The United States of America will always be the hottest destination for Indian and international students to study in. It is not difficult to determine why. The quality of education, wide-ranging specialties, flexibility, large campuses, friendly professors, funding and international opportunities are only but a few of the reasons for attracting the largest number of students from throughout the world. It is rightly then claimed that the US is the ‘Land of a Million Opportunities’.
There are more than 3,800 universities and colleges in the USA, offering education right from short-term certificate programs to Post-Doctoral level degrees. Most students prefer to study in the USA at either the Bachelors level or the Masters level and beyond.
The Master’s level is the most popular among Indian students who would like to chalk out their career plans for higher education. More than 78% of Indian students apply for a Master’s level program in US universities.
At the Masters level, Engineering and its specialties (MS) are most popular, followed by Management (MBA) and other subjects like Pharmacy, Public Health, Physiotherapy and other programs.
Each of the specialty has its own typical requirements while making an application, admission procedures and rules and regulations that apply for further studies in the USA.
We at IIEC are the foremost experts in all aspects of applying and getting assured admissions in colleges and universities in the US.
Bachelor’s level education in USA normally starts after the completion of 12 years of primary and secondary education. Hence, education beyond class XII is also known as ‘post-secondary’ education, in USA.
Bachelor’s programs are of four years duration, and are offered by different types of colleges.
Liberal Arts colleges offer a general education in Arts and Sciences that develop general knowledge and reasoning ability. Most of these types of colleges are privately owned and have limited number of programs.
Upper-Division colleges are those that offer the last two years of undergraduate programs, which are specialized. Community colleges are those that offer Associate Degrees of two years duration. On completion of such two-year Associate degrees, students join either upper-division colleges or universities to complete the balance two years for obtaining the Bachelors degree. Most community colleges are publicly owned ones and offer technical programs that prepare students for entry into job market, with Certificate and Diploma programs of six months to one year.
Specialized programs like Engineering are also offered, that are equivalent to the first two years of a bachelor’s degree. These are known as ‘transfer’ programs.
Universities offer a broad range of both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The size of universities varies greatly – right from a two-bedroom apartment to campuses in thousands of acres! The range and diversity of programs offered are quite large. It is only possible to take up research work in universities and not in any other types of colleges.
Most colleges provide admission opportunity to international students without any prejudice. While make admission decisions, some may consider Early admission for those who have not yet completed their 3rd year bachelor’s degree.
Some colleges/universities offer an Early Decision admission, for which the admitted students need to commit to enroll at the college. Normally, such colleges take ‘Early action’ in notifying the students of ‘Early Decision’ based on which the students have to accept the admission offer and make a deposit.
In addition to very good academic background from Class 10thto 12th, international applicants are expected to have very good scores in TOEFL and SAT, for admission into decent US universities at the bachelor’s level. Some better universities require even scores from SAT Subject Tests, before they make an admission decision. For more details on these tests, please visit, TOEFL, SAT There are several other issues with regard to Bachelor’s study in USA – like the location, size, majors offerings, admission requirements, deadlines, costs, financial aid, housing, student life, academic programs, latest technology on campus etc.
Accreditation of colleges/universities is very important in choosing the right institution, since that ensures uniformity in curriculum, proper designing of courses, meeting the infrastructure needs, proper faculty and facilities etc.
Six Regional Accrediting associations provide accreditation in six regions of USA – Middle States, New England, North Central, Northwest, Southern and Western.
Whereas, National Accrediting Associations such as ACICS, AABC, ATS, DETC etc., provide specialized accrediting for various programs in technology, biblical studies, distance education etc.
After securing admission into the University one must start with the visa formalities.
Visa process for USA is relatively simpler, and yet, tough to obtain! For those who are fully prepared with the required documentation and interview preparation, the process becomes easy. However, professional guidance and careful planning of the whole process is very important for success!
For a personalized plan of action to obtain your F-1 visa and do your Bachelor’s in USA, the resources at IIEC are second-to-none. Visit our offices, contact our counselors in person, online or by phone and we will be pleased to help you join the big league.
The USA is considered to be the birthplace of professional management. While it is possible that other countries might have professional management at different stages of their evolution, aggressively promoting the field of management practice and education has been highlighted by the US. Naturally, the study of business management at various levels has also been pioneered by US universities, which started educating managers of all nationalities for the future.
Management education has thus caught on throughout the world and is second only to the study of Engineering, globally.
Most universities elsewhere have been doing good work in the field of management education. However, because of their pioneering status and extensive usage, US universities have expanded the scope and scale of management education. The range of specialties, the number of institutions, the amount of research, the number of training programs and the popularity of all these put together has made Management education in USA the very best. If we consider at the wide range of management programs, the diversity is mind-boggling and options, unlimited. One could take up specialized study in traditional fields such as Marketing, HR, Finance, General Management etc., and non-traditional ones such as Market Research, E-security, Hospital Administration, Hospitality Management, Sports Management and several others.
In addition to a four-year bachelor’s degree, applicants are expected to have good scores in TOEFL and GMAT, along with work experience (preferably) in relevant field of study/focus. Unlike Australian universities that mandate work experience for MBA applicants, US universities are not so particular about the same. However, admission into top-tier universities require at least 3-5 years of work experience, strong recommendation letters and top-class essays, in addition to other requirements as mentioned above.
MBA programs in USA are costlier than in other countries. Unlike in India, further study of business management is considered as an investment’. And, most applicants are either middle or top level managers who have work experience to take advantage of MBA education. Hence, ‘return on such investment’ is carefully considered and therefore, the MBA program in USA is globally competitive and focused – to provide world-class curriculum, best infrastructure, reputed faculty and career enhancement opportunities. Top-tier and Ivy league schools like Harvard, MIT, Kellogg, Wharton, NYU etc., cost anywhere between $ 40,000 to $ 80,000 per year in tuition and fees.
There are other universities that offer the same program for lesser fee – between $ 20,000 and $ 40,000 per year.
With the addition of other expenditure like living, cost of a lap-top, study-abroad programs, books, insurance etc., the costs are bound to be quite high and only those who could afford this level of expenditure are expected to ‘invest’ in an MBA program. Financial aid is very rare for management-related programs.
In order to offset the costs, there are several loan programs like CitiAssist. Organizations like IELI provide educational loans for up to $ 45,000 per year, without mortgage or guarantor. For more details about this exciting loan program.
Accreditation to AACSB is considered to be prestigious for US Business schools.
Accreditation of colleges/universities is very important in choosing the right institution, since that ensures uniformity in curriculum, proper designing of courses, meeting the infrastructure needs, proper faculty and facilities etc.
Six Regional Accrediting associations provide accreditation in six regions of USA – Middle States, New England, North Central, Northwest, Southern and Western.
Whereas, National Accrediting Associations such as AACSB, ACICS, AABC, ATS, DETC etc., provide specialized accrediting for various programs in technology, biblical studies, distance education etc.
After securing admission into the University one must start with the visa formalities.
Visa process for USA is relatively simpler, and yet, tough to obtain! For those who are fully prepared with the required documentation and interview preparation, the process becomes easy. However, professional guidance and careful planning of the whole process is very important for success!
For a personalized plan of action to obtain your F-1 visa and do your Bachelor’s in USA, the resources at IIEC are second-to-none. Visit our offices, contact our counselors in person, online or by phone and we will be pleased to help you join the big league.
The Master of Sciences and Master of Engineering programs in U.S universities are second to none in the range of specialties, quality and popularity.
Master of Science (MS) degrees are normally research-oriented and non-research oriented. If a student opts to pursue research at the Doctoral level, he could choose to prefer the research-oriented option. Alternatively, if the student wants to stop his education after Masters and look for employment or other avenues, he may choose to take up the non-research oriented degrees. Most good universities offer both these orientations.
Master of Engineering (ME) degrees are not as popular as the MS degrees, but are mostly terminal degrees for those who are professionally employed in respective fields. If one wishes to obtain additional qualifications at the Masters level in order to improve his knowledge or for employment/business growth, ME degrees are suitable for such applicants. Most often, completion of ME degree will not enable further application to the Ph.D level.
Admission into MS, ME or MA programs are based on academic background, test scores, recommendations and the Statement of Purpose (SOP). While good academic background at the Bachelor’s is a must, it is important to have consistent performance all throughout one’s academic career, starting from 10thclass onwards. Additionally, good scores in TOEFL and GRE are required for admission into decent programs.
There are no hard and fast rules as regards to the minimum or maximum scores in these tests. However, for good admits, the average scores are 230-240 in TOEFL and 1100-1200 in GRE. Better and higher-ranked universities require much higher scores. Please note, however, that admission is possible into many universities with scores lesser than those indicated. IIEC will provide you with the right inputs and guidance in this aspect.
Equally important are recommendation letters that have to be provided by lecturers/professors or guides who have taught you at your undergraduate level. It is not important to have the recommendation of the head of institution (Principal) if he has not taught you. Recommendations must reflect the observations of your recommender academically and even personally. Most often, recommendations play a crucial role in determining financial aid for applicants.
Highly crucial is the SOP, which has to be prepared by you, outlining your academic and personal backgrounds, your performance, your career goals and your reasons for studying in a particular university. Quite often, admission decisions are made on the strength of a good (or bad!) SOP!!
Educational costs are quite reasonable at the master’s level inUSA. There are universities offering programs at $ 6,000 – $ 8,000 per year and at the same time, some universities have a fee of around $ 30,000 . Costs vary, depending upon the program, university and location.
Interestingly, financial aid is comparatively easier to obtain at this level. Aid could be in several forms – partial or full tuition waiver, in-state tuition, scholarship, assistantships etc. are awarded to international students based on merit – and not on need. Since most applicants cannot demonstrate comparable and measurable merit while applying, universities prefer to consider aid from the second semester or second year onwards, based on funding availability.
Almost 75% of Master’s level international students get aid in some form or the other, mainly in tuition waivers, scholarships and tuition & research assistantships.
In order to offset the costs, IIEC assists with educational loan programs like IELI’s. Organizations like IELI provide educational loans for up to $ 45,000 per year, without mortgage or guarantor. For more details about this exciting loan program.
Accreditation of colleges/universities is very important in choosing the right institution, since that ensures uniformity in curriculum, proper designing of courses, meeting the infrastructure needs, proper faculty and facilities etc. Six Regional Accrediting associations provide accreditation in six regions of USA – Middle States, New England, North Central, Northwest, Southern and Western.
Whereas, National Accrediting Associations such as ACICS, AABC, ATS, DETC etc., provide specialized accrediting for various programs in technology, biblical studies, distance education etc.
In addition to other packages, the ‘Apply yourself’ package being offered by us will make the work of applicants easy, smooth and productive. Right from selecting the appropriate universities that suit one’s requirement/profile to evaluating essays, recommendations, resume etc., till applying for the visa, IIEC will be with you all the way when you enroll for this highly useful package. For more details about the package and to know how IIEC can help you realize your MS/MA dreams.
IIEC provides total guidance on preparing the total documentation like recos., SOP and application material, along with samples, guidelines and personalized help, at every stage till you complete the application process. Please visit our Services section and get in touch with us. We will be with you all the way!
After securing admission to the University one must start with the visa formalities.
Visa process for USA is relatively simple, and yet, tough to obtain! For those who are fully prepared with the required documentation and interview preparation, the process becomes easy. However, professional guidance and careful planning of the whole process is very important for success!
For a personalized plan of action to obtain your F-1 visa and do your Bachelor’s in the USA, the resources at IIEC are second-to-none. Visit our offices, contact our counselors in person, online or by phone and we will be pleased to help you join the big league.