Degree or associate diploma
Undergraduate studies are generally of 4 years duration. Associate degrees are for 2 years. Students may choose to begin undergraduate study in a 4 year college or university or they may take an academic transfer program offered by a 2-year community or junior college and then transfer to a university. An undergraduate degree course in its first two years is of a general nature and combines the study of humanities, social and natural sciences and arts. In the final 2 years emphasis is laid on the `majors' a student has selected. Each year of college bears a special name, e.g., the first year is the `freshman's year', the second year is called the `sophomore' year then comes `junior' and finally `senior'. In each year a stipulated number of credits have to be earned to proceed to the next year.
Choosing a major for a degree
A major is the subject pursued in great depth in college. One-quarter to two-thirds of the course covers that subject. At most colleges and universities, students complete a required number of courses in their major in order to earn a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. There are majors available in traditional disciplines such as Physics or History, in new areas such as Environment Studies or Asian Studies, in career fields such as Physical Therapy and Nursing. Choices are rather wide.
Choice of the major and college - No college, not even the largest university, offers every major; some offer relatively few. You can keep many options open by attending a university or college that offers a wide range of majors.
Some large universities are divided into `colleges' and students apply for admission to a specific college, e.g., of architecture, engineering, liberal arts, business. When applying to an institution with separate admissions requirements for different colleges, you will need to decide on your major by the time you apply. If you decide to change the major later, it may be difficult for you to transfer from one college to another.
The major and future careers - Majors may be directly related to careers, e.g., architecture, civil engineering, physiotherapy, nursing, etc. These majors require students to take more intensive courses in the major and few general courses. Some of these majors lead to licensing exams at the end of college that enable graduates to practice the profession they have trained in.
Liberal arts majors provide a broad base of knowledge which can be applied to such diverse fields as business, education, journalism, politics, public administration, etc.
Many colleges offer combined courses in liberal arts and career majors. These majors often take five years to complete, but students emerge with a liberal arts degree and professional training in a field such as engineering, business, forestry, or other fields.
Most careers need people who can think critically, communicate effectively, and continue to learn. Perhaps the best preparation for any career is to work hard at your chosen major, and to take challenging electives and liberal arts courses.
Pre professional programs - Law, medical, dental, and business schools accept students from any major. For entrance into medical or dental school, students must complete five year science and math courses and study English composition. Premedical students have to choose appropriate science courses. Law schools do not have any special requirements. Graduate business schools require five or six semester courses in Economics, Calculus, and Statistics and prefer a broad and challenging curriculum.
In general, the best preparation for professional school is a rigorous course in a liberal arts curriculum, with an emphasis on developing strong analytical skills.
Many students are scared of making wrong decisions. While in college you can change your mind. If you feel you are on the wrong track with your chosen major, you may take a second major. Whatever the major you study what really matters is intellectual flexibility that enables you to work productively when the knowledge you have mastered is challenged or replaced by new ideas. Study within the major must provide opportunities for learning how to ask questions and to create and use sound evidence to answer those questions. The chosen field contributes to the general knowledge and helps you to enjoy your education more fully. And that really is what higher education abroad is all about.
Liberal arts courses
All undergraduate courses have 25 to 50 per cent of courses in liberal arts subjects. Liberal arts courses impart general education and intend to develop in an individual, ability to think, reason, reach conclusions based on relevant data, and communicate those conclusions effectively to others. Originally, the liberal arts courses taught grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, music, geometry and astronomy. Now, the term refers to courses in the humanities, i.e., literature and philosophy, history, foreign languages, social sciences, mathematics, and natural sciences. These disciplines help to develop general knowledge and reasoning ability. The social sciences subjects such as anthropology, psychology, economics, government, linguistics, sociology deals with human nature and society. Natural Science subjects such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, physics measure and observe natural phenomena. Arts subjects study the various forms people use to express themselves. By studying liberal arts, students learn about the ways of thinking and understanding the world.
Most colleges focus on liberal arts during first and second years helping students to explore, develop and discover interests. It gives them time to crystallize study goals.
Choosing a major is important enough to be taken seriously, but it is not irrevocable. It is a choice which can be made tentatively and tested several times over. A major can be changed as late as senior year and you could still graduate on schedule. You may decide to choose two majors to graduate with a double major.
When to decide
Most four-year colleges do not require students to formally declare (choose) a major until the end of their second or beginning of their junior year. The undergraduate curriculum gives time for the study of elective courses in addition to required courses. Electives are often used to sample various majors.
Selection of courses though initiated during the application process itself, students get further guidance for selection of courses by faculty advisors. They are guided on essential and elective courses. Each semester fresh enrollment takes place for new courses. Generally 15 to 18 hours are spent each week on class instruction, lab work, etc., and 4-5 hours on self-study and preparations for class.
CREDIT SYSTEM
When a student takes a course, he has to fulfill the credit hours requirement to complete the course, i.e., he has to spend a certain number of hours in class each week and generally follow it up with stipulated amount of self-study.
Course `credits' have to be accumulated while working for a degree. Instruction is divided into units called courses and to earn a degree, students must successfully complete a required number of courses. These courses are assigned `credits'. One class hour a week for one semester gives one credit. An average undergraduate has to take almost four or even five courses, i.e., he must earn 12 to 16 credits after a semester. Every foreign student has to take a full course of study. Each credit is granted only when a student has attended all classes and laboratories and has completed all assignments and taken all exams.
EVALUATION SYSTEM
Evaluation is based on performance in classroom discussion, research papers, written assignments and final examinations.
At the graduate level grades are based on written work, oral examination and substantially on research work. Students get grades for each course after completing the semester. These grades are based on class participation, mid-term exams, lab work, term papers, class tests and quizzes, final exams.
Grade-point average (GPA) or ratio is a standard formula used by almost all colleges and universities, particularly in the US for evaluating the overall performance of students.
'Grade points' are evaluated by first multiplying the number of hours (units, credit, or credit hours) assigned for a course by the numerical value of the grade and then dividing the sum of all grade points by the total number of hours.
The most common system of numerical value for grades on a 4.0 scale is A = 4, B=3, C=2, D=1, and E or F=0. A is Superior, B is Good, C is below average, and F is failed. The values assigned to each letter grade may differ at some schools.
There are per-programmed calculators available on websites like www.usnews.com which can help you calculate your GPA.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS
Here is a brief description of teaching methods in USA which is broadly similar to teaching methods in Canada, Australia, UK and New Zealand. A class session is generally of 50 minutes duration assigned to a professor for 2 to 3 times a week. A group of 20 or 30 students attend these classes where the professor lectures and often supplements small group discussions under leadership of assistant instructors. This is generally the case in large class groups. In smaller groups lecture and discussions proceed simultaneously. In the final year, i.e., 4th year of undergraduate instruction, to stimulate the learning process, the professor may encourage independent study followed by seminars where he is a moderator or facilitator. Often courses combine classroom teaching with field study and laboratory work. Laboratory periods normally are scheduled once or twice a week. Libraries are equipped with reference material as well as reserve collections for specific subjects.
SELECTING A PROGRAM & UNIVERSITY
Choosing an undergraduate course & university and choosing the right school is perhaps one of the most important steps in the process of studying in USA. Since the number of undergraduate schools is very large, making a choice is not quite easy. A number of factors have to be considered. Here are some guidelines.
Selecting a subject - The first step is to decide which subject you wish to study. It is not unusual to encounter students who are unsure of their preferences. Admission to a USA college does not get restricted on this account since the undergraduate courses require you to decide your majors in the last 2 years of study. During freshman and sophomore years a student can decide what he/she wishes to major in. Subjects once chosen can be changed during the 3rd year. The decision about the subject when you begin applying becomes pertinent because it relates to which universities you would like to apply. If you wish to study engineering, perhaps your list may be different from the list where you have decided to study psychology.
Private versus public schools - There is a choice between private and public schools. Each of the 50 States funds at least one State university and many State colleges. State schools often have the word `State' in their names. Since public schools are aided by the State Government, tuition costs are less. A student who enrolls in a public or state school will pay less than anyone who is enrolled in a private school. Students who belong to the State where the school is located pay lesser than out of State students. However, in terms of financial aid, it is the private schools which have more financial aid available for international applicants. Hence you may like to consider your academic standing as well as financial resources before you decide to go to a public or private school.
There are a growing number of privately owned schools and colleges in USA whose major objectives are financial profit. They generally have technical and paraprofessional (vocational) courses. Many Indian students are attracted to these colleges on easy financial terms and simple application procedures. It may be pertinent to warn students that such schools often make unsubstantiated claims about what they do. Students should investigate carefully before they plan to join such a school. There are, however, reputed private schools which may not be accredited. However, it may be best to give preference to accredited schools only.
4-year colleges or 2-year community colleges or 2-year `junior' colleges - 4-year colleges offer undergraduate degrees in a host of disciplines while 2-year colleges or community colleges offer technical/vocational courses. There is a choice between a 2-year college and a 4-year college after class XII. 2-year colleges allow transfer to 4-year degree courses and credits accrued during a 2-year course can be transferred to the degree course. Students with average academic credentials find it easier to get admitted in a 2-year course and not perhaps in a 4-year course. The former are generally `taught' courses while the latter may be partially research based. 2-year `junior' colleges award an Associate's Degree and admit high school graduates (XII). 2-year college graduates usually transfer to 4-year colleges or universities to complete an undergraduate degree.
Large or small school - Another consideration an international applicant needs to make is: would he/she like to study in a small or a large school? The size of a school in the USA can range from one with 1,000 students to those with over 20,000 students. The smaller schools have small class groups with smaller teacher pupil ratio. In larger schools the student population is diverse but the large numbers imply larger class groups and a bigger teacher pupil ratio. Larger schools often provide better facilities and hence attract more students.
Accredited schools - Of utmost concern to an international applicant is the question of what is the schools accredition. Government grants recognition to universities. The government, however, does not have the responsibility to grant recognition instead it is the colleges or universities which must undergo the process of review. Regional accredition and professional accredition are two types of review, which establishes the authenticity of any institution. If you study in an accredited institution you can take a transfer to another school and apply for admission to higher degrees after completing a first degree.
Costs - Budget constraints may also restrict choice of a school. Most schools do not offer financial assistance to international students for undergraduate courses. Even for graduate study financial aid is rarely available in the first year of study. Working in USA is not allowed generally when you are on a student visa.
Entry requirements - In the US schools also differ in terms of entry criteria. Some only look at academic performance and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores while others need Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) I and II scores along with TOEFL and academic credentials. It is wise to realistically assess your academic performance and even if they are good you should apply to some moderately competitive schools also. Most schools get a very large number of applications for few places which they can offer to international students.
What you must know about your degree/certificate before you begin applying -
In India we have the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Indian School Certificate Examination (ISCE) and State Boards. We have our open schools and vocational streams. When you are applying as a CBSE student, you must understand and be able to interpret to the university your course work, the level of study, the duration of study and your grades. The ISCE is akin to the British school system and is better understood in the US. In the ISCE system certain courses are offered at an advanced level for `A' levels, e.g., you could have done an advanced level mathematics or physics. Your advanced level study of subject may win you credits so that you could be exempted from the first year of study and taken into the 2nd year in some universities. Regional Board courses are not too familiar to most universities. You may have to explain to them the course work in relation to the CBSE which they are perhaps more familiar with.
Choosing graduate courses
In USA graduate study is analogous to our post graduate education which is taken after a bachelor's degree. After graduation there are advanced degree programs, doctoral programs and post doctoral programs. Graduation can normally be completed in 2 years. This, however, depends on the course curriculum. Doctoral programs may take 3 years or more.
Graduate programs in the US are equivalent to our post graduate degree courses and are offered after 16 years of education. When selecting graduate school besides the basic concerns of location, school size and cost other factors which will need consideration are:-
- You will need to be very clear and specific about your goals, i.e., the field of study, research inclinations, etc. Enquiries about the courses can be ascertained from professionals, academia, periodicals, journals and the internet to find out where research of your interest is going on and who the people are involved in work. Most graduate schools would take on people who have genuine interest in the field they have applied for. Financial assistance depends largely on the type of funds granted for research work in any department. Assistantships are available on the basis of such research grants.
- When choosing a graduate course it is important to review TOEFL and GRE scores accepted in the past and the undergraduate GPA requirement. Most graduate schools which are professionally accredited would have facilities such as laboratory, computers, and library and could make provisions for practical training and internships.
- Graduate study leads to masters and doctoral work. A master's degree takes one or two years of full time study and doctoral degrees are normally for 3 years.
- Professional first degrees is medicine, law, dentistry are earned after completing the bachelor's degree. The duration is generally 3 years after undergraduate study and the admission is through competitive tests.
What are Certificate/Diploma Programs?