myUface Blog

One very important reason to consider a university education in the United States is the value of the degree you’ll receive at the end of it.  According to one recent report from National Public Radio,  degrees from U.S. universities are so highly regarded abroad, that having one is “solid gold.”  This is especially true of business degrees:

“Business degrees are far and away the most popular end objective of most foreign students,” says John Fernandez, president of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. He says that developing countries just don’t have much to offer in this area. “There are few, but not enough to deal with the masses that they must send through higher education, so that’s good news for United States-based business schools.”

It’s not just business schools, however.  Regardless of your field of study, a degree from a U.S. university will be recognized by the overwhelming majority of employers throughout the world.

There are two reasons for this, and understanding them will help you more fully understand the true value of a U.S. degree:

First, to gain accreditation in the U.S., a university has to go through a rigorous, transparent, well-established process that provides independent verification of the quality of education provided in an institution.  The specific process of accreditation is a subject for another post, but here’s a snapshot:

Accreditation in higher education is a collegial process of self-review and peer review for improvement of academic quality and public accountability of institutions and programs. This quality review process occurs on a periodic basis, usually every 3 to 10 years. Typically, it involves three major activities:

• A self-study by an institution or program using the standards or criteria of an accrediting organization.
• A peer review of an institution or program to gather evidence of quality.
• A decision or judgment by an accrediting organization to accredit, accredit with conditions or not accredit an institution or program.

This means that when an accredited U.S. university awards a degree, the quality of that degree has been vouched for by an independent process of quality assurance.  That makes employers feel better about your degree.

Second, a very large number of international students have graduated from U.S. universities and gone on to successful careers around the globe.  Having experienced the U.S. educational system themselves, they know its strengths and are likely to positively evaluate candidates who also received a U.S. degree.  The influence of this factor will only increase as, year after year, U.S. universities continue to host international students.

To conclude briefly, because of the strong, independent system of accreditation in the United States, and the ever-growing network of graduates from U.S. universities throughout the world,  the reputation of U.S. degrees has never been better.

And here’s the bottom line: if you choose to study in the U.S., you can be confident that the value of your degree will garner respect all over the world.

For Your Consideration:

Think of graduates from U.S. universities that you have met.  What special skills do they seem to possess that might be a product of their educational experience in the U.S.?

SERIES:  Why study in the U.S.?

• April 20 – Introduction
• April 21 – Diversity at U.S. campuses
• April 22 – Value of U.S. degrees
• April 23 – The Facilities
  
• April 24 – Practical focus of U.S. education
• April 25 – Variety of U.S. programs
• April 26 – The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: visas
  
• April 27 - The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: cost
  
• April 28 - Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.:  it might not help in your profession
• April 29 – Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.: will you fit in “going back?”
• April 30 – Other disadvantages
• May 1 – So, should you study in the U.S.?