Edith Cowan University (ECU) Master of <Insert Major/Concentration Here>

vs. a U.S. Master of Science/Art in <---->


Ok so I found these two degree paths interesting. There is the Master of Digital Forensics http://www.reachyourpotential.com.au/futurestudents/courses/I03/Overview and the Master of Criminology and Justice http://reachyourpotential.com.au/futurestudents/courses/I44/Structure . Both of these programs look pretty good but what is their utility in the U.S.? How would potential employers look at this type of degree vs. a U.S. Master's degree? How do Australian Master's degrees stack up against their U.S. counterparts?

I realize that most bachelor's degrees in Australia are 3 year programs but I have no knowledge of what the differences are between the master's level programs. Like University College Dublin this type of program looks tempting but if there is no benefit in gaining employment within the U.S. it would simply not be worth it for me.

 

Just fine. You'll lose the name recognition if you use the degree outside of Australia, but few employers would seriously question the validity of an Australian public university. For my home university, I usually put a line on my resume a la "One of Europe's leading research universities blah-blah" If they want to, they can look it up.

Well, not sure how this is in AUS, but in many 3-year bachelor's countries, kids fulfill all their general ed requirements in high school and start working on their majors right away. So it's not like they are missing one year compared to US students.

 

In Canada, a three-year undergraduate degree is a non-honours degree and usually cannot be used for admission to graduate school, but is acceptable for admission to law school, though not all 4-year degrees are honours degrees either.

BA (3-year or sometimes called General)
BA (4-year non-honours)
BA (Honours) or HBA (4-year)

Students in high school do not complete the equivalent of general education courses although the subjects are general education in nature. In other words, graduates from high school in Canada have no advanced standing when entering undergraduate studies.

 

Thanks for the input guys. Any idea why the degree names are listed without a science or art designation? ECU has a Master of Digital Forensics rather than a Master of Science in Digital Forensics. I'm trying to figure out if there is an academic reason for this or if it's simply the way the degrees are named. ECU looks pretty good but I worry about the fact that some U.S. employers specifically state that they want an RA (regionally accredited) degree. This is why there is such a debate between RA and NA. I would just hate to get through a degree only to find out employers here in the U.S. discriminate against an Australian degree for not being RA. I sent for some more information so I hope to get information about these programs next week. I will say that no travel is a huge plus for me since I hate flying.

 

Well, there is a huge debate over NA and RA because these are all American universities that (in the eyes of some) should be all RA. But how could a university that is in an entirely different country realistically be regionally accredited by a US accreditation system? That would be tantamount to rejecting all non-US degrees. I have never experienced or heard about such as thing, but if this ever happened to me, I would run away from that employer as fast as I could.


sentinel:

Interesting. Could someone who has an associate's degree transfer the credits into a 3-year Canadian BA program? And can someone who has the 3-year degree "upgrade" if they later decide that they want to go to grad school?

 

Australian Universities usually never use the "Master of Science" designation. I have two masters degrees. One is Master of Public Policy (honours). Edith Cowan is a very credible university. You will not have any problem with academia in the US recognizing the degree, but I could not comment on business.

Australian universities are all covered by statute and strict government supervision. Very strict, since the government offers student loans to most students. The word university is covered by statute and is unable to be assumed by unauthorised businesses.

As an example, there was a questionable university that had managed to gain a foothold in an Australian Protectorate. The Protectorate enacted a statute recognizing the university. The Australian Federal Government legislated the Protectorate Statute out of the ballpark and the questionable institution left for California.

Australian degrees are GAAP approved degrees and therefore are recognized by the US government. GAAP approved, as I understand it, is treated as the equivalent of regional accreditation.

Edith Cowan is a very good university and any degree from there will be of a high standard. Coursework in a Masters Program is now fairly common here. Before now, they were entirely research degrees with any coursework. You can still do a research master's. They are usually considered the first part of a PHD. Some students do a substantial literature review as a their masters, then the research for the PHD. Something to think about if you have a topic you want to explore. Research degrees are generally free for domestic students, not sure about foreign students.

 

Thanks Ebbwvale. I believe that you helped me better understand Australian degrees and I feel much better about seeking further information from ECU. I'm interested in both programs I posted in the original thread so once I find out a little more I hope to make an informed decision. I actually am employed in positions dealing in both majors so I need to figure out which one would be more advantageous to my future employment. Thanks again for your help!

 

Hey guys I'm back again with a quick question. Now that I'm finally comfortable with an Australian master's I've been researching the lase few days and I found a program through Macquarie University. I know they are a public university and part of the Open University Australia but does anyone have any independent knowledge about them?


Also I need another quick opinion. The degree I am considering from Marquarie is the Master of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism ( https://www.open.edu.au/wps/portal/What_to_study_qualifications/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/wps/wcm/connect/OUA2/What+to+study/Qualifications/Qualification_Data/MAQ_PIC_MAS&WT.ti=Policing,%20Intelligence%20and%20Counter%20Terrorism ) and the Master from ECU is one in Digital Forensics ( http://www.reachyourpotential.com.au/futurestudents/courses/I03 ). I already perform digital forensics in my current job so which do you think would be more marketable? My opinion is that since I already do forensics and investigations I wouldn't really be bringing anything additional to the table. However the policing degree would add to my current career in that it would bring count terrorism techniques and intelligence gathering techniques as well. This is all my opinion so hammer away at it. I'm applying for both but I have a few days to decide. Oh and my bachelor's will be in either Homeland Security or Criminal Justice. If I choose the Master of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism I will switch to CJ but if I go with digital forensics I will stay with homeland security. Thoughts and opinions appreciated!

 

Never been there, but one of the most awesome living linguists, M.A.K. Halliday, and his no less amazing colleague Ruqaiya Hasan are both professors (emeriti) there. Which makes the school one of the universe's bright spots...at least for linguists.

 

As an Australian Police Officer, I understand that the Macquarie program is a quality program. It is interesting out here how many defence personnel are doing some courses which appear to me to be police orientated. A significant shift in the essence of threat perhaps.

I would think that digital forensics would be complemented by an indepth understanding of terrorism. Technical expertise is great, but it is especially great if there is an understanding of the motivation and techniques of the offender (or perpetrator in US terminology).

If you know digital forensics, how will any course in it extend your knowledge? A knowledge of the environment in which digital devices are a tool may supply a breadth to your knowledge base. A case of knowing your enemy. Cast around and see what others have got. I always believe that a person who has extended him or herself differently creates an interest in the employer. Just some thoughts.

 

Based on several different university rankings, Macquarie consistently places in the top 10 universities in Australia:
http://www.australian-universities.com/rankings/

 

I believe that the UCD (University College Dublin) ( http://www.csi.ucd.ie/content/forensic-computing-and-cyber-crime-investigation ) program actually meets this challenge. It is a degree not only in forensic computing but also covers cybercrime (which includes cyberterrorism) as well. Since my bachelor's will be in Homeland Security (Terrorism heavy degree) I just want to make sure that I branch out like you suggest. I think that an employer would prefer someone with a lot of knowledge in fields that compliment each other. If my bachelor's is in Homeland Security and my master's is in counter terrorism it may be too heavy in that particular field. It also looks like the UCD program includes the management of cyber crime divisions as well which I think would be important to an employer.

UCD thread here----> http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?t=31183&highlight=MSc

 

I do not have a master's but have a doctorate from an Australian school. I use it to teach as an adjunct at several Universities in the US where the doctorate was required and never was questioned about the degree. I was also offered a full time position as a professor at a private school in the US based on this doctorate.
In general, Australian schools are well regarded as they are public and there is not much difference between the best and the worst. On the other hand, in the US the name of the school makes a huge difference. I think it is safe to say that you are better off with an Australian degree than a US degree from a very low tier school.


I

 

Sorry for the delay in responding...

The academic residency requirement at most universities in Canada is 30 credit hours (10 one-term courses) which amounts to one year of full-time study equivalent. Yes, students with a AA or AS could likely apply to a 3-year BA degree in Canada; not sure how the credit distribution would work out as that is highly degree and university dependent. Yes, 3-year degree holders can update to a 4-year degree in most situations.

On a related note, Athabasca University offers a 3-year Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree with no academic residency but a significant number of credit hours must be at the senior level (400 series or its equivalent).