast expandability to the overall fields of business, and this is a huge advantage.
Q. What is the difference between Global Business Administration (GBA) and Business Administration?
While both majors are of Business School department, two notable factors of GBA make the two majors distinct: (1) a comprehensively designed four-year curriculum and (2) I-Core course program which combines four major fields that comprise business administration.
Many incoming freshmen apply for majors simply based on their entrance score or ignorant and unaware of what the major studies and offers. Consequently, students have difficulty developing a career path and often seek jobs unrelated to their major after graduation. Global Business Administration serves to act as a vehicle that develops students into well-rounded and versatile leaders in the business world.
Global Business Administration makes special effort to be an institution of learning and development by incorporating a systematic curriculum to guide students in the field of academia and career path. Global Business Administration students first complete degree requirements of general education core curriculum for the first two years and then fulfill the major requirements of upper division courses in the major field of business in the following two years. The curriculum is specially designed to enable students to apply learned materials to actual business cases of leading companies worldwide.
Global Business Administration also integrates Integrative Core Program (I-Core) into the curriculum to encompass all genres related to business and administration. Not only is it important to delve deep into one particular area but it is equally important to be aware of all related factors when it comes to business, and Global Business Administration curriculum prepares exactly under this idea. Students in their upper division studies are required to take a course that integrates the four vital components of business: strategy, finance,
studies are required to take a course that integrates the four vital components of business: strategy, finance, operations, and marketing. Additionally, students are assigned to a team of four to perform Integrative Mock Consulting Session using a real case apparent in an existing company during the last two weeks of the semester. While mock consulting real business cases and integrated courses are usually reserved for students in MBA graduate schools, GBA allows students to experience such concepts in advance, expanding their application of knowledge to the essence of business administration.
Q. What is the difference between Economics and Business Administration?
Although there is a tendency to group Department of Economics and Department of Business Administration into one single business department due to similarities, it is not to get confused that the two departments are not of the same department. While both departments is built on the foundation of economic activities within societies and efficiency in consumption of limited resources, the perspective on and approach to economic activities significantly differ.
Business administration specifically spotlights business-related activities amongst all types of economic activities. Business-related activities primarily are composed of profit-making, decision-making, and strategic-planning. These activities can be academically classified into the various fields including finance, operations, and marketing. Another important feature of business administration is that the essence of business is entirely subjective. The study of business is based on fact, but the fact may be interpreted from countless perspectives. Therefore, the study is analytical and classes are designed to incorporate discussions, deriving answers and supporting with logical explanations.
Economics is, on the other hand, the study of deriving the fundamental understanding and explanations of economic phenomena. Economics reaches and explores how different factors impact the economy and why. Economics, therefore, is an objective subject that does not involve any application or resolution but rather investigation and hard facts through mathematical abilities.
Q. What kinds of careers do GBA graduates pursue?
The career paths for GBA graduates vary greatly from student to student. Some prepare for the national examination to be a public official; others become CPA certified; and many others enter large Korean or global companies including Samsung Group, LG, Hyundai, Posco, 3M, and P&G. Still others who have undergone dual-degree programs in Kelley Business School or Fisher College pursue careers in foreign overseas companies such as Kline&Co. and Liberty Mutual.
A considerable portion of GBA graduates continue their education in graduate schools including SKK GSB (Graduate School of Business), Korea University School of Marketing, KAIST Business School, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and Law School of University of Chicago.
As of August 2014, GBA reported that 100% of the graduates either were employed or were continuing education in graduate school.