Korean Diploma Translation

Korean universities confer degrees with titles that don’t always translate literally: 학사학위 (Bachelor’s degree), 석사학위 (Master’s degree), 박사학위 (Doctoral degree), and 전문학사 (Associate’s degree from a 전문대학 junior college). Some degrees carry additional qualifiers: 공학사 (Bachelor of Engineering), 문학사 (Bachelor of Arts), 이학사 (Bachelor of Science), 법학사 (Bachelor of Laws).

A translator who renders 학사학위 as simply "bachelor" without the field-specific qualifier, or who confuses 전문학사 with 학사, produces an inaccurate credential assessment. We map each degree title to its precise U.S. equivalency, including the field-specific designation, so WES and ECE evaluators can make accurate assessments.

Korean diplomas display the graduate’s name in Hangul (한글) and sometimes in Hanja (한자). The English translation must render the name in the same romanization used on the graduate’s passport, which often differs from the Korean government’s Revised Romanization standard.

We align each name’s romanization with the passport spelling and note the Hangul original. This passport-matched approach prevents identity-consistency issues when credential evaluators or employers cross-reference the diploma translation with the applicant’s passport or other identification documents.

South Korea’s higher-education system includes several institution types: 대학교 (universities offering Bachelor’s through Doctoral degrees), 전문대학 (junior/vocational colleges offering 2–3 year 전문학사 Associate’s degrees), 대학원 (graduate schools), and 산업대학 (industrial universities). The institution type directly affects how WES and ECE evaluate the credential.

We render each institution’s name with its correct classification, distinguishing between 대학교 and 전문대학, and noting the institution type so evaluators can place the credential in the correct academic context.

A Korean diploma is typically submitted alongside transcripts (성적증명서), degree verification letters, and sometimes high-school graduation records for credential evaluation. The graduate’s name, degree title, major, and graduation date must be translated consistently across all documents.

We coordinate name spellings, degree titles, major-field names, and dates across the entire filing set when multiple documents are ordered together. This cross-document consistency prevents discrepancies that could delay WES or ECE evaluation timelines.