Hi all: I have a degree from University of Bombay, India. B.Sc in Computer Science. Its is three years bachelors degree. I got it evaluated here in USA and found out that I have completed 93 credits with 3.96 GPA. (1) Is there any university / College (RA) that can accept students like me unto their Gradudate program ? I am willing to do some kind of bridge program for that. Golden Gate University does something similar to that. But its way out of my budget :-(. I am looking for some kind of computer related masters. (2) Meanwhile I have enrolled in Excelsior's BS (CIS) program. (having assumed that I have to complete a US bach degree before my masters). I am trying to finish this degree using exams. The first exam that I am looking at is "236A Microprocessor and Computer Basics " from OHIO university. Has anyone taken this before ? How tough is this and Can some Ex- BS CIS students from Excelsior offer me some kind of advice as to how to prepare for this exam ? (3) Is it better to take exams rather than distance courses ? I am looking at few ICCP tests, excelsior test in English / ETHICS also ? Any tips ? Thanks very much
Hi. I'm just another student and certainly no authority on this stuff. But here's my ideas: Probably you should be directing this question to the graduate programs that you are interested in. I'd guess that you aren't the first potential applicant with this question, and probably a number of schools will happily accept you. As you say, they may do so conditionally, with the understanding that you will complete several courses. But you might also just try applying to some programs. Some schools might just admit you unconditionally because of your bachelors and not even stop to think about the 3-year/4-year distinction. But if you bring it to their attention, they may go "hummmm..." So my suggestion is trying to get into a masters program now and not doing a new bachelors degree unless you find that it's absolutely necessary. Unfortunately I have no experience with Excelsior and their exams, so I'm no help on your other questions.
In this forum I have read of graduate program admission without a bachelors degree. Just apply like Bill said. You may not get into every school you want but I am sure that you would be admitted by many, if not most.
I've just recently dug into the issue of the equivalence of foreign degrees to U.S. degrees. It has become a question at the school I teach at. I've found a wide range of schools (all the way from the University of Phoenix to Stanford) that do require 4 year degrees. It appears that most schools that have significant numbers of foreign students have recognized the difference in education systems. Many say things in their admission guidelines like "4 year regionally accredited degree from a U.S. university of the foreign equivalent" You may "slip by" with a 3 year degree - however, there was at least one poster here that got caught with a 3 year degree - and was dropped out of a graduate program. Here is the wording on Stanford's page - a guideline I've seen repeated at several other schools: "Assessment of a foreign degree is based on the characteristics of a national educational system, the type of institution attended, and the level of studies completed. The following guidelines indicate the minimum level of study required of applicants who wish to apply for graduate study at Stanford (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/registrar/admissions/international.html): British patterned education: Bachelor's degree with honors France: Maîtrise from university or completion of diplôme d'ingénieur from grandes écoles Germany: University diplom preferred, or at least one year of full-time study beyond vordiplom for a total of four years of full-time study. Other European Countries: University degree requiring four years of study Middle East: University degree requiring four years of study Canada: Three-year bachelor's degree from Quebec, four-year bachelor's degree from other provinces Latin America: University degree requiring four years of study India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal: Bachelor's degree in engineering or medicine, master's degree in all other fields. Note: a three-year bachelor's degree is not considered sufficient for graduate study at Stanford. The two-year master's degree following the three-year bachelor's degree from India is required. Philippines: Five-year bachelor's degree or four-year bachelor's degree plus one year of graduate work Russian Republics: University diploma requiring four-and-a-half to six years of study Other Asian Countries: University degree requiring four years of study Regards - Andy
You might want to consider that a degree in computer Information Systems does not equal a degree in Computer Science. If your goal is to major in Computer Science in graduate school then the Excelsior degree will likely not fit the bill.
Check out and search the threads in the IT and computer-related degrees forum. If you have the money for application fees, go ahead and apply; do not misrepresent your degree and do not get specific about the 3-year format. If the university says it's OK, fine; if not, not. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. BTW, some of us would a lot rather the US were allied with India than with Wackystan!
I still think that a lot of schools would probably admit a 3-year bachelors, although the admission might be conditional with additional courses specified. What I can't imagine is that earning a 3-year bachelors would disqualify a student from graduate study forever more, unless an entirely new bachelors were earned. Why not just do an additional year of upper division undergraduate work or something? I've seen some hard-nosed California State University webpages that specify four year bachelors degrees from foreign applicants. I've also seen even more hard nosed accredited-degrees-only pages. But there is lots of small print in the regulations that doesn't usualy appear on webpages. For example, as of around 1990, the California State University had (and still has as far as I know) a procedure for admitting graduate applicants with bachelors degrees from non-accredited schools. The applicant would apply as an undergraduate. Then he/she would petition the graduate department for consideration. If the department head thought that the non-accredited undergraduate degree was credible, then from one to two semesters of departmentally prescribed upper division major courses would be assigned. If these were completed with a suitable grade average, assorted bigshots could be petitioned for transfer from undergraduate to graduate status. My point being that a three-year bachelors from a respected international university is unlikely to be treated more dismissively than a non-accredited American bachelors. That means that at the California State University at least, the *worst* that such a student would be looking at would be an additional year's undergraduate work before graduate status could be attained. I still think that Rahulanand needs to be talking to the admissions counselors at some prospective schools. I also think that earning an entirely new bachelors degree is probably overkill, unless it turns out to be absoutely necessary.
Thanks for the advice Thanks a lot guys. I did apply to several schools and have found out that I am not eligible for graduate admission here. But this is not going to deter me from doing what I wanted to do. Bill, As I said I have already enrolled with Excelsior and I have to complete 38 credits to get my US degree (BS CIS). Once I do that, I would join the part time master's program that I want. I plan to complete this in an year. One of the things that keeps me going is the thought that sametime next year I would be studying at the college that I want. Thanks again
If you've checked out admissions reactions, the Excelsior approach sounds great. Best of luck to you.
What I've seen in practice is a number of schools will admit when the student has the equivalent of 120 credit hours of college level work. So a 3 year degree from India + 1 year of work in the U.S. works at many schools. Others, such as Stanford want a masters degree from India. For example, I know of a student at a Michigan state university (not MSU!) that was admitted to an MBA program in exactly this way. Where I used to teach at Lawrence Tech in Southfield, 3 year degre plus a fourth year in the U.S. was a common practice. Golden Gate and others run formal program to provide the 4th year. Or if one is still in India - a 3 year degree plus a masters degree from India is typically accepted by U.S. schools. Regards - Andy
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