Conordia University offers 4 year TKD degree

[bushido_man96]

In the video, I saw both ITF and WTF forms. I was not really impressed, either.

As far as the questions I had went, I got my email returned, and it didn't get through. The address must be different, or I typed it wrong. I will try again, though.

I agree that getting the 4th degree in 4 years is too fast. But, as DWx mentioned, it really depends on the amount of time spent in class, doing TKD. However, from what I have seen, I don't think it will be that much to compensate.

[YoungMan]

Keep in mind, the average University really doesn't know one Instructor from another. If an Instructor claims high rank, especially if he's Korean, that's good enough for a typical University. They just don't know the politics of Tae Kwon Do and who the truly legitimate teachers are. Again, martial arts are just not part of our culture, and most people think one Instructor is as good as another.

The University not too far away from me is a great example. The Instructor claims high rank, with many fancy credentials, including "highest ranking non-Oriental in the world." I've seen his credentials page, and it is laughable. But the University, I'm sure, doesn't really care. They have bigger things to worry about than the credentials of their TKD Instructor.

[bushido_man96]

Those are all good points, YoungMan. I have so many questions for the fellows heading this up. I just have to get my questions through.

[bushido_man96]

Ok, I got my questions sent to the proper email address this time. I will wait and see, now. I will post the results when I get them.

[bushido_man96]

Ok. Here are the questions that I asked, and the answers that I got in return:

1. How many hours in the program will be spent in actual Taekwondo classes? Will there be 1 hour of physical classes per day, or 2 hours per day, or 1 class every other day, etc.?

A: In the TKD classes you spend 2 hours in class and training for every 1 hour of credit for the practical components. You will also be asked to train on your own as well at the dojan.

2. I also wondered if the there would be regular physical requirement testings held throughout the course of the program, in which the students will move up in rank?

A: Yes, each semester there is testing done to make sure you are progressing properly. At these times of testing you will also be certified by Kukkiwon if you pass.

3. I also wonder what the process would be in accepting students who hold previous Taekwondo rank into the program? For example, I currently hold a 2nd degree black belt, but not through the Kukkiwon. How this affect me, or someone who already holds rank in the Kukkiwon?

A: Yes, we accept any and all students even those who are not black belts. However, students do start at basic training, so you will have the experiences of a blackbelt, but you will still start as a beginner. However, we all anticipate that those with black belts will advance quite rapidly.

Those are the questions and answers I got. What do you think?

[YoungMan]

I think I'd pass.

I get the feeling that the Instructor is not doing this to advance Tae Kwon Do, but rather his own credit, number of students, and standing in the Tae Kwon Do community.

[bushido_man96]

Yeah, I can understand your feelings, YoungMan. I would love to be able to check it out, just to be able to give a full, credible report on it, as opposed to just guessing and assuming.

However, these types of things go on in Korea all the time, and no one thinks twice about it. I think, if it is done right, it can be a good thing.

[lordtariel]

Yeah, 2 hours a day for four years isn't nearly enough time to be proficient enough for 4th dan. It's easily enough for 1st and maybe even second, but not much more than that. Lets's see...

2 hours a day * 5 days in a week * 10 weeks in a term * 3 terms in a year * 4 years = 1200 Hours of training.

[bushido_man96]

Well, it will depend on the content of the class, and the proficiency level of the individual students, I think. Everyone is going to have their ideas, usually based off their particular style, of how long it should take to get to a certain level.

However, I do feel that you are making a good point. Getting to 4th degree that fast is quite accelerated, in my opinion as well. Getting to 1st or 2nd, could be credible.

[IcemanSK]

The university programs in Korea aren't THAT excelerated. (Meaning going from no experience to 4th Dan in 4 years.) If I remember correctly, one has to be at least a 1st Dan when starting a program in TKD at a Korean university that offers a TKD major.

This Concordia program seems odd to me. I doubt many folks would want to major in TKD without ANY TKD experience. I also doubt few folks who trained in a different art would switch to TKD just to get a degree in TKD. I don't think this program (as it is now) would last very long.