STUDY ABROAD
(USA)
Education System
Employment - as a student
Bachelors in USA
Master's in USA
IELTS in USA
Universities in USA
Irrespective of problem-areas, the United States of America
(USA) will (most probably!) be the hottest destination for international
students. It is not difficult to determine why. The quality of education,
wide-ranging specialties, flexibility, large campuses, friendly professors,
funding and international opportunities is only but a few of the reasons for
attracting the elite students from throughout the world. It is not so easy to
dislodge the pre-eminent position of US as the 'land of opportunities'.
There are more than 3,800 universities and colleges in the
USA, offering right from short-term certificate programs to Post-Doctoral level
degrees. Most students prefer to study in the USA at either the Bachelors level
or Masters and beyond.
Master's level is the most popular among Zimbabwean students who would like to chalk their career plans for
higher education. At this level, Engineering and its specialties (MS) are most
popular, followed by Management (MBA) and other subjects like Pharmacy, Public
Health, Physiotherapy and other programs. Each of the specialties has its own
typical requirements for application, admission and all aspects further
education in USA.
Through the links on these pages and elsewhere on our site,
MES will demystify the process of studying in USA.
Education System
Education system in the USA is different from the British
system of education as practiced by Zimbabwel and from other countries.
After the Nursery school and Kindergarten, primary or
elementary education starts, which will be from first to sixth grade. Grades
from 7thto 12th is known as secondary education in which seventh to ninth are
known as Junior High School grades and 10thto 12thare known as Senior High
School Grades. One could join the first year of college, either in a community
college which offers a two-year Associate degree or a technical institute of
similar duration programs. Completion of this level will make one eligible to
take up two more years of the undergraduate program at a four-year college or a
university, on completion of which leads to a Bachelor's degree.
A Master's degree after that could be between one to two
years. And Doctoral level education could be simultaneous along with the
Master's or additional, which can be another 3-4 years.
On completion of two years in college (first two years of
Bachelor's program) one could join a first professional degree, which will be
an additional four years. First professional degrees are normally offered in
Pharmacy, Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Law, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine etc. In
some fields, the master's degree is the next highest degree awarded after
completion of the first professional degree.
Finally, once a student earns his doctoral degree, he could
pursue further research/study as a Post-Doctoral Fellow, which is the highest
level of education anywhere in the world.
Employment - as a
student
Students at any level are not allowed to work full-time,
while studying in the USA. However, employment of international students, who
reached USA on a non-immigrant visa such as F-1, is strictly regulated.
If such
students maintain their visa status and be in good standing, they could work
part-time and on campus only for up to 20 hours a week. During holidays and
college breaks, students could work full-time, if they maintain the good
standing.
Under special circumstances, students could seek approval
from the Department of Homeland Security (through their respective college) to
work full-time in case of 'economic necessity' or if they experience unexpected
financial crises. Such full-time work is possible only after one year of stay
in the US and after proper endorsement on the I-20 by the International Student
Adviser of the university where the student is enrolled.
Even Off-campus employment must be authorized in writing.
After completion of education, any student could take up Curricular Practical
Training (CPT) or internship, for a period of one year with companies in the
USA, which is normally the first step to seek a more regular employment under
H1B category, for further stay.
IELTS in USA
Over 2,000 US universities and professional bodies accept
IELTS scores as proof of English language skills. Over 1,000,000 people a year
are now using IELTS to open doors throughout the English-speaking world and
beyond.
