Many foreign students miss opportunities for acceptance at institutions of their choice or chances for financial aid simply because they do not allow enough time for the application process. The process of entering higher education in the United States requires at least one to two years, if you are applying to selective institutions or requesting financial aid. Selection, application and testing may each require several months. Travel arrangements and visa application can also be time-consuming.

There are about 1,100 universities in the United States that offer graduate level programs; 430 of these offer doctoral degrees. Educational institutions are usually called universities in the U.S. if they offer graduate study, emphasizing research as well as teaching. Most also offer undergraduate studies. Some have professional schools, such as law or medical schools, as well.

Although graduate students usually take some formal coursework as part of their degree requirements, research is an important part of most graduate programs. Graduate students do independent research in consultation with a supervising professor (often called the "major professor" or thesis adviser) or a committee of professors who help to set up research plans and schedules. Research must be original and creative.

Master's Degree ::
Most universities award master of arts (M.A.) degrees in arts, sciences and humanities and master of sciences (M.S.) degrees in applied fields such as engineering. The master of business administration (M.B.A.) equips students with a credential for entry into the business world.
Increasingly, master's degrees are acquiring new names and initials as more and more professional fields design master's degrees as credentials for entry into the field. Such master's degrees, which include the name of the field or specialization as part of the title, usually lead to eligibility for professional certification rather than preparation for doctoral study or teaching.
Master's degrees may require one to two years of courses (30-60 credit hours) concentrated in the field of study, with other courses from closely-related fields. Usually a grade average of "B" must be maintained to receive the degree. Master's degrees may or may not require a thesis in addition to course work.

Doctoral Degree ::
Doctoral degrees include, for example, the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in the arts and sciences, and the doctor of education (Ed.D.). Doctoral programs almost always require original research leading to the defense of a doctoral dissertation. Students may enter some programs with the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree and take courses for one to two years before beginning dissertation research. in this case, a student may or may not earn a master's degree upon completion of course work. Other doctoral programs begin after the master's degree with little if any course work required. Some programs require that students pass a comprehensive oral and/or written examination to attain candidacy for the degree.

Types of Universities ::
Universities may be public or private. institutions of high quality are found equally among public and private universities; the principal difference is one of funding. Public institutions are funded partially by the government of the state in which the institution is located (for example, Texas or Florida), and partially by student tuition payments and private donations. Since public institutions are supported by state government, they give preference in enrollment and tuition charges to students from that state. The total cost, however, is usually lower at most state institutions than at private institutions, even for those who are not residents of the state.

State universities fall into two general categories:

1. Research Universities :
   Most states have at least one public university designed to provide the traditional variety of educational opportunities in academic fields, These universities, in addition to offering undergraduate education, stress research as well as teaching. As a general rule, they are less likely at the graduate level to place emphasis on applied study and research and more likely to place emphasis on theoretical, or "pure" research. Land Grant and Sea Grant Universities In 1862 Congress passed the Morrill Act that provided a grant of land to many of the states to establish a "land grant" university. These universities, in addition to providing a broad general education in many fields, emphasize the application of knowledge in such fields as agriculture and engineering. The name of a land grant university often reflects this emphasis. Look for "Agricultural and Mechanical University" or "Technological University" to designate a university that stresses applied knowledge. Other states call this type of university a "state" university. More recently some state universities have been designated as "sea grant" universities, to emphasize the importance of marine applications.
2. Short-Term Study :
   In addition to degree programs, many universities offer opportunities for short-term study. Students who might not be able to gain home-country recognition of a U.S. graduate degree, and employed professionals who cannot afford sustained absence, often benefit from short-term training and educational programs. Consult your advising center for information about these short-term options.
3. Other Institutions :
   Research centers, special institutes or professional schools may also offer graduate degrees. These institutions may offer research and/or instruction in only one field or group of fields. Often these institutions have a relationship to a university.

SELECTION FACTORS ::
To select institutions effectively, you must first think carefully about your intentions and plans. If you are planning to study toward a master's degree, decide whether you want to emphasize professional certification with an applied "terminal" or professional master's degree leading directly to employment in the field, or to prepare for teaching or for doctoral study and research with an academic master's degree. These distinctions matter, because many master's degrees cannot be used as the basis for doctoral study.

Are you interested in a one- or a two-year program?
Do you want to emphasize computer applications in management or follow a more traditional approach?
Do you want a program that uses the case study method, and therefore requires a high proficiency in spoken English?
If you are interested in a research degree, particularly a Ph.D., investigate the definition of your field as it exists in the United States and choose your research emphasis. Rather than specifying your field broadly, for example, "civil engineering," define your research interests as clearly as possibly, for example, "dry-land irrigation methods." Talk to local professionals in your chosen field, especially those who have studied in the United States, and ask about centers of excellence in your particular field of study. These do not correspond necessarily with various rankings of universities as a whole. If you can, attend a conference in your field or go to the library and scan journals published for your field. Look at the papers in your specialized field of research to see who is active in your field and to which university they belong. if your application reflects that you have tried to match your interests with those of the department, your chances for acceptance and for departmental funding increase dramatically.

Field of Study ::
To find institutions that offer the program you are considering, consult books that cross-reference institutions by field of study. (See "Sources for Further Information") The library at the educational advising center may also contain special books for use in locating programs in your field. At your advising center, use catalogs, brochures and other publications to investigate the entire range of possibilities. (A complete and current set may be available on microfiche.) Educational advisers can assist in interpreting the differences between institutions and in locating references that list professors and their research interests by field. They are also aware of host-country regulations and educational equivalencies in various fields.
Once you have located a suitable group of institutions that offer your specialized field, compare them systematically. Look at the differences between them with respect to:

1. Research emphases;
2. Size of department;
3. Qualifications of the faculty;
4. Academic admission requirements, including required TOEFL and GRE or GMAT scores;
5. Length of time required for degree;
6. Cost of tuition, books, etc.;
7. Availability of financial assistance for first-year foreign students;
8. Location, housing options, campus setting, climate and cost of living;
9. Course and thesis requirements; and
10. International Student Services Office.
11. Compare the number of applicants with the number of students accepted. If possible, try to find out the level of outside funding (government, foundation and private grants) for research in your department for each of the universities you have selected; this factor affects the availability of research assistantships.

Using a comparison worksheet makes it easy to eliminate institutions that are too expensive, that do not meet your individual needs or that have admissions requirements that are too high or too low. Gather as much data as possible about specific programs and institutions through research at the advising center and through correspondence.

Quality ::

A question that students often ask is, "How do I find the best institutions?" Unfortunately, there are no simple answers.

The first step is to define your academic and career goals, as well as personal preferences about the campus environment. Then find institutions whose goals and offerings most closely match your needs.

A second step is to check whether or not institutions are recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA). Each year the American Council on Education publishes for COPA a list of all accredited institutions in the United States, called Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education. While there may be institutions of high quality that have chosen not to participate in the COPA accrediting process, questions should be raised about the acceptance of degrees by, and transfer of credits to and from accredited institutions, and whether or not unaccredited institutions meet the minimum standards of a COPA-recognized institution. Caution should be exercised and considerably more information should be requested from such institutions before enrolling.

The United States does not have a Ministry of Education responsible for regulation of educational institutions. Instead, institutions agree to voluntary self-regulation in the process called accreditation. There are two types of accreditation: institutional and professional.

Institutional accreditation refers to the institution as a whole. For conferring institutional accreditation, COPA recognizes six regional accrediting agencies, as well as accrediting agencies for independent schools and religious colleges.

Professional accreditation exists only in fields or programs where professional or occupational competence in the field is a major concern, such as medicine, engineering, business and law. Professional accrediting associations usually require that the entire institution be accredited before they will accredit a particular program. The importance of professional accreditation varies from field to field. Often professional accreditation applies only to the first professional degree.

It is important to distinguish between accreditation and state authorization. State authorization or "state approval" may not involve regulation of quality at all, but simply indicate that an institution complies with financial and licensing regulations. Some states do not regulate educational institutions at all.

A third step in seeking quality is to avoid institutions that seem too anxious to enroll foreign students. Unfortunately, there are some institutions in the United States that are more interested in the dollars of foreign students than in providing a good education. These institutions are not numerous, but there are enough that caution is necessary.

Published rankings (assessments) of colleges and universities are available, but their usefulness varies. There is no "official" ranking of colleges and universities in the United States. Rankings according to competitiveness of admission (that is, the ratio of the number of students who apply to the number admitted) are useful in giving an idea of the chances for admission. For other rankings, it is necessary to define your goals carefully, and to make sure that the criteria on which a ranking is based match your criteria for choosing institutions.

Some rankings are based on the opinions of one person who has visited or interviewed people about a number of colleges and universities. Others may be based on an opinion survey of professionals in the field. Still others are based on funds allotted by the federal government for research grants.

In the final analysis, finding the "best" institutions means finding the institutions that best meet your individual needs and interests.

Location ::

The continental United States can be divided into several regions based on climate. In New England, the Middle Atlantic, the Midwest and eastern regions of the West, as well as Alaska to the north, winters can be cold, with extended periods in which the temperature stays below zero degrees centigrade. In these regions, summers are mild. in the South and Southwest regions, as well as Hawaii and Puerto Rico, summers may be hot, and winters mild. in the Northwest and Southwest, year-round temperatures are more nearly uniform, Certain parts of the states of Washington and Oregon have a rainy season and a dry season.

Cost of living varies from region to region as well. In general (although exceptions are frequent), living costs are lowest in the South and Southwest regions and highest in large cities and in New England.

Urban, rural and suburban campuses offer different advantages and pose separate problems. Students from small countries or rural areas may appreciate the atmosphere of campuses far from large cities. Be sure to weigh advantages and disadvantages, and choose an area where you will feel most comfortable.

Cost ::

Institutions vary widely not only with respect to tuition charges, but in cost of living as well. in comparing costs, remember to use the "total" cost rather than "published" figures based on adding tuition, room and board, books and fees. A general rule is to add at least $6,000 (for a single student) to published totals.

Availability of Financial Aid ::

In graduate departments, availability of financial assistance varies widely from field to field and from university to university. Most financial assistance comes in the form of assistantships. In general, fields that attract federally funded research grants, such as physical sciences, applied health, biological sciences and engineering, support many graduate students through research assistantships. In most of the humanities and social sciences, in business, and in the fine arts, few if any research assistantships are available.

Departments that offer large undergraduate introductory courses often employ graduate foreign students as teaching fellows, but usually only after the first year and only if the teaching fellow can demonstrate outstanding proficiency in spoken English.

Availability of English As A Second Language ::

If you need further English language preparation, select colleges, community colleges or universities that offer English as a second language or make sure such programs exist at nearby institutions.

International Student Services Office ::

One of the most important factors for foreign students is the presence of a comprehensive program of international student services. An institution that provides services for foreign students is also more likely to be sensitive to the academic needs of students from other countries.