College in the US.. with a Degree in another country

[Marikiya_dhr 0]

Hey y'all!

I'm thinking about going back to college this fall... but this time here in the US. I am not sure what I am going to study yet, so at the beginin' I would just take a couple classes and see how it goes.

Anyways... I have a Degree in Tourism Management in my country (Spain). I just graduated 9 months ago... and I just got all the documents with the classes i have been taking and the grades i got in all of them.

So.. my question is... Do I have to start from zero here? or would my degree count here in the us?

Thanks!

[Old Dominion 26]

Good luck! You would need to enroll in a university that offers such an undergraduate degree, for it to be recognized. Or, another university might accept only some of the course credits, not all. There are people who major in tourism management and earn a bachelor of science degree; but there are no undergraduate degrees in tourism management as such that I am aware of.

Good luck! You would need to enroll in a university that offers such an undergraduate degree, for it to be recognized. Or, another university might accept only some of the course credits, not all. There are people who major in tourism management and earn a bachelor of science degree; but there are no undergraduate degrees in tourism management as such that I am aware of.

[amerasianlove 0]

Hey y'all!

I'm thinking about going back to college this fall... but this time here in the US. I am not sure what I am going to study yet, so at the beginin' I would just take a couple classes and see how it goes.

Anyways... I have a Degree in Tourism Management in my country (Spain). I just graduated 9 months ago... and I just got all the documents with the classes i have been taking and the grades i got in all of them.

So.. my question is... Do I have to start from zero here? or would my degree count here in the us?

Thanks!

I also have bachelor's degree in my country and Im gonna go back to school this summer.

It depends on the school I think.In my case I will be a freshman again...sigh!

[KIMCORENE 0]

It depends on the school- but your degree ought to count. To apply you would first have to get info from the office for international students and they will want you to get your degree evaluated by an independent agency based on the U.S. GPA system. I have a bachelor's in psychology and I applied for a master's program here in FL, so I'm somewhat familiar with the process. Best advice, once you decide on the program you're interested in, contact the college.

[c_and_a 0]

My educated guess would be that the degree would count. I have worked with people with foreign degrees before. I think it sort of depends on the school or the employer.

[ishack1956 0]

I am a professor at a major university (Purdue) and what we do it look at the individual courses. Some transfer and others don't. The degree itself doesn't really matter unless you're going into a MS/PhD program, then it's often a matter of the accreditation of the college you graduated. A lot of it is up to the individual adviser as to what you'll get credit for. I've done a lot such credit evaluations for students from overseas, and to be honest some of it decided upon an interview with the student.

Another factor is what program you're going into, and what your previous coursework was. In my ex-wife's case, not much transfered because she had a MS in Human Resources, but no undergraduate degree (a little suspisious in my opinon - how can someone get into a Master's program without any previous coursework) and she went into a nursing degree.

But in almost any case the College level coursework in English/Public Speaking almost never transfer.

[HappyDancer 7]

ishack - I have the same question too... But weird that your ex has MS without undergrad? hmmm...

I graduated with a degree in Tourism as well and I am still trying to decide whether to move forward with masters or another undegrad degree. I will be entering the US as K1 and I am also wondering when I would qualify to go to school there. Do I have to wait for my GC?

[meANDv 0]

I think that if you were to go back to college here in the US, the admissions office of the college you plan to attend would/may ask for your official transcript from the college you attended in the philippines. Most college will not accept hand-delivered transcripts (that is, if you got a copy of your own college transcript and then bring it with you from the PI) because they will prefer that the college actually mail the transcript...making it 'official'. I know this because I have relatives who have gone through this in the past. So, with your transcript, they could possibly transfer some credits towards whatever new degree you would be studying now. That way, you can take less classes. This is from what I have heard of colleges here in NY. Maybe other college admissions offices don't mind you hand delivering it to them.

[sheila526 2]

I had my GPA evaluated first before I went to enroll. I also had letter of recommendations from my previous Professor as well as my Previous Administrator. There's also a written exam and interview. I didn't start from zero. I just have to take some biology class that is needed for medicine school By the way, I already have my Green Card when I started to go back to school.

[ishack1956 0]

ishack - I have the same question too... But weird that your ex has MS without undergrad? hmmm...

I graduated with a degree in Tourism as well and I am still trying to decide whether to move forward with masters or another undegrad degree. I will be entering the US as K1 and I am also wondering when I would qualify to go to school there. Do I have to wait for my GC?

We don't check immigration status for admission, but will help with immigration paperwork for student visa. You're not asking the school to get you a visa to attend. It's not like employment where a work permit is needed. But you may find problems trying to pay instate tuition without the GC. Depends on how picky the bursar's office is at your school. But if you're married to a USC that is a resident of the state then that 'should' be enough to qualify for instate rates.

[HappyDancer 7]

ishack- Thank you so much! I will check my options when I get my GC. I would like to apply for academic scholarships. Wonder how that works at Purdue?

[ishack1956 0]

ishack- Thank you so much! I will check my options when I get my GC. I would like to apply for academic scholarships. Wonder how that works at Purdue?

If you're going to a public university such as Purdue, then you have to hunt for them yourself for the most part. At least at our campus, the financial aid office is too eager (because it's easy) to recommend student loans. STAY AWAY IF YOU CAN!!! Without realizing it you'll run up 50/60/70K or more and you'll be paying on them for years. Of course the exception might be nursing, because 'some' hospitals will pay them for you when you graduate. But even then be careful. My ex thought that way in the end she left the hospital that was paying them for her, and ended up with about 15K. But she believed in borrowing everything she could.

I would search online, and apply for anything. Make it a part time job searching for them. I'll try to find some good places, but it's worth it to spend time applying for them. Good luck, what are majoring in? or do you know yet.

[venusfire503 54]

Another thing to check on - some colleges/universities will allow you to 'test out' of some classes, so even if you do have to start over (and I don't know anything about that, so I'm not saying you will or won't have to), you might not have to take ALL of the credits. It's worth asking about - might save you some time and money.

Best of luck!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hey y'all!

I'm thinking about going back to college this fall... but this time here in the US. I am not sure what I am going to study yet, so at the beginin' I would just take a couple classes and see how it goes.

Anyways... I have a Degree in Tourism Management in my country (Spain). I just graduated 9 months ago... and I just got all the documents with the classes i have been taking and the grades i got in all of them.

So.. my question is... Do I have to start from zero here? or would my degree count here in the us?

Thanks!

My wife has a masters in Russian from her University in Donetsk, UA. We sent her diploma and transcript (original plus translation) to ECE in Milwaukee Wis. Just google "ECE". For $135 they do a full assessment of your education and assign it an equivilent value that is accepted by most US Universities. She is now enrolled in a very good university here, she arrived only last September. Most universities will also require foreign educated students to pass the TOEFL exam, sort of an SAT for foreign students, before enrolling in a degree program. A Community College may not. Alla will be able to go into a teaching degree program after only 3 credits of English and 1 Credit of US History. Her Ukraine education was accepted completely, though it varies with the program the foreign student took. Her current goal is to be certified here within two years to teach Russian and English.

Also if you have your CGC you are eligible for federal student aid and possibly state or local. Our state does not give aid to anyone residing here less than one year, but she did get private grants from the university she is attending. There is much student aid available for people wishing to become certified to teach.

My wife had been a teacher in Ukraine but moved on to translating for business as it was much more lucrative than a $200 per month teaching job in Ukraine. It is a shame they lose so many good people with the horrible levels of pay for government workers. Carpenters make more than Doctors, at least legitimately, in Ukraine.