graduate students - Visa USA Expert

Graduate Students Should Research Your OptionsAs a graduate student, congratulations on taking the first step towards pursuing a graduate degree in the United States! Be sure to allow yourself enough time to conduct thorough research about potential graduate schools and programs. If you plan to begin your program in the fall semester (August/September), start your research two years ahead of time.Who is a Graduate Student?A graduate student in the United States is someone who has earned a bachelor’s degree, either in their home country or here in the US, and is now pursuing additional education in a specific field. Doing college work above the 400 level is considered working towards your Master’s or Doctorate degrees. These are known as Graduate degrees.There are more than 1,000 U.S. colleges and universities offering programs leading to a graduate degree a wide range of fields. The two main graduate degrees in the United States are the master’s degree and the doctoral degree. Both degrees involve a combination of research and coursework. Graduate education is characterized by in-depth training and specialized instruction. Compared with undergraduate programs, study and learning are more self-directed at the graduate level.Tip: An undergraduate degree in the same field is not necessarily required in order to enroll in a graduate degree program. For example, a student with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts may pursue a graduate degree in business.  The Master’s DegreeA master’s degree provides education and training in a specialized branch or field.– May be academic {e.g., Master of Arts, (MA) or Master of Science (MS)} or professional {e.g., Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), or Master of Social Work (MSW), or Master of Education (MEd).– Programs offer a thesis (extensive report comparable to writing a book) and non-thesis option.– Generally requires one to three years of additional study beyond a bachelor’s degree.The Doctorate Degree– Is two or more additional years beyond a Master’s degree. A Master’s degree must be accomplished first or the student may find a program that includes both a Master’s and Doctorate combination program.– Is designed to prepare students for college faculty and research scholar positions, or for other careers that require advanced knowledge and research skills.– May be academic {e.g., Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or professional (Doctor of Education, EdD) or Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).– Requires that candidates pass a comprehensive examination and complete a piece of original research leading to a dissertation.– Generally requires five to eight years of additional study beyond a bachelor’s degree. Previous completion of a master’s degree may be required for admission to some programs. Professional degree programs that lead to licensure in specialized fields such as law or medicine are also available in the United States. For most of these programs, a bachelor’s degree in a specific field is not required; however, some programs do require certain prerequisite coursework. For example, a student entering medical school may have a bachelor’s degree in religion, but the student will also have taken a significant number of prerequisite courses in the biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, and behavioral and social sciences. Go USA!– MikeAll information presented here is from my personal research and my attempts to save you time and money when pursuing your dream of coming to the USA to study. Do not take any of this information as LEGAL advice – I am not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV. This information is gathered from a variety of sources including many U.S. Government websites and I urge you to validate this information as much as possible, just as I do when posting on this blog.