Berklee and South Korea's Baekseok Arts University Announce Agreement to Create Educational Opportunities

Berklee College of Music has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Seoul, South Korea’s Baekseok Arts University (BAU) to create mutual educational opportunities for students at both schools. 

July 30, 2014

Berklee signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Seoul, South Korea’s Baekseok Arts University (BAU) to create mutual educational opportunities for students at both schools. The collaborative agreement will include internships for Berklee students at BAU, opportunities for BAU students to attend Berklee programs in the U.S. and Spain, and teaching residencies by Berklee faculty at the university’s campus in Seoul. Berklee president Roger H. Brown and Baekseok Arts University president Dr. Young-shik Kim signed the agreement at Berklee.

“Berklee is proud of the achievements of our Korean alumni who have excelled as performers, producers, engineers, songwriters, film composers, and teachers in all niches of the vibrant Korean music scene,” said Brown. “Our relationship with BAU will only deepen our connection to Korean music and culture, and create more opportunities for aspiring Korean musicians.”

“We are extremely happy about BAU and Berklee signing the MOU. With this opportunity, we can develop contemporary music education in Korea, which can only push the influence of K-pop further around the world,” said President Kim. “Furthermore, we would like to stretch our reach into Asia with Berklee, and to accomplish this goal, we are going to establish the Berklee Baekseok Music Committee at our school.”

As part of the agreement, BAU – which has more than 50 faculty members who are Berklee alumni – will host internships for undergraduate and graduate students from Berklee's Boston and Valencia campuses as part of the academic and career development experiences offered to them. Students from BAU will also have the opportunity to participate in Berklee’s study abroad programs, spending a semester at one of Berklee’s campuses while earning credit towards their degrees. In addition, invited Berklee faculty will visit BAU throughout the academic year to conduct, assist, and participate in clinics and programs for students.

More than 230 students from South Korea are currently studying at Berklee’s Boston campus, making these students members of the second largest international community at Berklee. More than 680 students from South Korea have graduated from Berklee. Additionally, since 1998, Seoul Jazz Academy has been a member of the Berklee International Network, Berklee’s partnership with contemporary music education schools, colleges, and universities around the world.