MACQUARIE acceptance in the U.S.

Hi everyone. I am brand new here but have a fairly time-sensitive question. I am trying to decide on a graduate program in statistics from two institutions. Macquarie in Australia is one. Colorado State is the other. CSU has a very good reputation in the statistics field - that is a no-brainer. However, since I am paying myself and Macquare is way cheaper and their program seems to suit my needs better I am seriously considering Macquarie. Plus, the trip to the graduation in Sydney would be a pretty nice bonus at the end of the program! I have contacted former students and they have glowing things to say about them. I have done my homework and Macquarie seems to be a well-respected institution and their stat program is a quality program.

But my question is...how would a MS degree from Macquarie be accepted in the U.S. and primarily by employers? CSU is a known-quantity - it would be very well-respected. I am doing this simply to get more knowledge and to better myself. I have a good deal of work experience but I have gotten as far as I can get without a grad degree. Don't have any dreams of pursuing a PhD later if that makes any difference. Any opinions on Macquarie in general and how it would look to have a distance degree from there to potential employers?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Dave

 

I don't know anything about the ranking of Australian schools but Macquarie is a legitimate and respectable school. It will have approximately zero name recognition in the USA. You can expect to get numerous questions during interviews. They're fairly predictable and so you can developed some polished answers. The last time I checked, however, the Australian universities were charging some fairly large fees to non-residents and non-citizens. These fees made the cost of an Australian degree approximately equal to most US degree programs. Have you actually communicated with the school and confirmed their entire costs? I'll be glad to learn that I'm wrong but I'd hate to have you lose the time of having to reapply to CSU.
In either case, best of luck.
Jack

 

During the seven years I was doing marketing in the US for Heriot-Watt University's MBA -- like Macquairie, a rigorous degree from a well-regarded school -- we went through well over 1,000 acceptance processes with companies, government agencies, and other schools. The vast majority (including 70_ of the Fortune 100) accepted and in most cases paid for it. Some required more information before saying yes. And fewer than 2% said no, either because they didn't accept any non-US degrees, or for reasons they did not share.

I would think a similar situation would prevail with Macquairie -- but, as always, if there is anyone to ask -- employer, potential employer, potential doctoral school, etc., it is wise to try to do this.

John Bear
Author/co-author of the first 15
editions of Bears' Guide to Earning
Degrees by Distance Learning

 

My workplace...

The place where I work refused to pay for my MBA as it was from an out of state school. That was not, in fact, state policy as many other agencies paid for accredited online degrees from out of state schools. It was simply a whim of the buffoon who worked in the section at the time. Now, we are going through the process of seeing if they will pay for part of the Newcastle DBA (they only pay 80% for online programs). I have my fingers crossed....

 

I did my bachelor degree in Australia (brick and mortar) and there were many hidden costs of living abroad, the total bill was a shocker. The university that I went to also increased the tuition half way through, and caught me off handed.


Bear in mind general price level is higher in cities like Sydney and Melbourne compared to many cities in the States. In your case of doing an online degree this shouldn't be a problem but for those who plan to actually visit Australia to finish a degree, a budget with generous buffer will help you cope better.