The giant of international postgraduate education providers, the universities of the USA offer more scholarships across the full range of masters and PhD than those of any other country.
Postgraduate study overseas is a challenging and rewarding process – and the United States has more international graduate students than any other country. Statistics from the International Institute of Education (IIE) show that in the last academic year, over 500,000 international students were enrolled in full-time studies in the US, with almost half of the students engaged in graduate study received funding from their US institution or an awarding body. Many of these students would not have received funding for their study in their home countries, or have had access to the courses they wished to study.
US Departments are known as ‘schools’, and it is quite common for students to talk about applying to ‘grad school’ when discussing US postgraduate study. Degree programs in the US usually take longer to complete than in the UK and other countries: a masters degree often lasts for two years, and a PhD course generally takes a minimum of five years to finish. Both courses require one to two years of taught coursework before students can pursue independent research, and this may be a factor in deciding whether to study in the UK, US or elsewhere. Logically, longer programs of study allow for more variation within each field, and a much broader understanding of one’s subject. In particular, the US excels in the study of business and international relations, but often has more funding and facilities for all university subjects than in other parts of the world.
Students must consider carefully their different options of where to study. Obvious choices of urban locations and ‘Ivy League’ institutions should be compared with lesser known universities that could prove to be best for the fields in which they intend to specialise. View rankings with a certain degree of suspicion, as there are no official US government league tables, merely those conducted by commercial newspapers and businesses. Students should be prepared to discover from conducting their own research, that the leading institution for their subject area might well be a university they have never heard of. Never compromise studies and future careers by feeling obliged to attend well known universities that may not even have a suitable department.
‘Attending a university away from the competitive East Coast could lead to securing financial aid.’
As with any international course of study, consideration must be given as to how qualifications will be viewed upon returning home. The best course of action when initially investigating US programs is to contact professional associations and careers offices in your home country and garner their opinions. The US institution or department awarding the qualification should be regionally and/or professionally accredited in order for graduates to be considered for employment or further study back at home or, indeed, in the US. Students attending unaccredited universities may well run into problems having their qualifications recognised outside of that institution.
The importance of gaining funding will also play a part in narrowing down the list of prospective institutions. Attending a university away from the competitive East Coast could lead to securing financial aid. Many such institutions are actively trying to diversity their campuses and obtain a more diverse student body by participating in fairs across the world. However, some private institutions with low acceptance rates offer remarkable financial aid packages once a student has secured enrolment. In both cases, these packages may offer free tuition and stipends in return for part-time teaching or research work within a department. This lends another advantage to studying in the US, particularly for students looking towards careers in academia. Although their course may be offered in their home country, US postgraduate study will not only allow them to study for longer, with a broader scope, but could also give them years of teaching or research experience which is invaluable in today’s competitive employment arena.
SOCIAL SCIENCESThere are many ways to identify departments that would best suit students’ needs in the social sciences. Apart from visiting US Study Information Centres and looking at postgraduate directories listing degrees awarded and financial aid, students should check faculty pages at departments’ websites, and talk to their tutors or lecturers to enquire about their US contacts. Students might have read publications by US professors, and should investigate the institutions where they are teaching. Departments encourage prospective students to contact them regarding the program and funding opportunities, and may even have contact details for alumni or students currently studying there, who can be extremely valuable sources of information.
These courses can initially seem the easiest to research, but the process can become very time-consuming as the majority of universities offer postgraduate social science courses. Therefore, it is vital to begin research early, and thoroughly investigate which graduate schools have the most appropriate courses and faculty.
‘almost half of the students engaged in graduate study received funding’
Social science departments usually require the general GRE (Graduate Record Examination) test, with some occasionally requesting specific subject GREs too.
Business is not strictly limited to MBAs – Masters in Business Administration – although it can appear so when students begin their search for courses. If students want to pursue non-MBA business programs, it is often better to begin an investigation into the field of ‘Finance’, where they are other postgraduate opportunities. For example, there may be masters degrees or PhD offered in Accounting, Finance and Banking, Taxation, Electronic Commerce, Hospitality Management, and International Business, to name but a few. Some business schools will expect one to two years of fulltime business work experience before students may apply, although this is slightly less-frequently required than for MBA programs.
The GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) is a common request for both international and US students wanting to study any business-orientated program of study. Visit www.mba.com for test registration and information.
In order to begin a Masters of Science (MS) or a Masters of Engineering (MEng) degree, most institutions will require students to have an undergraduate degree in the same subject, or perhaps maths or science. Students who are unfamiliar with basic theories of engineering may be able to take some undergraduate classes alongside postgraduate study to complete their general knowledge in the field. The five main areas of engineering students specialise in are chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, and mechanical. The GRE may be required for admission. Further information can be found at www.gre.org.
The most common law degrees offered by US law schools are the Juris Doctor (JD) degree and the master’s degree in law (LLM). The JD is needed to practise as a lawyer in the US, requiring three years of postgraduate study. The first year has compulsory courses such as civil procedure, constitutional and criminal law, and legal writing. During the second and third year, courses may include evidence, civil litigation, corporate, commercial, family, environmental or international law. Students may be required to take the Law School Admission Test. (Further information is available at www.lsat.com).
‘View rankings with a certain degree of suspicion, as there are no official US government league tables’
Many states require prospective lawyers to have a JD degree from a law school that has been approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). Non-ABA accredited law schools may only qualify attendees to practise in the state in which the school is located.
The LLM is generally for already-qualified lawyers who wish to practise in their own country but gain experience with American law, consisting mainly of taught courses and not normally requiring a master's thesis. Most law schools require applicants to apply through the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). This service compiles application information into a single report for each law school applied to by the student, including an undergraduate academic summary, copies of all undergraduate, graduate and professional school records, LSAT scores and writing samples, and letters of reference. LSDAS registration can be done when registering for the LSAT. At the time of writing, the LSDAS recognised eight institutions in England. Graduates from other institutions must send applications directly to the law schools. decision will help you reach your goals.
The website http://educationusa.state.gov/ will help students from around the world locate their nearest US educational advising centre, for free and unbiased information regarding any aspect of US study. They will also be able to obtain details concerning the Fulbright Postgraduate Awards which cover the full tuition and living expenses of the first year of any postgraduate course in the US.
Alternatively, students from any country can email education@fulbright.co.uk for advice and contact details of their nearest advisory service.