After working for several real estate companies in Taiwan, Ko came to the U.S. in 1981 to pursue graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin. While there, he obtained an MS in Community and Regional Planning (1982), an MBA with a real estate concentration (1984), and a Ph.D. in real estate and finance (1988). While pursuing his Ph.D. degree, Ko also worked full time at a leading real estate consulting firm and later became a partner of a start-up consulting firm, which at its peak had 30 employees.

In 1989, Ko began his academic career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Finance at the University of Texas at Austin. He joined California State University at Fullerton (CSUF) shortly thereafter and was promoted to Full Professor in 1992.