Undergraduate
Pursuing Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees
Graduate
Pursuing Master’s and PhD degrees
Specialized Programs
Business Education in the U.S.
To attend a U.S. business school, a student must already hold at least an undergraduate
degree unless admitted to a university that offers a five-year joint Bachelor’s/MBA
degree.
The Master of Business Administration (MBA), perhaps the most well-known postgraduate
business degree, is a professional Master’s degree providing general training in business
administration and management.
Other related postgraduate degrees in the business field are the Master of Science in
Business Administration (MS), Doctor of Philosophy in Business (PhD), Doctor of Business
Administration (DBA), and Doctor of Commercial Sciences (DCS). The MS in Business
Administration is designed to provide specialist study in an area of the field for students
holding Bachelor’s degrees in business or related fields. The degrees awarded at the
doctoral level, PhD, DBA, and DCS, are the most advanced degrees in business and are
generally intended for those pursuing an academic career in business.
Many business schools also offer the option of joint degrees in various disciplines at the
postgraduate level. The most common degrees are a JD/MBA or an MA/MBA or an MSc/MBA in
fields such as economics, international relations, and public policy. Joint degrees will
take longer to complete than the MBA degree alone due to the added degree requirements but
are shorter than completing the two degrees separately.
Degree requirements and the length of the programs vary depending on the business school and
the program’s focus. A traditional full-time MBA program takes two academic years to
complete. Some universities will offer a more intensive, one-year MBA program, often called
an Executive MBA, for working professionals with extensive work experience on a promising
career path.
The main body concerned with the accreditation of US academic programs in business
administration and management is the AACSB International Association for Management
Education. For a list of AACSB-accredited programs, see: www.aacsb.edu
Admission to U.S. business schools is extremely competitive. Standard admissions criteria
include:
Though not always mandatory, many business schools look for candidates with at least two to five years of full-time work experience. Please note that work placements completed during an undergraduate degree do not usually count toward the work experience requirement.
Dental education is not offered at the undergraduate level but is only available after a four-year bachelor’s degree. The first professional degree in dentistry is a four-year program. This leads to a DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) or a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine). Dental school requires the DAT (Dental Admission Test).
Students with partial dental training or dental degrees from non-ADA (American Dental Association) accredited schools can avail of advanced standing dental programs. Students usually enter in the second or third year. Graduates of foreign dental schools may apply for such programs through ADEA CAAPID (Centralized Application for Advanced Placement for International Dentists).
GPR (General Practice Residency), AEGD (Advanced Education in General Dentistry), and other ADA-approved dental specialty programs are postdoctoral training opportunities that advance competence and skills for professional practice.
To obtain a license to practice dentistry, graduates must meet the requirements outlined by the respective dental licensing authority in the state where they wish to practice. Licensure requirements vary by state but generally include graduation from a CODA-accredited dental program, satisfactory performance in the NBDE (National Board of Dental Examinations) parts I and II, and a state clinical examination.
Useful Website and Resources
www.adea.org/CAAPIDapp/
www.ada.org/en/jcnde/examinations
Medical school is not offered at the undergraduate level but is only available in the U.S. after four years of undergraduate education. The MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) is required for admission to a medical school. The school will consider the applicant’s academic preparation, personal qualities, and other application elements.
Medical school is of a duration of 4 years. This leads to an MD (Doctor of Medicine). After medical school, students can take up a residency in their area of specialization.
To qualify for licensure, the candidate must take the three steps of the USMLE exam. The first two steps are usually taken during medical school, and the third step is after the first year of residency. Suppose you have completed your medical education in India. In that case, you may be eligible to apply for residency programs in the U.S. You must clear the first two steps of the USMLE and go through the process outlined by www.ecfmg.org.
Other fields allied to medicine are pharmacy and physical therapy. These degrees are usually offered at the graduate level and take approximately 3-4 years of study. For admission to the PharmD (Doctor in Pharmacy) program, a PCAT may be required along with other application requirements. To practise pharmacy in the U.S., applicants must sit for the NAPLEX (North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination) to be licensed to practise in a state. Applicants can apply to the DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) for physical therapy. To practise in the U.S., the applicant must be licensed to practise in the state of study for which the NPTE (National Physical Therapy Exam) is required.
Useful Website and Resources
www.aamc.org/Legal education is offered at the graduate level in the U.S. The first degree is the JD (Juris Doctor), a 3-year program. The LSAT exam is required for entry into JD programs. This is needed to sit for the American bar exam and practise law in the U.S. To practise law in the U.S., candidates must take the bar exam in the state they wish to practise.
Another option is the LLM (Masters of Law). In some states, a candidate with an LLM degree can take the bar exam. Some LLMs are general in scope, while others specialize in areas of law. Some of these specialized programs do not make the candidate eligible to sit for the bar exam. The LLM is for a duration of 1-2 years and is undertaken after the first degree of law. It is more suited to preparing for the international legal environment.
The third degree of law is the SJD (Doctor of Juridical Science). This program takes 3-5 years and is required to enter academia
Useful Website and Resources
www.americanbar.org/aba.html
https://www.lsac.org/
At the undergraduate level, a student can study for a BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), which is a 4-year program. At the graduate level, a student can study for the MSN (Masters of Science in Nursing), the DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice), or a PhD in Nursing. The MSN usually requires the student to have a Bachelor’s degree in nursing and is a 2-year program. These programs usually offer the option to specialize in certain areas. There are also Graduate Entry Master of Science Programs for students with Bachelor’s degrees in another field. These programs may take longer than two years. Duration varies by university. The DNP is required to enter advanced practice and takes 3-6 years.
Graduate education may require the evaluation of non-U.S. nursing credentials by the CGFNS (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools). Other educational transcripts may also be evaluated by services like WES or ECE. Applicants for the MSN or DNP programs may also be required to successfully complete the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses) in the state to acquire licensure by which to complete the clinical components of the program. Nurses from other countries may also be required to take the CGFNS Qualifying Exam to practise in the U.S. and take this exam. Students should also apply to the State Board of Nursing in case of any additional requirements to be licensed to practise.
Useful Website and Resources www.aacnnursing.org
www.cgfns.org
Summer Programs
Online Programs
An online degree is an academic degree that can be earned primarily or entirely through an internet-connected computer rather than attending college in a traditional campus setting. The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is the primary accrediting body that recognizes online schools.
Students taking online courses with an accredited college or university are considered full-time students if he/she is enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits per semester or an equivalent full-time student schedule. As these courses are fully online and do not require travel to the U.S., you do not need to apply for U.S. visas.
Distance Learning Courses
Distance education or long-distance learning is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school. Traditionally, this involved correspondence courses wherein the student corresponded with the school via post. Today, it involves online education. Several other terms (distributed learning, e-learning, online learning, etc.) are used roughly synonymously with distance education. The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is the primary accrediting body that recognizes online schools in the U.S. As these courses do not require travel to the U.S., you do not need to apply for U.S. visas.
Certificate or Short-Term Programs
If you want a credential at the end of the program but do not have the time or financial resources for a full degree,
consider a certificate program. The term “certificate” does not have a precise meaning within U.S. education, so many
options are available. A certificate program may award undergraduate, graduate, or no academic credit. The certificate
may indicate that particular vocational or professional skills have been mastered. A Visitor (B) visa can be used for
short periods of recreational study. Enrollment in a short recreational course of study, not for credit toward a degree
or academic certificate, is permitted on a visitor (B visa. If you plan to engage in non-academic or vocational study or
training at a U.S. institution, you need an M-1 visa.
Exchange Programs
The U.S. Department of State offers many programs for non-U.S. citizens wishing to visit the U.S. for cultural, educational, or professional exchange. An educational or cultural exchange program in the U.S. can help you better understand yourself and the world. Before applying for a visa, all exchange visitor applicants must be accepted and approved by an authorized program sponsor. You will need a J visa for an exchange program.