Destination USA: Community colleges offer cost-saving option
They offer two-year associate degrees and technical and vocational programmes in the US
Last week, we wrapped up our series on EducationUSA’s 5-Steps to master’s programmes in the United States. Lately, we have received various queries related to unique topics that are not covered under the 5-Steps. So we are dedicating the next few columns to discuss these special topics.
Today, we will talk about two-year associate degrees that are offered by community colleges in the United States.
After completing high school (12th standard), students have the option to apply to community colleges, also called junior or two-year colleges, that offer two-year associate degrees and technical and vocational programmes in the United States.
A community college is a great cost-saving option for international students. After completing the two-year programme, students can opt to transfer to a bachelor’s degree programme at a US university once they successfully complete all requirements for the transfer process. Students may also complete a one-year optional practical training (OPT) after their associates degree and then transfer to a university to complete the bachelor’s degree.
Ultimately, a student completes two years at community college at a lower cost and then transfers to complete the remaining two years for a full bachelor’s degree (also termed as a 2+2 pathway).
Community colleges in the United States that offer this 2+2 pathway to a bachelor’s degree are mostly public funded, but there are some institutions that are private. According to Open Doors data published by the Institute of International Education, around 80,000 international students were enrolled at US community colleges in Academic Year 2019-2020, and 2.4% of these students were of Indian origin.
Community colleges usually have special agreements with their State’s four-year degree granting colleges and universities to transfer their students to these institutions after completion of the associate degree program. While studying at the community college, students earn academic credits towards their bachelor’s degree that are transferred to the four-year university programme. This makes it easier for students to transfer to one of these institutions after finishing an associate degree to complete the last two years of the bachelor’s degree.
If a four-year bachelor’s degree is the goal, students should identify a community college that has “articulation agreements” with four-year institutions. Articulation agreements usually mean that the community college has an agreement with a four-year university so that the majority of the community college coursework is applicable towards a bachelor’s degree at a four-year university.
In next week’s column, we will discuss the admissions and application process and a few other relevant aspects related to community colleges.
Monika Setia (Regional Officer and EducationUSA Adviser at the United States-India Educational Foundation based at the U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad. Please visit https://educationusa.state.gov/centers/educationusa-usief-hyderabad for more information)
Q&A:
Q. I am about to finish my BSN degree in India and I am looking to pursue further nursing studies in the United States. What are my options?
— Vinobha Rao
A. At the graduate level, students have various options to study nursing. The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree prepares nurses for leadership, advanced clinical practice specialities, and doctoral study. Students have the option to choose from among various specialties like Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Administrator, etc. Nurses interested in an academic or research career may pursue the traditional research-oriented Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. The professional Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree allows nurses to advance to leadership positions in clinical practice, administration, and/or research. Some universities also offer joint graduate degrees in nursing along with other fields of study, for example MSN and MBA, MSN and Ed.D. (Doctor of Education), and MSN and MHA/MPH (Master of Health Administration or Public Health).
Q. My son is in 11th class and we are trying to register him for the SAT exam. We are not able to find information about the SAT subject test registration. Please help!
— Arvind Kumar
A. The College Board, the administering body for the SAT, made some changes to the SAT Suite of Assessments for 2021 and beyond. As part of these efforts to simplify work and reduce demands on students, the College Board has stopped administering SAT Subject Tests internationally since the June 2021 test administration. Please take note that the College Board also discontinued the Essay portion of the SAT after the May 2021 SAT test was administered internationally. For more information, please refer to the announcement by College Board made at the beginning of this year and available at: https://allaccess.collegeboard.org/update-reducing-and-simplifying-demands-students
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