By Koo Ji-hye
With the development of mass communication technology, the media has come to play an important part in our lives. The Ewha Graduate School of Media Studies (EGMS) focuses on cultivating personnel who can analyze and criticize the media trends of the information society, and study how the media affects our lives.
EGMS was established in 1964. The educational objectives of the EGMS include equipping students with knowledge of theories related to communication and with the ability to conduct research on current media trends. While the master? course is not divided into separate majors, the doctoral course requires students to choose from an area of special interest such as Communication Theory, Regulation & History or Public Relations & Advertisement for more study.
There are about ten students in each graduate class, and various subjects provide knowledge for students who wish to work in a field related to the media. For instance, Theories in Broadcasting studies how broadcasts affect our society as well as their influence on politics and the economy, and Media Criticism analyzes movies and television programs. The faculty is composed of professors who have practical knowledge due to their experiences, such as Professor Joo Chul-hwan, who was a famous producer for the Munwha Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and the Educational Broadcasting System (EBS).
Entrance exams for the graduate school are held twice a year, around the start of the spring and fall semesters. The entrance exam consists of an evaluation of related documents including grades and a research schedule outlining what the student plans to study for two years, and an interview. Students with any undergraduate major may apply, but students from departments other than media studies must complete supplementary classes. The graduate school also gives additional points to applicants who have experience in a field related to media studies. ?tudents who have had practical experience in the field can offer a lot during class discussion,?says Kang Ju-young (Media Studies, 1). Graduates can work as Programming directors, Public opinion poll researchers, Media policy analysts, or Scholars of communication studies. Kang says having a goal is important if one wants to succeed, whether in graduate school or in any other career. She felt that her education as an undergraduate was not enough, so she entered graduate school. Kang stresses one should not think of graduate school as simply a place to spend time before getting a job. Kim Chang-sook (Media Studies, 2) notes that graduate studies are for scholastic pursuits, and do not necessarily relate to accumulating practical knowledge. ?ndergraduate colleges try to include both hands-on-experience and learning at the same time, but graduate school pursues only learning. So one does not get any closer on becoming a producer just by going to graduate school,?says Kim. But she emphasizes that a postgraduate? scope in choosing jobs is wider than that of an undergraduate. ?n undergraduate can become a journalist, but a postgraduate can become a researcher who analyzes newspapers and influences the whole newspaper industry,?she adds.