Study abroad options in the US
After IGCSE, SPM, Foundation, A-levels, IB, UEC, or STPM, students can opt to study in community colleges, university pathway programmes, or directly study at University.
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Community college
Community colleges offer two-year programs leading to the Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree. These colleges also have technical and vocational programs with close links to secondary/high schools, community groups, and employers in the local community. You can find large community colleges with multiple campuses in an urban/suburban setting or small campuses in a rural setting.
Undergraduate students studying at community colleges can earn academic credit towards a bachelor’s degree. Earning academic credit at a community college, which is usually less expensive, can help lower the overall cost of a bachelor’s degree. Community colleges may also have a more flexible admissions process.
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University pathway programmes
A pathway program allows international students who want to study in the US to take English as a second language (ESL) courses while also taking courses that will count as credits toward their degree. These programs last about a year and generally offer “conditional acceptance” to the college or university they are affiliated with. This means that students who finish the program with acceptable English language skills and a high enough GPA are automatically accepted into the affiliate school.
Pathway programs are especially useful for international students who want to study in the US, but don’t yet have the English language skills they need to score well on the English language standardized tests that are required for US colleges and universities.
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Direct to university
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctorate) in a variety of subjects. With most degree courses you often have the option of studying some different topics, called modules. This means you can choose to take your studies into more depth in an area that particularly interests you, or you can study a broader range of topics. During your time at university you will also develop so-called ‘transferable’ skills – skills we use every day in our professional work lives, social lives and home lives. Transferable skills are very important for your future career, as the majority of graduates go on to work in a field unrelated to their degree subject. It is their transferable skills that make them suitable for the job.
After a Bachelor's degree, students can opt to study for their pre-masters or masters.
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Pre-masters
A pre-master’s is a preparation course that you complete after a bachelor’s degree and prior to your master’s. A pre-master’s course is a specially designed program for international students to provide them with a strong foundation before starting their postgraduate degrees. Such a course equips the students with the necessary theoretical concepts and practical tools that are needed for a particular field of study. Before starting a full degree, students engage in courses that polish their academic writing skills, improve their language skills, and familiarize them with academic terminologies. In fact, a pre-master’s course is meant to meet the specific needs of the students. It can be a course related to an academic subject or English language training. Such a program is often a short-term course that lasts no more than 12 months.
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Masters
Masters degrees are usually focused on one particular area of a wider subject, giving students a greater amount of specialist knowledge. It is more flexible in terms of modules and study options more intense, advanced and faster-paced. It is smaller in terms of class size and cheaper (but more expensive than PGCerts, PGDips and PhDs). Courses are typically split into separate core and optional modules, and depending on the subject studied you may get the opportunity to complete a work placement or a period studying abroad as part of the programme. Courses normally begin in September or October, though some start in January or February. You may have fewer than ten hours of weekly contact time, but you'll be expected to undertake at least 30 to 35 hours of independent study. Teaching methods include seminars, lectures and workshops. Assessment methods include practical assignments, essays, presentations, portfolios, degree shows and a thesis.
After completing your Master's degree, you can progress further by obtaining a PhD.
PhD
A PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) is a doctoral research degree and the highest level of academic qualification you can achieve. The typical length of a PhD is three to four years full-time, or five to six years part-time. How long it takes to complete your PhD will depend on the structure of your programme, your funding arrangements and any additional training you're required to complete. Traditionally, the PhD has been viewed as a training process, preparing students for an academic career. A PhD is a pure research degree which typically involves carrying out a literature review, conducting original research and collecting your results, producing a thesis that presents your conclusions, writing up your thesis and submitting it as a dissertation and defending your thesis in an oral viva voce exam.